Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) has allocated RM800 million of its capital expenditure to build infrastructure, facilities, system and equipment for the 32.42-hectare Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Aeropolis Digital Free Trade Zone (DFTZ), which is slated to be fully operational in the third quarter of 2020.

Managing Director Datuk Badlisham Ghazali said KLIA Aeropolis DFTZ Park, dubbed the world's first e-world trade platform, was on track for site handover in August this year to the joint-venture company for facilities development.

"It is 20 per cent completed and we foresee that the DFTZ will double KLIA's cargo volume to 1.5 million tonnes in the next 10 years from the current 700,000 tonnes per annum," he said at the media conference on the DFTZ pilot project here on Monday, 9 April.

The facility will encompass of 1.2 million square feet (sq ft) of gross floor area (GFA) for a cargo terminal, sorting centre, warehouse and operations office.

On top of that, MAHB is also looking to develop another cargo facility covering a GFA of one million sq ft within the next three years.

"We are also looking to team up with potential strategic delivery partners to develop high-grade warehousing and distribution centres on a build and lease model that are able to cater to specialised needs such as halal logistics, high-value goods and pharmaceuticals," he added.

Other infrastructure developments include a free trade commercial zone corridor to cater to business expansion growth, an airport cargo freight station to support intermodal connectivity to seaports and the utilisation of big data analytics to improve operational efficiency.