8 December 2020: The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and Changi Airport Group (CAG) have jointly put together an 18-member taskforce comprising of government agencies, cargo handlers, airlines and freight forwarders to make sure that Singapore air cargo hub is ready for the transportation and distribution of COVID- 19 vaccines. The taskforce is public-private collaboration and called as the Changi Ready Taskforce.
Mr Ho Yuen Sang, Director (Aviation Industry), Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, and co- lead of the Changi Ready Taskforce said, “Over the years, Changi Airport has built a strong track record in pharmaceutical handling by air, from serving Singapore’s pharmaceutical manufacturing sector. We have good cold chain handling infrastructure and capabilities. With our strong air connectivity and SIA’s fleet of more than 200 passenger aircraft, we can deliver vaccines to multiple destinations according to demand. We are well-positioned to play a critical role in distributing COVID-19 vaccines to Singapore and the region. By bringing all players in the air cargo supply chain together through the Changi Ready Taskforce, CAAS and our partners can ensure the safe, reliable and effective transportation of these vaccines”.
Changi Airport is a preferred pharmaceutical air cargo hub in the region. As the first and largest IATA CEIV Pharmacertified community in the Asia Pacific, with at least one member in each node of the air cargo supply chain, the Changi air cargo hub offers an unbroken cold chain necessary for the effective handling of temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical shipments.
Recognising that the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines is a challenging task, the Changi Ready Taskforce has been set up to better prepare our air cargo community to meet the logistical demands of vaccines distribution. This includes assessing and ramping the hub’s ability to handle different types of COVID-19 vaccines, all within stringent temperature- controlled environment to maintain the vaccines’ efficacy, as well as to manage an expected surge in the volume of vaccines to be air transported to the region, once they are approved by regulators.
Since October this year, the Changi Ready Taskforce has sought to identify and address the potential challenges associated with air transportation of COVID-19 vaccines – through workstreams such as capabilities mapping of infrastructure and equipment, data visibility, and processes – to ensure that the COVID-19 vaccines can be safely, reliably and efficiently handled through the Changi air cargo hub for distribution into Singapore and to the region.
Changi Airport Group’s Managing Director for Air Hub Development and co-lead of the Changi Ready Taskforce, Mr Lim Ching Kiat said, “The Changi air cargo hub has always placed a strong emphasis on pursuing the highest standards in pharmaceutical cargo handling. Given our efforts in infrastructure upgrades and manpower training over the years, our air cargo hub is well-poised to handle the transportation of COVID-19 vaccines”.
Changi Airport’s cargo handlers – dnata and SATS, have steadily been enhancing their cool chain infrastructure and equipment over the years to support the growing demands for transporting temperature-controlled cargo. dnata’s CoolChain and SATS’ Coolport, which consist of temperature-controlled warehouses with adjustable temperature ranges between -25°C and +25°C, together cover more than 9,000 sqm. They offer a combined annual cool chain handling capacity of 375,000 tonnes with the ability to scale up when required.
Even though the COVID-19 pandemic has decimated air travel demand, resulting in a steep decline in passenger aircraft movements with a corresponding reduction in belly-hold capacity, Changi’s airline partners have been quick to ramp up charters and scheduled freighter operations since the onset of the pandemic. CAG has also worked with its partners to facilitate the introduction and growth of passenger services for cargo conveyance to alleviate the air cargo capacity crunch.
Changi Airport is well-positioned to serve as a regional hub in Southeast Asia and Southwest Pacific, to support the efficient distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. Singapore Airlines operates multiple weekly flights from each of the key European pharmaceutical export hubs, such as Amsterdam, Brussels and Frankfurt, and has an extensive network in Southeast Asia and Southwest Pacific. In addition, leading global integrators – such as DHL, FedEX and UPS – have established their regional hubs in Singapore with strong network connectivity from Changi Airport.
