In Singapore, SATS provides the main air cargo, ground handling and in-flight catering services at its country's Changi Airport.

As SIA concentrated on its core business of running an airline, the establishment of SATS as a separate, yet wholly owned subsidiary company evolved naturally.

In 1977, SATS opened an airfreight terminal at Paya Lebar Airport capable of handling 160,000 tonnes of cargo a year.

In the first quarter of 2001, a sixth airfreight terminal costing S$270 million with a handling capacity of 800,000 tonnes of cargo per annum commenced operations.

[3] SATS underwent a re-branding exercise in Apr 2007, adopting a completely new brand identity after bearing the SIA 'bird' logo for many decades.

In December 2010, SATS Ltd completed the acquisition of Japan Airlines International's entire stake of 50.7 per cent in TFK Corporation.

The 7.8 billion yen (S$122 million) purchase, was fully satisfied in cash and funded through debt through its wholly owned subsidiary SATS Investments Pte Ltd (SIPL).

[citation needed] On 28 September 2022, SATS announced its acquisition of the world's largest air cargo handler Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) for $1.64 billion.

The refreshed logo and corporate colours reflect the integration of SATS and WFS, and their joint commitment and ambition to become the world's leading aviation solutions provider.

This includes retaining the WFS brand name in the Americas and EMEAA in acknowledgement of its long track record of operational excellence and strong customer relationships.

The new visual will be rolled out in phases over the next three years and will eventually appear on SATS' and WFS' uniforms, airport vehicles, and infrastructure such as warehouses and central kitchens.

SATS runs ground handling and airline catering operations at nearly 44 airports across Asia Pacific and the Middle East.

Besides its operations in Singapore, SATS has also established a network in Asia through joint ventures in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, India, the Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan, Vietnam and the Maldives.

[citation needed] On 18 August 2009, SATS announced its plans to launch Coolport @ Changi, Singapore's first on-airport perishables handling centre, in mid-2010.

Costing approximately S$16 million to build, Coolport @ Changi will be the first dedicated on-airport facility in Singapore for handling terminal and transit perishables cargo within the Free Trade Zone.