Life at SATS: Our Presence Across Continents
Our story began in 1947 in Singapore, back when the city-state was just starting to find its footing. Fast forward 77 years, and SATS has grown into a global industry leader, operating in 215 locations across 27 countries (as at May 2024).
You may know us as the leading flight solutions provider at Changi Airport (SIN), but we also serve customers in schools, hospitals, and restaurants. And we're not just in Asia. We have a worldwide reach that spans different continents and cultures.
Join us on our global showcase and see where our footprints are!
Africa
Let's start with Africa, where we have a strong foothold in two of the busiest airports in South Africa: Johannesburg OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) and Cape Town Airport (CPT). Here, we provide specialised services in pharmaceutical handling, cargo operations, and trucking.
Read also: Meet Zethu, Duty Manager at WFS South Africa
Americas
We cover 106 locations across the Americas, offering a range of services to our airline partners, through WFS, a member of the SATS Group.
In South America, we handle ground operations at 25 airports in Brazil. In North America, we operate in 81 airports – 78 in the United States and three in Canada – where we are present in the continent's busiest cargo ports.
Our HQ in the Americas is in Dallas, Texas, but our offices are scattered across the continent providing a wide range of airport services in key locations. In Seattle-Tacoma Airport (SEA), for example, our team provides passenger services, ramp handling, and cabin cleaning services for our airline clients.
Our Chicago office is at the busy O'Hare International Airport (ORD), where we have a modern and eco-friendly facility for our cargo operations.
SATS/WFS office in Chicago
Our facility has 28 dock doors and two drive-up truck doors, as well as electric vehicle charging stations for our fleet.
Read also: I’m living the dream at Chicago O’Hare International Airport as a Passenger Service Agent
Asia Pacific
We operate in 66 cities across the Asia Pacific region.
Australia: Food is our primary service in Australia, where we have locations in Brisbane and Rockhampton.
Greater China: In Hong Kong, we are present at the world’s busiest air cargo terminal, operating through our subsidiary Asia Airfreight Terminal (AAT), handling more than a million tonnes of cargo every year.
One of the world’s largest cargo terminals is in Hong Kong
In Mainland China, we have a network of 11 locations, providing a range of aviation and non-aviation food solutions. One of our largest facilities is the Tianjin central kitchen which can produce up to 125,000 meals daily with the help of smart technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT).
.jpg?sfvrsn=e0a62ed4_0 "SATS-Tianjin-Kitchen-IoT")
A staff using IoT-enabled monitoring at SATS Tianjin Kitchen in China
We are also present in Taiwan's three major airports (Taichung, Taipei Songshan, and Taoyuan), where we offer ground handling, cargo handling, and catering services.
India: Our operations in India span across 11 locations, where we provide a range of food, cargo, and ground services. We have food production facilities in Bangalore, Goa, Chennai, Mumbai, New Delhi, Thiruvandrum, and Kolkata.
Our Bangalore facility is the largest in the whole fleet of SATS’ food business, with a capacity to produce 40,000 kilos of ready-to-eat food daily. It also features a daycare centre for our employees with young children.
Our SATS India Food Solutions Facility in Bengaluru, India spans 221,000 square feet
Japan: At Haneda and Narita international airports in Japan, we provide in-flight food for 50 domestic and international airlines, as well as food products to restaurants, banks, supermarkets, golf clubs, and hotels across Tokyo through our subsidiary SATS TFK.
Read also: Growing SATS TFK’s non-aviation ventures
.jpg?sfvrsn=e049963f_0 "SATS-TFK-Haneda-Airport-Flight-Catering")
Our food manufacturing operations at Haneda Airport
Malaysia: GTR (Ground Team Red), a joint venture between SATS and AirAsia, is the country’s leading provider of ground services, catering to airlines in Kuala Lumpur, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, Langkawi, and other airports across the country.
