DHL to build healthcare cold-chain hub at Singapore's Changi Airport

Singapore : DHL Global Forwarding will establish a dedicated healthcare logistics facility at Singapore's Changi Airport as demand grows for specialized handling of pharmaceuticals and other temperature-sensitive products across Asia-Pacific.

The DHL Singapore Coldchain Hub will be located at Changi Nexus One in the airport's Changi Airfreight Centre. The 3,047-square-meter facility is scheduled for completion by the end of 2027 and will have direct airside access, allowing shipments to move quickly between aircraft and controlled storage.

The facility will handle products requiring temperatures between 2°C and 8°C as well as 15°C and 25°C. It will include GDP-qualified cold rooms and real-time temperature monitoring, supported by temperature-controlled transfers to and from customers' warehouses.

DHL said the project forms part of its broader EUR2 billion investment in healthcare logistics under its Strategy 2030 program.

The investment comes as pharmaceutical markets across Asia expand. IQVIA forecasts pharmaceutical sales in 12 major Asian markets to grow at an annualized 3.7 percent between 2024 and 2029.

DHL also expects Singapore's pharmaceutical cold-chain volumes to increase by about 7 percent annually, from 14 million kilograms in 2028 to 17 million kilograms by 2031.

Changi already provides more than 9,000 square meters of temperature-controlled airside handling capacity, supporting annual cargo volumes of over 375,000 tons.

The new hub is expected to strengthen Singapore's role as a regional gateway for healthcare and life sciences shipments.