Lim Ching Kiat, Executive Vice President, Air Hub & Cargo Development, Changi Airport noted that he is bullish about the trend of supply chain diversification from relying on one country to multiple countries and pointed out that Southeast Asia is a beneficiary of this, as he spoke to STAT Media Group during the recent air cargo Europe and transport logistic exhibitions in Munich.
"We see more FDIs coming into Southeast Asia's manufacturing and high-tech manufacturing sectors. This will underpin Changi Airport's importance," he said.
Lim sees the role of the air cargo business at Changi Airport through different layers which include helping the airport's total business, helping partner airlines and also helping the Singaporean economy.
"The air cargo business is very important for the manufacturers, small and medium enterprises to get their goods out of Singapore," he said.
He also spoke about its collaboration with PSA International at the Port of Singapore for combining sea freight and air freight to optimise the movement of goods through Singapore.
Lim said, "The first step is to exchange information because some of these cargoes are not labelled as sea or air. And both organisations need to share information."
"The second area is about marketing this service. We can't do it alone. We need the freight forwarder, airline and shipping company to come together and jointly market it as a new product," he added.
Watch the video to see him talking about the Singaporean logistics industry, the long-term vision at Changi Airport, the focus on pharma, perishable, advanced engineering verticals, digitalisation, sustainability, community projects, and innovative air cargo products.