- The new temperature-controlled facility will strengthen capabilities for handling high-value, time-sensitive and temperature-controlled healthcare and life sciences cargo through Changi Airport.
- Direct airside access alongside Changi’s global connectivity will support its safe and reliable movement of specialised cargo across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.
- The partnership hopes to fortify Singapore’s position as a regional gateway and healthcare logistics hub.
New 3,047-sqm temperature-controlled facility is expected to strengthen Changi Airport’s capabilities for handling time- and temperature-sensitive healthcare and life sciences cargo
DHL Global Forwarding is to establish a dedicated healthcare logistics facility at Singapore Changi Airport as demand grows for specialised handling of pharmaceuticals, biologics and other temperature-sensitive products across the Asia-Pacific region.
Changi Airport Group (CAG) and DHL Global Forwarding, the air and ocean freight specialist of DHL Group, announced on 4 September that DHL Global Forwarding Singapore will develop the DHL Singapore Coldchain Hubat Changi Nexus One in the Changi Airfreight Centre.
The facility will feature temperature-controlled infrastructure and direct airside access, supporting the movement of high-value, time- and temperature-sensitive healthcare and life sciences cargo through Singapore.
The investment forms part of DHL Group’s broader healthcare logistics strategy and its EUR2 billion investment in DHL Health Logistics under Strategy 2030.
Facility targeted for completion in 2027
The 3,047-sqm facility is targeted for completion by the end of 2027 and will be designed in accordance with Good Distribution Practice (GDP) standards.
It will handle shipments requiring controlled temperatures of 2°C to 8°C and 15°C to 25°C, with infrastructure including GDP-qualified cold rooms and real-time temperature monitoring.
Direct airside connectivity will allow temperature-controlled shipments to move between aircraft and the DHL facility before onward transportation to customers’ warehouses. DHL said the set-up is intended to support an uninterrupted cold chain for healthcare and life sciences cargo moving through Singapore and into regional markets.
Praveen Gregory, CEO of DHL Global Forwarding Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, said the investment reflects increasing demand for biologics, specialty medicines and other products requiring controlled logistics conditions.
He also pointed to projected growth in Singapore’s pharmaceutical cold-chain market, with volumes expected by DHL to rise from 14 million kilograms in 2028 to 17 million kilograms in 2031, representing approximately 7% annualised growth.
Asia-Pacific pharmaceutical demand
The expansion comes as Asia-Pacific’s pharmaceutical markets continue to grow, increasing the need for specialised logistics and temperature-controlled infrastructure.
IQVIA’s March 2025 Market Prognosis forecast pharmaceutical sales across 12 Asian markets—including China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam—to grow at a 3.7% compound annual growth rate between 2024 and 2029.
IQVIA identifies ageing populations, improving healthcare access and greater adoption of innovative therapies among the factors supporting pharmaceutical-market growth across the region. India and Malaysia are among the faster-growing markets in the 12-market group, with forecast CAGRs of 8.0% and 8.9%, respectively, over the period.
Changi expands healthcare cargo infrastructure
Lim Ching Kiat, Executive Vice President of Air Hub & Cargo Development at Changi Airport Group, said the new facility builds on the airport’s existing air connectivity and specialised cargo infrastructure.
Changi already has temperature-controlled capabilities across its cargo ecosystem, including airside thermal-protection solutions such as cool dollies and more than 9,000 sqm of airside-fronting temperature-controlled handling capacity, with throughput capacity of more than 375,000 tonnes per year, according to CAG.
The new DHL facility will be located within Changi Nexus One, an air logistics facility offering close to 8,000 sqm of warehousing space and direct apron connectivity. CAG said the building has also achieved BCA Green Mark Platinum and Green Mark Platinum Positive Energy Building certifications.
The project adds to DHL’s existing healthcare logistics footprint in Singapore. DHL launched an 8,200-sqm Pharma Hub in Singapore in 2025, featuring GDP/GMP-compliant space with ambient and cold-room zones, according to the company.
With the new Coldchain Hub, DHL and CAG are positioning Singapore to handle a larger share of regional healthcare flows requiring stringent temperature control, rapid transfer and reliable air connectivity.
