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Changi Airport

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Singapore Changi Airport (Chinese: 新加坡樟宜机场; Malay: Lapangan Terbang Changi Singapura; Tamil: சிங்கப்பூர் சாங்கி விமானநிலையம்) (IATA: SIN, ICAO: WSSS) is a major aviation hub in Asia. It is located in Changi, about 20 km (12 miles) east northeast of the centre of Singapore. Operated by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), Changi Airport is the home base of Singapore Airlines and served by 78 airlines other airlines. The airport hosts roughly four thousand flights per week to 177 cities worldwide. The airport employs over 3,000 people and accounts for over S$4.5 billion in output. In addition to being an important passenger traffic hub, the airport is one of the busiest cargo airports in the world, handling 1,780,000 tonnes of cargo in 2004.

The airport is experiencing rapid growth. In 2004, the airport handled more than 30 million passenger, a twenty three percent increase over the previous year. This made it the 26th busiest airport in the world and the sixth busiest in Asia. Incentives like the Air Hub Development Fund, first introduced in 2003, have proven effective in attracting airlines here. A new S$300 million fund to strengthen Changi's hub status will kick in next year when the current S$210 million fund expires this year. Changi has also been courting low cost airlines with its $45 million Low Cost Terminal, which will be ready next year. The continued success and growth of Changi-based Singapore Airlines has also contributed to the airport's success.

History

The replacement vs. expansion debate

Rapid growth in aviation transportation in the world was also felt in Singapore, where the Singapore International Airport at Paya Lebar, Singapore's third civilian airport after Kallang Airport and Seletar Airport, was facing congestion problems. Opened in 1955, the airport had a single runway and a small passenger terminal building. Its inability to cope with rising traffic became critical by the 1970s when passenger numbers rose dramatically from 300,000 to 1,700,000 passengers annually by 1970, before leaping to 4 million annually in 1975.

The government had two options available: expand the existing airport or build a completely new airport at another location. Concerned that the existing airport was located in an area with potential for urban growth and was physically helmed in on all sides, the government decided in 1975 to build a new airport at the eastern tip of the main island at Changi, where an airport could be expanded by reclaiming land. In addition, airplanes could fly over the sea, avoiding noise pollution issues within residential areas like those at Paya Lebar.

Preparing the land

Land reclamation works involving the use of over 52,000,000 m³ of landfill and seafill began in Changi, even as the airport at Paya Lebar was still in the midst of expansion works. About 2 km² of swamp land were cleared and filled with 12,000,000 m³ of earth from nearby hills, while another 40,000,000 m³ of sand were used to fill up the seabed, creating half of the airport's total land area.

Phase 1

Phase 1 of construction included work on the first passenger terminal building, the first runway, 45 aircraft parking bays and supporting facilities and structures, including a huge maintenance hangar, the first fire station, workshops and administrative offices, an airfreight complex, two cargo agents buildings, in-flight catering kitchens and a 80 m high control tower.

Opening

Phase 1 opened for commercial operation on 1 July 1981 and was officially opened with much fanfare on 29 December 1981. It ended its first year of operations with 8.1 million passengers, almost 200,000 tonnes of air freight handled, and 63,100 aircraft movements.

Expansions

Phase 2

Phase 2 of construction commenced immediately after the completion of Phase 1 and included the completion of a second runway, 23 more aircraft parking bays, the second fire station and the third cargo agent building.

Awards and accolades

Main article: Singapore Changi Airport awards and accolades

Singapore Airport is a top airport in terms of customer service and security and has won a large number of awards and accolades over the years.

Terminals

File:Changinet.jpg
Changi's Terminal 1 to the right, Terminal 2 to the left

Terminal 1

Terminal 2

Operations and Statistics
Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 1 interior
Operational statistics
Passenger movements
1998 23,803,180 2002 28,979,344
1999 26,064,645 2003 24,664,137
2000 28,618,200 2004 30,353,565
2001 28,093,759 2005
Airfreight movements (tonnes)
1998 1,283,660 2002 1,637,797
1999 1,500,393 2003 1,611,407
2000 1,682,489 2004 1,775,092
2001 1,507,062 2005
Aircraft movements
1998 165,242 2002 174,820
1999 165,961 2003 154,346
2000 173,947 2004 184,932
2001 179,359 2005

Low cost terminal (2006)

  • Tiger Airways (Will move from Terminal 1 to the low cost terminal in 2006)

New Airlines in 2005 and 2006

Former users

Notes

  • AWAir planned to commence flights from 19 January 2005, but was forced to abandon plans to fly to Singapore at the last minute due to administrative issues.