Read also: SATS GTR Female Ramp Team defies stereotypes
.jpg?sfvrsn=5f5069a8_0 "SATS-GTR-AirAsia-Team")
Middle East: Our presence in the Middle East spans Oman and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In the Sultanate of Oman, we manage the cargo terminal at Muscat International Airport (MCT) through Oman SATS LLC, a joint venture between Oman Airports and SATS. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, we are the country’s first international cargo handler, operating in Dammam, Jeddah, and Riyadh.
Our colleagues at work in the Oman SATS LLC office
Singapore: Our headquarters is at the In-flight Catering Centre 1, a stone’s throw from Changi Airport (SIN). It’s one of our two massive in-flight kitchens that can whip up 120,000 meals a day.
.jpg?sfvrsn=89916645_0 "SATS-HQ-In-Flight-Catering-Centre-1")
Our HQ is at SATS In-Flight Catering Centre 1, a stone's throw from Changi Airport's Terminal 4
Read also: 5 Perks of Being a SATS Employee in Singapore
But we have more offices in Singapore, both inside and outside the airport. At the airport, we have numerous offices that handle passenger and apron services, such as check-in, boarding, baggage, load control, ramp, and aircraft cleaning. We also manage cargo and e-commerce logistics at Changi Airfreight Terminal.
Nearby is the SATS Aero Laundry office, where we wash, dry, fold, and pack linens and blankets for flights.
Outside Changi Airport, we provide ground and terminal services for private jets at Seletar Airport and cruise ships at Marina Bay Cruise Centre.
Farther from the airport are our food facilities and innovation hubs that serve food to various institutions, such as supermarkets, restaurants, hospitals, and schools.
Thailand: Our food facility in Thailand is located about 10 kilometres from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK). The facility covers an area of 30,000 square meters and currently has a production capacity of 20,000 meals per day. We also offer ground handling and cargo services at BKK through WFS.
Read also: A father-and-son journey at SATS Thailand
SATS Thailand is located outside Bangkok, spanning 30,000 square metres
Rest of Asia Pacific: We have a diverse portfolio of services in the rest of the region. In Indonesia, we are present in 11 locations offering a mix of food, ground, and cargo solutions. In the Philippines, we offer in-flight catering in Manila. In Vietnam, we provide cargo handling services in Ho Chi Minh City. In Maldives, we provide a mix of food, cargo, and ground handling solutions.
Europe
Our presence in Europe is held strong in 45 locations across the continent, mostly in airports, except in Surrey (United Kingdom) where we have a dedicated innovation centre, Monty’s Bakehouse, which develops and produces sustainably packaged snacks for premium airlines and other customers.
Monty’s Bakehouse Innovation Centre in Surrey
Most of our presence in Europe is focused on either ground or cargo services. In Belgium, we operate cargo services in Brussels and Liege. In France, we have cargo operations in 11 cities, including Bordeaux, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, and Nice. We also provide ground and cargo services at Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG).
In the United Kingdom, we have cargo operations in six cities, including London Gatwick International Airport (LGW) and London Heathrow International Airport (LHR). In Edinburgh, we also offer ground services, such as check-in, boarding, and baggage handling.
Meanwhile, in Spain, we serve 12 cities with cargo and ground services. We also operate in other European countries, such as Sweden, the Netherlands, Italy, Ireland, and Germany, providing cargo handling for different customers.
.jpg?sfvrsn=c9414867_0 "WFS-Barcelona-Spain-Warehouse-Team")
We’d like to spotlight our Copenhagen office in Denmark, one of our most picturesque locations in Europe. Our office is situated right next to the airport, giving us a stunning view of the planes landing and taking off. Our colleagues like to describe the exciting rumble of the ground, making them feel close to "where the action happens."
.jpg?sfvrsn=cbb50564_0 "WFS-Copenhagen-Shift-Briefing")
Our colleagues attending a shift briefing at one of our offices in Copenhagen
Our people may be in different parts of the world, in different time zones, catering to various clients. But our offices have one thing in common – the warmth of being a part of a big SATS family, sharing common goals.