SINGAPORE : Changi Airport Group (CAG) and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) have announced the development of a new Air Cargo Express (ACE) Hub which is expected to strengthen Singapore's position as an air cargo hub in the region.
The new ACE Hub will have a gross floor area of 26,277 square metres and will be located within Changi Airport's free trade zone.
It will support the cargo and logistics needs of air express companies here, the announcement said.
CAG will manage the development and operations of the new facility, which is targeted to be operational in the first half of 2012.
To support the Hub, CAG will invest more than S$25 million to build a new airside infrastructure that will have two aircraft parking bays for the operator's ease of access.
The direct airside access will ensure the smooth flow of cargo to and from the aircraft, thus shortening the processing time for transporting cargo.
The facility will also allow access to Singapore's major expressways to enhance regional distribution activities and express courier services.
The new facility will also have a special on-site facilitation by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority and Singapore Customs for efficient cargo clearance, the announcement said.
CAG said it has signed a land lease agreement with HSBC Institutional Trust Services (Singapore) - the Trustee of Ascendas Real Estate Investment Trust (A-REIT).
A-REIT will build and develop the facility beside the Airport Logistics Park of Singapore.
A leading cargo carrier with major operations in Singapore will be operating the facility.
"The ACE Hub facility will enable our air cargo partner to cater for its future expansion in Singapore and capitalise on long-term growth opportunities from increasing intra-Asia trade growth," said CAG's chief executive officer, Lee Seow Hiang.
For the first eleven months of 2010, Singapore's airfreight movements grew 11.7 per cent to 1.66 million tonnes compared to the same period in 2009.
Changi Airport was ranked the seventh busiest airport globally for international freight traffic in the one year period ended September 2010.
