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Changi Airport
Main commercial airport in Singapore From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Singapore Changi Airport (IPA: /ˈtʃɑːŋi/ CHAHNG-ee; IATA: SIN, ICAO: WSSS) is the principal international airport serving the Republic of Singapore, and functions as one of the most significant aviation gateways in the Asia-Pacific region. Situated within the Changi planning area in the eastern part of the country, the airport is approximately 24 kilometres (15 miles) from the Downtown Core and occupies a site spanning about 25-square-kilometre (9.7 sq mi).[9] The airport is a base for more than 100 international carriers with scheduled services linking Singapore to destinations across Asia, Oceania, Africa, Europe, the Middle East and North America.[10] As of 2024, Changi Airport handled 67.7 million passengers, ranking it as the 15th busiest globally.[11]
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Changi Airport serves as the headquarters for several aviation and ground handling entities. It is the home base of Singapore Airlines, the nation's flag carrier, along with its associated subsidiaries Singapore Airlines Cargo and Scoot, a regional low-cost carrier. The airport also hosts the operations of BOC Aviation, a major aircraft leasing firm. Ground and catering services are provided by SATS, whose facilities are located within the airport precincts. Owing to Singapore's central geographical location and high volume of international transit traffic, the airport has also been designated a focus city by Qantas and a principal cargo hub by FedEx Express, reinforcing its logistical and commercial importance within global air transport networks.[3][12] The airport is managed by the Changi Airport Group, a corporate entity wholly owned by the Ministry of Finance of the Government of Singapore.
The airfield infrastructure comprises three operational runways, each measuring 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) in length. While the main airport code is WSSS, the third runway, designated 02R/20L, was formerly part of the adjacent Changi Air Base (East) and used by the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF), carrying the ICAO code WSAC.[13][14][15] The terminal complex includes four passenger terminals, of which Terminals 1, 2 and 3 are directly connected to Jewel Changi Airport, a mixed-use development featuring retail, dining and entertainment facilities integrated with airport infrastructure.
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Overview
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Changi Airport serves more than 100 airlines flying to 400+ cities in around 100+ countries and territories worldwide. About 7,400 flights arrive or depart at Changi each week, or one every 80 seconds.
For the 2019 full-year figures published by the airport, the airport handled 68,300,000 passengers (a 4.0% increase over the previous year), the most in its 38-year history.[16] This made it the seventh busiest airport by international passenger traffic in the world and the third busiest in Asia. In December 2019, Changi Airport registered a total of 6.41 million passenger movements, the highest the airport has ever achieved in a month since it opened in 1981. Its daily traffic movement record was also broken on 20 December 2019, with 226,692 passengers passing through during that day. In addition to being an important passenger hub, the airport is also one of the busiest cargo airports in the world, handling 2.01 million tonnes of cargo in 2019. The total number of commercial aircraft movements decreased by 1.0% from the previous year to 382,000 in 2019.[16]
In 2024, Changi Airport served 67.7 million passengers, recorded about 366,000 aircraft movements and moved 1.99 million tons of air freight.[11]
The airport has won over 680 awards since its opening, including 28 "Best Airport" awards in 2019 alone.[17] Changi Airport's efforts to mitigate the effects of ageing infrastructure include continual physical upgrades to its existing terminals and building new facilities to maintain its high standards in airport service quality.[18]
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History
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Conception
Prior to Changi, Singapore's main international airport was located at Paya Lebar. It had opened in 1955 with a single runway and a small passenger terminal, having itself replaced the previous Kallang Airport that began operations in 1937. The decision to move the airport from Paya Lebar to Changi was based on a number of factors.[19] With the growth in global aviation transport, the airport was facing congestion problems. Its inability to cope with the rising traffic became critical by the 1970s; annual passenger numbers rose dramatically from 300,000 in 1955 to 1.7 million in 1970 and to 4 million in 1975. As a result, there was a need to accommodate the growing demand for air travel, the desire to establish Singapore as a global aviation hub, and the need to modernise the country's air transport infrastructure.[20]
The Singaporean government had two options – expand the existing airport at Paya Lebar or build a new airport at another location. After extensive studies, a decision was made in 1972 to keep the airport at Paya Lebar, as recommended by aviation consultants. Plans were made for the building of a second runway and an extensive redevelopment and expansion to the passenger terminal building. A year later, however, the plans were reviewed again as the pressure to expand the airport eased because of the 1973 oil crisis.[20]
Concerned that the existing airport was located in an area with potential for urban growth, which would physically hem it in on all sides, the government subsequently decided in 1975 to build a new airport at the eastern tip of the main island at Changi, at the existing site of Changi Air Base. However, as there was an increase in traffic, the airport still had to be expanded at that time. In addition, aircraft could fly over the sea, avoiding noise pollution issues within residential areas and avoid disastrous consequences on the ground in the event of an air mishap. Formerly known as the Singapore International Airport, the airport in Paya Lebar was subsequently converted for military use and renamed as Paya Lebar Air Base.[20]
