Channel News Asia reported thatairport planners have announced adetailed master plan, which placed alot of emphasis on the importance ofair cargo services for the next phaseof Singapore’s Changi Airport expansion.

The report said that Changi Airporthas experienced phenomenal growthin air cargo throughput since theairport first opened for operationsin 1981. By adopting innovative andproactive measures, Changi Airport hasconsistently maintained its position asone of the key hubs for air cargo inthe region. Today, Changi Airport isranked sixth in the world in terms ofair cargo market share.

The handling of perishables hasbeen identified as a potential growthsegment by Civil Aviation Authorityof Singapore. This fast growing areaalready constitutes around 15 percentof air cargo worldwide.

According to Airport Cargo TrafficStatistics, Changi Airport handled anannual throughput of 1.91 milliontonnes in 2006, an increase of 4.2 percentover 2005 and handled 280,159tonnes for January to February thisyear.