A new 26,000sqm integrated cargo facility to be built at Singapore Changi International Airport, which the airport operator hopes will expand its operational reach within the Asia-Pacific.

The Air Cargo Express (ACE) Hub, which will combine onsite immigration and customs facilities, will be built within Changi's Free Trade Zone with direct access to its airfield and road network.

ACE is being built by an as yet unnamed cargo operator, with the Changi Airport Group (CAG) investing more than S$25 million in the facility. The Singapore based Trustee of Ascendas Real Estate Investment Trust (A-REIT) will build and develop ACE.

Under the Changi Airport Master plan, the Civil Authority of Singapore (CAAS) has allocated some 80,000sqm of land for the development of the ACE Hub and its supporting airside infrastructure. CAG will manage the development and operations for the new facility, which it is hoped will be operationalby the first half of 2012.

CAG has stated the facility will strengthen Singapore's position as a key centre for Air Express Companies (AECs), especially in markets such as South East Asia, South Asia and Oceania.

CAG's CEO Lee Seow Hiang said: "The ACE Hub will enhance Changi Airport's competitiveness in the cargo space. The project reflects our commitment to work with our partners to grow their business at Changi as well as invest in innovative ideas to grow Changi as a global aviation hub."