Infrastructure, facilities & services

Passenger terminal buildings
Current totals
Floor area 634,100 m²
Handling capacity 44 million
Parking bays 68 (aerobridge)
30 (remote)
Terminal One
Opened 1 July 1981 (operational)
29 December 1981 (official)
Floor area 276,100 m²
Handling capacity 21 million
Parking bays 32 (aerobridge)
16 (remote)
Terminal Two
Opened 22 November 1990 (operational)
1 June 1991 (official)
Floor area 358,000 m²
Handling capacity 23 million
Parking bays 34 (aerobridge)
10 (remote)
Terminal Three
Opened 2008 (estimated)
Floor area
Handling capacity 20 million
Parking bays 28 (aerobridge)
1 (remote)
Low Cost Terminal
Opened 2006 (estimated)
Floor area
Handling capacity 2.7 million
Parking bays (remote)

Runways

The airport currently has two parallel runways, 02L/20R and 02C/20C. 02L/20R was completed and opened in 1981 as part of the airport's first phase. 02C/20C, built completely on reclaimed land, was opened together with phase 2.

A new parallel runway 02R/20L was built 1.8 km to the east of 02C/20C, currently used only for Republic of Singapore Air Force aircraft as part of Changi Airbase (East). The new runway is expected to be extended and eventually be turned into a third runway for the airport in its future expansion plans.

Terminals

  • Singapore Changi Airport has two terminals connected by a people mover system, with a third terminal currently under construction and due for completion in 2008. Another terminal for low cost carriers is due for completion in 2006.
  • On Tuesday August 16 2005, Changi Airport unveiled the first of eleven specially-built gates capable of handling the giant Airbus A380 aircraft.

Costing some S$15 million, the gates or 'fingers' enable passengers to get on the upper cabin of the new 555-seater aircraft directly from the gate holdrooms. The holdrooms themselves have been enlarged and appointed to cater for the larger number of passengers flying the A380s. Besides the 11 new gates at Terminal 1 and 2, there will eight more A380-capable gates at the new Terminal 3, ready in 2008. Singapore Airlines will be the launch customer for the giant aircraft. It has placed an order worth up to US$8.6 billion for 10 planes, with an option for 15 more. In all, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, which operates Changi Airport, is spending S$60 million in upgrading its terminal buildings and airport infrastructure ahead of the arrival of the first A380 late next year. At the terminal buildings, besides enlarged gate holdrooms and new fingers, the airport is also extending the baggage belt carousels at the A380 gates to 90 metres (from 70 metres currently). The airport does not expect embarking and disembarking passengers and baggage from the A380 to take any more time than it does for the largest Boeing 747-400s, which carry just over 400 passengers.

Terminal facilities

In addition to a wide array of duty free shops and eating outlets, Changi Airport has six open air garden areas. Open to customers of the airport, each garden represents a different group of plants: cactus, bamboo, heliconia, sunflower, fern, and orchid. Changi Airport also has numerous business centres located throughout the airport.

Shopping

The airport has over 30,000 square meters of space spread between its two terminals for shopping and eating outlets. In terms of sales, it outstrips any other shopping mall in Singapore, including those in top tourist-spot Orchard Road . The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore derives 60% of its total annual revenue (over US$500 million in the year ended March 2005) from non-aeronautical sources, with 30% from commercial space rental and a percentage of sale receipts. Liquor and perfumes are particularly popular, accounting for over half of total retail sales, followed by watches and tobacco products.

Extensive upgrading work on existing retail areas and their expansion since 2004 has seen sales rising 13.3% in the first half of 2005 year-on-year over 2004, and as much as 67% compared to the same period in 2003, with brands such as Prada, Gucci, Bulgari and Hermes opening outlets during this period. The airport enjoys "one of the highest concession revenues per passenger in the world" compared to other major international airports according to Jeffrey Loke, CAAS' assistant commercial director.