Construction
The original master plan for Changi Airport involved constructing a dual-terminal and dual-runway configuration over two phases with provisions for another two passenger terminals in the future. Phase 1 included the construction for the first passenger terminal, the first runway reusing and upgrading the main runway of Changi Air Base, 45 aircraft parking bays, support facilities and structures, including a large maintenance hangar, a fire station, workshops and administrative offices, an airfreight complex, two cargo agents buildings, in-flight catering kitchens and an 80 m (260 ft) control tower. Construction for the second phase would commence immediately after the completion of Phase 1 and include the second runway, 23 new aircraft parking bays in addition to the existing 45 bays, a second fire station and a third cargo agent building.[20][21]
Changi Airport commenced commercial operations on 1 July 1981.[22] Its first flight, Singapore Airlines SQ101, touched down that day at 7:10:00am Singapore Time with 140 passengers from Kuala Lumpur.[22] It officially opened five months later on 29 December 1981. The airport ended its first year of operations with 12.1 million passengers, close to 200,000 tonnes of air freight handled and 63,100 aircraft movements. Subsequent phases opened progressively within the next few decades, with Terminal 2 opening for passenger traffic in 1990, Terminal 3 in 2008, and Terminal 4 in 2017. Terminal 5, which would be larger than all the previous terminals combined, is expected to open in 2030.[22]
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Terminals
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Passenger terminals
Changi Airport has four main passenger terminals arranged in an elongated inverted "U" shape with Jewel in the centre of the "U" shape. Currently, the airport has a designed total annual handling capacity of 85 million passengers.[23]
There is also a privately run luxury terminal called the JetQuay CIP Terminal. It is similar to the Lufthansa First Class Terminal at Frankfurt Airport, but is open to all passengers travelling in all classes on all airlines with an access fee.[29]
The short-lived Budget Terminal was opened on 26 March 2006 and closed on 25 September 2012 to make way for Terminal 4.[30]
Terminal 5 is currently under construction, along with a third runway. The new terminal is expected to be completed by 2030.[31]
Future terminals and projects
Terminal 5 is anticipated to be operational by the mid-2030s, to meet an anticipated doubling of volume by the 2040s. It is expected to handle 50 million passenger movements per annum.[32] The airport terminal structure is projected to be larger than all the previous terminals combined. It will be built on reclaimed land to the east of the present terminals. It will be partially funded through an increased levy.[33] KPF Singapore with Heatherwick Studio, Architects 61, and DP Architects will provide architectural services. Arup Singapore, Mott MacDonald Singapore and Surbana Jurong Consultants will provide engineering services. The former Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said that the Changi Terminal 5 project was delayed by at least 2 years as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[34]
Mixed-use facilities
Jewel Changi Airport, which opened on 17 April 2019, is a nature-themed entertainment and retail complex interconnecting Terminals 1, 2 and 3.[35] Announced in 2013, it is a new terminal-like structure that is intended to simultaneously be a mixed-use complex.[36] It is situated on a 3.5-hectare site where the Terminal 1 car park used to reside, which has since been moved underground. Jewel was developed by Jewel Changi Airport Trustee Pte Ltd, a joint venture between Changi Airport Group and CapitaLand, through its wholly owned shopping mall business, CapitaLand Mall Asia.[37] The project cost S$1.7 billion.[38]
Part of this project was planned to help expand Terminal 1 to handle 24 million passengers per year by 2018 with stand-alone check-in facilities and lounges, making it an unofficial terminal on its own.[39] The Indoor Waterfall (named "Rain Vortex") in the structure holds the World Record for the tallest indoor waterfall in the world.[40]
Cargo terminal
The Air Cargo Division of the Changi Airport Group (CAG) manages the Changi Airfreight Centre[41] located in the north of the airport premises.[42] The airport handled 1.81 million tonnes of air cargo in 2012, making it the 7th busiest airfreight hub in the world and the fifth busiest in Asia.[43] Due to Singapore's large electronics sector, electrical components constitute a significant part of the total cargo traffic handled at the airport. Changi airport has initiated attempts to expand into the perishable air cargo market. In 2015, Changi Airport handled 1,853,087 tonnes of air freight. Air Cargo World awarded the 2013 Air Cargo Excellence Award to Changi Airport for handling more than 1,000,000 tonnes of cargo in Asia.[44]
The airport handled 2,006,300 tonnes of cargo in 2016, making it the 13th top cargo airport in the world and the sixth in the Asia Pacific region.[45]
In 2017, the airport handled 2,125,226 tonnes of cargo. The top five cargo markets for the airport were China, Australia, Hong Kong, United States and India.[46]
In 2024, Changi handled 1,990,000 tons of cargo.[11]
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Operations
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Changi Airport Group (Singapore) Pte Ltd (CAG) was formed on 16 June 2009 upon the corporatisation of Singapore Changi Airport by Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore as the licensee and operator of the airport.[47][48]
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Passenger operations
As the airport only handles international passenger traffic, all terminals in operation are equipped with immigration-processing facilities for international travel.
