SATS Ltd. (SATS), one of the world's leading providers of air cargo and ground handling services, has announced the opening of a new facility at Changi Airport by SATS Singapore Hub (SG Hub) – the BUP Handling Centre – which will enhance and optimise airfreight operations.

The BUP Handling Centre is named after BUPs, or Bulk Unitisation Programme shipments, which are cargo packages assembled by freight forwarders or shippers and delivered to SATS to be loaded onto flights.

It covers an area about half the size of a soccer field at SATS Cargo's Airfreight Terminal.

SATS said this dedicated and sheltered facility resembles the clearance lanes for cargo trucks at Singapore's Tuas and Woodlands checkpoints.

Operated by SATS Cargo, the BUP Handling Centre is expected to reduce the minimum processing time for air cargo shipments by 20%, from two and a half hours down to two hours — offering customers greater flexibility and quicker response times, particularly for time-critical airfreight shipments.

The facility also provides several operational benefits, including freeing up capacity at existing airfreight terminals and easing congestion on roadways. It enables the resolution of acceptance issues, including documentation, weighing, and verifying that the size of BUPs is suitable for aircraft cargo holds.

Furthermore, accepted cargo can be towed directly to the airside for uplift, streamlining cargo flow and boosting handling efficiency. 

In addition, the new facility will allow SATS Cargo to testbed enhanced systems and processes for air cargo operations that could be introduced at Changi Airport’s Terminal 5 and the Changi East Industrial Zone.

SATS established SG Hub on October 1, 2024, as a dedicated business division to support airport operations at Singapore's Air Hub, which groups Changi Airport, Seletar Airport, and the aviation industries at these gateways.

SATS noted that the division strengthens SATS' position as Changi Airport's leading solutions provider, powered by a future-ready workforce and systems that drive the global competitiveness of Singapore's Air Hub.

SG Hub provides ground handling services such as passenger handling, baggage services, aircraft handling, security services and cargo handling services that are critical for safe, efficient and timely airport operation.

"In the air cargo logistics network where every minute counts, the BUP Handling Centre's enhanced processes are a game-changer for SATS Cargo operations at Changi Airport," said Kuah Boon Kiam, senior vice-president, Cargo Services at SG Hub.

"The new facility will allow faster, safer, and more efficient processing and handling of air cargo shipments, by day and by night and in all-weather conditions."

Kuah noted that the facility also allows SG Hub to test and refine processes as we nurture future-ready capabilities in airside and cargo handling ahead of the opening of Changi Airport Terminal 5 and the Changi East Industrial Zone.

"We thank our partners from Singapore's aviation ecosystem, the freight forwarding community as well as shippers for contributing to the successful launch of the BUP Handling Centre," the SATS senior vice-president, Cargo Services at SG Hub, added.