Changi Airport The government decided in 1975 to build a new airport at Changi to replace the Paya Lebar Airport. A major land reclamation project ensured that the runways built could accommodate the needs of modern aviation, and that there would be sufficient land for the necessary facilities. The total area occupied by the airport is 1,300 ha. Of this area, 870 ha are reclaimed land. Changi Airport’s Terminal One began operations in July 1981. The 80- metre- high control tower and the five- storey Terminal One building are located between two parallel runways. Terminal One has the capacity to handle 12 million passengers per year. By the mid- 1980s, the number of passengers Terminal One handled was approaching capacity.

Terminal Two began operations in 1990, and essentially doubled the airport’s capacity. In 1995, Terminal One was refurbished and its passenger capacity was increased to 16 million per year. By 2006, following further enhancements, the annual passenger capacity for Terminals One and Two were 21 million and 23 million respectively. In 2005, Changi Airport catered to over 32 million passengers in over 200,000 flights. With passenger arrivals expected to rise further, a third terminal is scheduled to begin operations in 2008. It costs $1.75 billion and will add a capacity of about 20 million passengers to Changi Airport, bringing the total capacity to over 60 million passengers a year. Another terminal, built specifically for the increasingly important low- cost carrier sector, the Budget Terminal, began operations in March 2006. It has a capacity of about 2.7 million passengers per year. Changi Airport is also a major airfreight centre. The Changi Airfreight Centre has nine terminals with the capacity to handle 3 million tons of freight. The centre is a free trade zone (FTZ).

Changi Airport caters to the varied needs of business travellers, tourists and transit passengers by providing a comprehensive range of facilities. It is known as one of the best airports for duty- free shopping, and has won awards such as the Raven Fox Awards for Travel Retail in Asia/Pacific (eight times; 1998– 2004, 2006). Passengers and visitors can transfer between terminals via the Skytrain. Transfers to and from the Budget Terminal are by bus. Changi Airport is linked to other parts of the island by two major expressways. The East West line of the Mass Rapid Transit connects the airport (at Terminal Two) to the rail network.

Changi Airport has established itself as a major Asia- Pacific aviation hub. The two largest global airline alliances, Star Alliance and OneWorld, have chosen Changi as their Asian hub. Owned and operated by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), Changi consistently wins international accolades. Changi Airport has won the Business Traveller ‘Best Airport In The World’ title 14 times in a row (1992– 2005).

However, keen competition from regional airports such as Bangkok International Airport and the Kuala Lumpur International Airport have challenged Changi Airport’s dominance in the region. The introduction of ultra long- range aircraft, such as the Airbus A340- 500, allowed airlines to fly non- stop from Singapore to North American destinations. However, these planes have also allowed airlines to bypass Singapore. CAAS is therefore upgrading existing facilities in Terminals One and Two in order for Changi Airport to remain competitive well into the future.

Photo credit: Ibrahim Tahir