After recovering from a drop in passenger traffic as a result of the September 11 attacks in 2001 and the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic in 2003, the airport saw rapid growth in traffic, which hit the 30-million mark for the first time in 2004. In March 2008, prior to the full effect of the 2008 financial crisis on the global economy, the airport was predicted to handle 50 million passengers by 2012[49] due to the opening of casinos in Singapore and the phased liberalisation of the ASEAN aviation sector. As predicted, the airport surpassed the 50-million mark in 2012.[18]
On 18 December 2017, the airport surpassed the 60-million mark for the first time.[50][51] The airport saw a record 65.6 million passenger movements in 2018 – beating 2017's record of 60 million passengers with a 5.5 per cent increase.[52]
In 2019, Firefly, the sole turboprop operator in Changi Airport, moved to Seletar Airport to make way for their jet operations.[53][54][55]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, passenger traffic fell in 2020 and 2021, resulting in Terminals 2 and 4 closing temporarily in May 2020.[56] Terminals 1 and 3 remained open for passengers throughout, but were closed to the general public on 12 May 2021 along with Jewel, reopening on 1 September 2021.[57] On 1 November 2023, Terminal 2 fully reopened after three and a half years of upgrading. The refurbished terminal features nature-themed decorations and a 14m-tall digital waterfall display called the Wonderfall.[58]
Safety and security
The Changi Airport Group (CAG) manages the overall safety and security of the airport. The Airport Management Division of the CAG manages the customer aspects of the airport's security, while the Aviation Security Unit oversees the airport's compliance with aviation security (AVSEC) policies, and manages AVSEC-related projects.[42] The airport's emergency and fire-fighting services are handled by the Airport Emergency Service Division.[59] The Airport Emergency Services handle all instances of rescue and fire-fighting within the airport premises as well as in surrounding waters. It operates from two main fire stations (Station 1 by Runway 1 along West Perimeter Road and Station 2 by Runway 2), one sub-station (Domestic Fire Station), and one sea rescue base near the airport.[60]
The airport's security comes under the regulatory purview of the Airport Police Division of the Singapore Police Force (SPF). The day to day discharge of security functions at the airport is performed by auxiliary police forces including Aetos Security Management, Certis CISCO and SATS Security Services. Aetos and SATS Security Services are affiliated to the ground handling companies of Dnata and Singapore Changi Airport Terminal Services respectively.[61] On 29 April 2008, CAAS signed its then-biggest single security contract for all airport-related security services by engaging Certis CISCO to provide security services at Singapore Changi Airport, as well as Seletar Airport, Changi Airfreight Centre, and the Singapore Air Traffic Control Centre.[62] It involves the deployment of about 2,600 Certis Cisco personnel, including armed Auxiliary Police Officers and unarmed aviation security officers to perform tasks such as screening checked baggage, controlling access to restricted areas, and screening passengers before they board their aircraft.[63]
Since the September 11 attacks and the naming of the airport as a terrorist target by the Jemaah Islamiyah, the airport's security was tightened.[64][65] Prohibited items include sharp/blunt objects and liquids/gels/aerosols above 100ml. Devices larger than 7 inches are still needed to be removed for security screening. As such, the screening is at the transition point from public to sterile area as under Infrastructure Protection Act 2017. Duty free shops that sells liquor are exempted from regulations.[65]
Operational statistics
 | This graph was using the legacy Graph extension, which is no longer supported. It needs to be converted to the new Chart extension. |
Annual passenger traffic at SIN airport.
See Wikidata query.
