DHL Global Forwarding is investing S$22 million (€15 million) in a dedicated temperature-controlled healthcare logistics facility at Singapore Changi Airport, strengthening the airport’s role as a regional gateway for high-value, time- and temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical and life sciences cargo.
DHL Global Forwarding Singapore and Changi Airport Group have announced plans to establish the DHL Singapore Coldchain Hub at Changi Nexus One within the Changi Airfreight Centre. The facility is scheduled to become operational in late 2027 and will provide direct airside connectivity for healthcare shipments moving through Singapore and across Asia-Pacific.
The 3,047-square-metre facility will be designed in accordance with Good Distribution Practice (GDP) standards and will support shipments requiring controlled temperatures of 2°C to 8°C and 15°C to 25°C.
The new hub will feature GDP-qualified cold rooms, real-time temperature monitoring and dedicated temperature-controlled transfer solutions between aircraft, the DHL facility and customers’ warehouses. The objective is to maintain an uninterrupted cold chain and minimise the risk of temperature excursions during cargo handling and transfer.
Located within Changi’s 24/7 Free Trade Zone, Changi Nexus One provides close to 8,000 square metres of warehousing space and direct apron connectivity, enabling cargo to move rapidly between aircraft and logistics facilities.
Strengthening Singapore’s healthcare logistics gateway
The new Coldchain Hub will complement Changi Airport’s existing temperature-controlled cargo infrastructure. The airport currently has more than 9,000 square metres of airside-fronting temperature-controlled handling capacity, supporting more than 375,000 tonnes annually, alongside airside thermal-protection solutions such as cool dollies.
Praveen Gregory, CEO of DHL Global Forwarding Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, said the investment reflects growing demand for more resilient and precise healthcare supply chains across Asia-Pacific.
Singapore’s pharmaceutical cold chain market is projected by DHL to grow at approximately 7% annually, with volumes expected to rise from 14 million kilograms in 2028 to 17 million kilograms by 2031.
“Healthcare supply chains across Asia-Pacific are evolving rapidly as demand grows for biologics, specialty medicines and other temperature-sensitive products that require greater precision, resilience and speed,” Gregory said.
He added that Singapore’s connectivity, specialised logistics infrastructure and regulatory environment make it strategically positioned to support the region’s expanding healthcare trade.
Lim Ching Kiat, Executive Vice President of Air Hub & Cargo Development at Changi Airport Group, said the investment reflects the growing importance of healthcare and life sciences logistics while building on Changi’s air connectivity and specialised cargo-handling capabilities.
Part of DHL’s wider healthcare logistics expansion
The Singapore Coldchain Hub forms part of DHL Group’s broader expansion of its healthcare logistics network. DHL said the new facility will become part of its Health Logistics Air Freight Network, linking major pharmaceutical and life sciences markets worldwide.
The Singapore investment is being developed alongside other healthcare infrastructure projects, including DHL Supply Chain’s upcoming Pharma Hub 2 and a GDP-compliant healthcare handling area at the DHL Express South Asia Hub.
DHL said these investments are designed to strengthen infrastructure, specialist expertise and strategic partnerships across healthcare supply chains, covering storage, fulfilment, distribution, international transportation and last-mile delivery.
The company’s wider Asia-Pacific healthcare investment programme follows its previously announced commitment to invest €500 million in the region through 2030, with spending focused on infrastructure, technology, GDP-certified pharma hubs, cold-chain capacity and temperature-controlled transport.
Asia-Pacific pharmaceutical market drives demand
The expansion comes as pharmaceutical and healthcare markets across Asia-Pacific continue to develop, supported by ageing populations, improved healthcare access and greater adoption of innovative therapies.
According to IQVIA’s 2025 outlook covering 12 major Asian markets, pharmaceutical sales are forecast to grow at a 3.7% compound annual growth rate between 2024 and 2029. The markets covered include China, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
The combination of expanding pharmaceutical demand and increasingly complex temperature-sensitive products is expected to increase requirements for specialised air cargo handling, visibility and compliant cold-chain infrastructure.
For Singapore, the DHL facility adds another dedicated healthcare logistics capability to an airport already positioned around high-frequency international connectivity, direct airside cargo access and specialised temperature-controlled handling.
The development is therefore expected to strengthen Changi’s position as a key transit and distribution gateway for pharmaceuticals, vaccines, biologics and other sensitive healthcare products moving between Asia-Pacific markets and global supply chains.
