SUSTAINABILITY AIR CARG O WEEK


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IS SUSTAINABILITY BECOMING A REGIONAL DIFFERENTIATOR?


BY Anastasiya SIMSEK C


“Changi Airport believes in the importance of adopting a broad-based and community approach.”


ACW 06 OCTOBER 2025


hangi Airport is quietly pulling ahead in a race few regional hubs have yet committed to: decarbonising air cargo operations with enforceable timelines and infrastructure to match. While most of Southeast Asia’s gateways remain focused on throughput and expansion, Singapore’s aviation strategy


is increasingly shaped by carbon limits - starting with a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) mandate that will come into effect in 2026. SAF mandate puts timeline pressure on operators “As an airport registering a high volume of cargo on a daily basis,


CAG is facilitating the adoption of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by airlines,” said Lim Ching Kiat, Executive Vice President, Air Hub and Cargo Development at Changi Airport Group. All flights departing Singapore will be required to use SAF from 2026,


starting with a 1 percent blend. That figure is expected to rise to 3–5 percent by 2030, depending on global availability. While the target is modest, the policy is one of the region’s clearest steps toward aligning air freight with emissions goals.


Airside operations go electric — or off-grid Decarbonisation on the ground is advancing in parallel. Changi Airport has already installed over 100 EV charging points on the airside to support its electric baggage tractor fleet. From 2025, all new airside light vehicles, tractors and forklifts must be electric. The airport is targeting full conversion of all airside vehicles to clean energy by 2040. “As airport partner needs evolve, the charging network will grow to over 300 points,” Lim said. Where electric alternatives aren’t yet viable,


www.aircargoweek.com


Changi is trialling renewable diesel as a transitional fuel. Solar infrastructure is also being scaled up. Rooftop solar panels are


being installed across the airport — including Cargo Agent Buildings — in what will become Singapore’s largest single-site rooftop system when completed in end-2025.


Waste management gains operational footing Environmental targets extend beyond energy. At Changi Airfreight Centre (CAC), the airport has introduced new recycling infrastructure for tenants and holds regular e-waste collection drives. The measures are modest but signal a shift toward more systemic, operationally integrated waste reduction practices. “In building a more sustainable air cargo hub, Changi Airport believes


in the importance of adopting a broad-based and community approach,” Lim said. Key focus areas include reducing energy consumption, electrifying


airside fleets, improving waste management and working with industry partners to embed sustainability into shared infrastructure. The shift is not purely environmental. As carbon reporting obligations


increase and cargo owners demand cleaner end-to-end supply chains, environmental performance is becoming a competitive variable - not a PR concern. Most regional hubs have yet to put deadlines or mandates in place.


Changi’s combination of SAF regulation, airside electrification, solar investment and operational policy gives it a head start. Whether others in the region follow — or fall behind — remains to be seen.


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