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Airlines and destinations
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Key markets and destinations
In 2024, China was the largest market for the airport, followed by Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia, Thailand, India, Japan, Philippines, Hong Kong and Vietnam. Kuala Lumpur was the top destination for travellers in the airport, followed by Bangkok, Jakarta, Denpasar, Hong Kong, Manila, Tokyo, Shanghai, Seoul, and Taipei.[87]
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Transport links
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Terminals 1, 2 and 3 of the airport are linked by the free Skytrain service, operating daily from 05:00 to 02:30. During non-operational hours, travellers within the transit areas may transfer between terminals on foot via inter-terminal travelators, while those in the public areas can use a complimentary shuttle bus connecting the three terminals.[242] A 24-hour shuttle service also runs between Terminal 3 and Terminal 4 in both public and transit areas, with an average journey time of 8 to 10 minutes.[243] The airport is served by the Mass Rapid Transit via a branch of the East West MRT line (EWL) from Tanah Merah MRT station with stops at Expo and Changi Airport, which lies underground between Terminals 2 and 3. Direct service to the city centre was replaced in 2003 with a shuttle service between Tanah Merah and Changi Airport due to low demand.[244] Under the Land Transport Authority's (LTA) Masterplan, the Thomson-East Coast MRT line (TEL) will be extended to serve both Terminal 5 and the existing Changi Airport station, with the EWL branch set to be integrated into the TEL.[245]
Seven public bus services operated by SBS Transit, SMRT Buses, Tower Transit Singapore and Go-Ahead Singapore serve the airport in a loop through Terminals 1, 2 and 3, with Services 24, 34, 36 and 110 continuing to Terminal 4. Bus stops are found at the basement bus bays of the main terminals, while Terminal 4’s stop is located beside Car Park 4B. Taxis can be hired at designated stands in the arrival halls, with an airport surcharge applicable for all journeys originating there.[246] Limousines and other transport options are available through the Ground Transport Concierge.[247] Private pick-ups occur at the terminals' arrival areas, and car rental counters are found in each arrival hall.[248][249][250] The 3.5 km (2.2 mi) long Changi Airport Connector, launched in October 2020, links the airport to East Coast Park and features the 1 km (0.62 mi) Changi Jurassic Mile trail with life-sized dinosaur sculptures.[251][252] The Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal is connected to the airport by shuttle buses.[253] A direct link to Terminal 5 is currently being studied.[254]
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Awards
As one of the world's busiest airports for international passenger and cargo traffic, the airport has earned widespread acclaim for its service standards and facilities. It has been named the "World's Best Airport" by Skytrax thirteen times, including an unprecedented eight consecutive wins from 2013 to 2020. The airport is also consistently recognised for cleanliness, efficiency and seamless transit experience, having ranked highly in categories such as cleanest airport, best transit airport, best airport staff and immigration services. In 2024, Changi placed second globally in all three of the latter categories.[255][256]
In 2025, Changi once again topped the Skytrax global rankings, adding a thirteenth title to its previous wins in 2000, 2006, 2010, 2013 to 2020 and 2023.[257] Its reputation extends beyond the terminals, with the on-site Crowne Plaza voted the world's best airport hotel ten times, covering the years 2015 to 2020 and 2022 to 2025.[258]
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Accidents and incidents
- 26 March 1991 – Singapore Airlines Flight 117, operated by an Airbus A310, was hijacked by four terrorists. The flight landed in Changi Airport at 22:15. The Singapore Special Operations Force stormed the aircraft, on the morning of 27 March. All four hijackers were killed, with only minor injuries among the surviving 123 passengers and crew, who were held hostage for more than eight hours.[259]
- 4 November 2010 – Qantas Flight 32, operated by an Airbus A380-800 with Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines, had an uncontained engine failure and returned to Changi Airport. Upon landing, one of the engines could not be shut down due to ruptured control cables and had to be doused for three hours by airport firefighters to forcefully shut it down. There were no crew or passenger injuries, and all 469 people on board survived the accident.[260] The aircraft was also repaired.[260]
- 27 June 2016 – Singapore Airlines Flight 368, a scheduled service from Changi Airport to Milan, Italy carrying 222 passengers and 19 crew, caught fire shortly after it landed. Approximately three hours into the flight, the Boeing 777 turned back after the pilot received an engine oil warning message. Shortly after landing, the right engine and wing were ablaze, with flames engulfing the right side of the jet. No one was injured. The aircraft was later repaired and placed back into service.[261][262]
- 16 May 2017 – a fire broke out at the departure hall in Terminal 2.[263] The fire caused 40 flights at Terminal 2 to be delayed and diverted to Terminal 3.[264] Terminal 2 was closed from 17:30 to 22:45.
- 29 November 2017 – a tow tug towing a Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-200 caught fire. This fire was promptly put out by the airport's emergency services. A member of the towing crew was in the aircraft's cockpit when the fire occurred; the crew member evacuated through the aircraft's emergency slides. The aircraft was substantially damaged by the fire and written off.[265][266]
- 6 February 2018 – a KAI T-50 Golden Eagle, part of the Black Eagles aerobatic team taking part in Singapore Airshow 2018, veered off the runway during takeoff and crashed. The resulting fire was put out by emergency services and the pilot was treated for minor injuries. Runway 02L/20R was closed as a result and caused delays at the airport.[267]
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External links
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