Ground handling

Ground handling services are currently handled by three companies, namely Singapore Airport Terminal Services (SATS), Changi International Airport Services (CIAS) and Swissport. SATS, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, is the dominant player with close to 80% of the market in the airport. CIAS was formed in 1981 by the Port of Singapore Authority and five airlines, namely Air France, China Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Lufthansa Airlines, and handled the remaining market share.

In the early 2000s, the government decided to introduce competition into the market by offering an additional license. Swissair's Swissport successfully won the license (valid for 10 years) and commenced operations on 2 March 2005. As Swissair folded and was subsequently taken over by Swiss International Airlines, the later became the company's first customer. Adam Air has also chosen Swissport as its ground handler.

CIAS underwent restructuring when its shareholding was bought over by Dubai's Dnata group and Temasek Holdings, and was relaunched in June 2005 with a new branding. Its security services was amalgamated into the new Temasek-owned Aetos Security Management Private Limited.

Security

An Aetos auxiliary police officer stationed outside the Departure Hall of Terminal 2, Singapore Changi Airport

The airport's security comes under the purview of the Airport Police Division of the Singapore Police Force. Since the September 11, 2001 attacks, and the naming of the airport as a terrorism target by the Jemaah Islamiyah, the airport's security has been stepped up. Roving patrol teams comprising of two soldiers and a police officer armed with machine guns patrol the terminals at random.

Assisting the state organisations, are the security services provided by the ground handlers, namely that of the Singapore Airport Terminal Services's SATS Security Services, and the Aetos Security Management Private Limited, formed from a merger of the Changi International Airport Services's airport security unit and that of other companies to become a single island-wide auxiliary police company. These officers man check-in counters to screen luggage, control movements into restricted areas, and so forth.

Since 2005, an upgrade in screening technology and rising security concerns led to all luggage-screening processes to be conducted behind closed-doors. Plans are also in place to install over 400 cameras around the airport to monitor passenger activity around the clock and to check on suspicious parcels and activity. Tenders to incorporate such a system was called in late September 2005 .

Transportation

Inter-terminal transportation services

SkyTrain

SkyTrain services are available at the SkyTrain stations located at the departure halls of both airport terminals. The SkyTrain is currently being upgraded to conform to the latest standards, incorporating the most advanced technological features in its new fleet of vehicles and expanded to serve the new Terminal 3 due to open in 2008.

  • Terminal 1 to Terminal 2 & vice versa
    • Free
    • 0600 to 0130 daily

Land transportation services

Mass Rapid Transit (MRT)

The airport is connected to the Mass Rapid Transit network, with a station located underground between Terminal 2 & the future Terminal 3.

Public bus

Bus services are available at the bus terminals located at the basement of both airport terminals.

  • Service 24 | To Ang Mo Kio via Bedok, Geylang & Serangoon
  • Service 27 | To Hougang via Tampines & Sengkang
  • Service 34 | To Punggol via Tampines
  • Service 36 | To Tomlinson Road via Marine Parade, Marina Centre & Orchard Road
  • Service 53 | To Bishan via Pasir Ris, Hougang & Serangoon
  • Service 858 | To Woodlands via Yishun & Sembawang

Taxi

Taxi stands are located within the arrival halls of both terminals.

  • Changi Airport to any destination in Singapore
    • Fare shown on meter + S$5.00 surcharge (Fri-Sun, 1700 to midnight) for every trip leaving the airport
    • Fare shown on meter + S$3.00 surcharge (all other times) for every trip leaving the airport

Limousine taxi

Limousine taxi services are readily available at the limousine taxi counters located at the arrival halls of both airport terminals.

  • Changi Airport to any destination in Singapore
    • S$35.00 + surcharges (if applicable)

Airport shuttle

A 6-seater MaxiCab is used for this 2-way service which goes to anywhere within the Central Business District and any hotel in Singapore, excluding hotels in Changi Village and Sentosa Island. Booking is made at the counters in the arrival hall and the fare paid in cash to the driver.

    • S$7.00 - Adult
    • S$5.00 - Child
  • Leaves every 30 minutes from 0600 to 1800
  • Leaves every 15 minutes from 1815 to midnight
  • Leaves every 30 minutes from 0030 to 0200

Car rental

Car rental services are provided at the car rental counters located at Terminal 2.

See also

External links

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