Written Reply by Minister for Transport S Iswaran to Parliamentary Question on Deepening and Widening Changi Airport's Strength in Cargo and Airfreight Handling

Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for Transport whether Changi Airport can deepen and widen its strength in cargo and air-freight handling.

Reply by Minister for Transport S Iswaran: 

1.     The Singapore air cargo hub contributes to Singapore’s economic success by helping our businesses access global markets and attracting foreign direct investments. We are also a well-connected transhipment hub facilitating global trade flows through Singapore. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing challenges, Changi Airport has remained a pre-eminent cargo hub.

2.     The Government is working closely with the Changi Airport Group (CAG) and other aviation partners to further strengthen our capabilities in air cargo and freight handling to entrench Changi Airport as an air cargo hub.

3.     Changi Airport has maintained its extensive cargo network throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Air freight throughput has recovered to pre-COVID-19 levels, with total airfreight throughput for 2021 at 1.95 million tonnes, compared to 2.01 million tonnes in 2019.

4.     To boost capacity, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and CAG had worked closely with airline partners to introduce passenger aircraft for cargo conveyance operations, expand their freighter operations, and introduce new freighter operators. Singapore Airlines (SIA) is also investing in its freighter fleet and has recently announced that seven A350 freighters will be delivered from 2025, with an option for five more. This new generation aircraft offers better fuel economy, longer range and greater deployment flexibility to better serve cargo customers.

5.     Changi Airport has also developed capabilities to handle cargo in high growth areas. For example, with dedicated temperature-controlled facilities, Changi Airport can provide cold chain solutions to maintain the integrity of pharmaceuticals cargo and the freshness and quality of perishable products. This has enabled Singapore to play a key role as a vaccine distribution centre for the region. Companies across the air cargo value chain are upgrading themselves to obtain international certification such as the Centre of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV) by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for pharmaceuticals and perishables.

6.     The aviation community, with funding support from CAAS, is also investing in proof-of-concept projects that aim to reduce reliance on manpower for cargo operations, such as the use of autonomous vehicles at the airside.