Changi Airport

Changi Airport serves more than 100 airlines flying to 170 cities in around 100+ countries and territories worldwide. About 7,000 flights arrive or depart at Changi each week, or one every 80 seconds. For the 2025 full-year figures published by the airport, the airport handled 69,980,000 passengers (a 3.4% increase compared to 2024), the highest in its 44-year history. 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. In 2026, Changi Airport also ranked fourth as one of the top 10 brands in Singapore in YouGov's Best Brands Rankings 2026 report. ==History==

Conception (9V-STF) of Singapore Airlines staying at Changi Airport (1983) 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. 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. 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. Changi Airport commenced commercial operations on 1 July 1981. Its first flight, Singapore Airlines SQ101, touched down that day at 7:10:00am Singapore Time with 140 passengers from Kuala Lumpur. ==Terminals==

Passenger terminals Changi Airport has four main passenger terminals arranged with Jewel located in the centre of Terminals 1, 2 and 3. Currently, the airport has an operational capacity of 90 million passengers per annum (mppa) across four terminals. There is also a privately Commercially-Important-Person (CIP) 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. The short-lived Budget Terminal was opened on 26 March 2006 and closed on 25 September 2012 to make way for Terminal 4. Terminal 5 is currently under construction. The new terminal is expected to be completed by 2030. Future terminals and projects Terminal 5 (T5) is currently under construction. The Prime Minister of Singapore and Minister of Finance, Mr Lawrence Wong, officiated the groundbreaking ceremony for Changi Airport T5 on 14 May 2025. The new terminal is expected to be ready by the mid-2030s. It will be built on reclaimed land to the east of the present terminals. It will be partially funded through an increased levy. KPF Singapore with Heatherwick Studio and Architects 61 will provide architectural services. Arup Singapore, Mott MacDonald Singapore and Surbana Jurong Consultants will provide engineering services while DP Architects will provide retail design 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. 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. Announced in 2013, it is a new terminal-like structure that is intended to simultaneously be a mixed-use complex. 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. The project cost S$1.7 billion. 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. The indoor waterfall (named "Rain Vortex") in the structure holds the World Record for the tallest indoor waterfall in the world at 40m high, cascading down 7 storeys. Cargo terminal The Air Hub & Cargo Developlment department of the Changi Airport Group (CAG) manages the Changi Airfreight Centre located in the north of the airport premises. In 2025, Changi Airport handled 2,080,000 tonnes of air freight, achieving one of its strongest cargo performance on record. The top five air cargo markets in 2025 were China, the United States, Australia, Hong Kong, and India. Changi Airport has been inducted into the Cargonews Asia Hall of Fame for its unprecedented, sustained excellence as a premier airfreight hub. ==Operations==

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. 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 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. 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. In 2019, Firefly, the sole turboprop operator in Changi Airport, moved to Seletar Airport to make way for their jet operations. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, passenger traffic fell in 2020 and 2021, resulting in Terminals 2 and 4 closing temporarily in May 2020. 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. 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. 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. 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 three main fire stations (Station 1 by Runway 1 along West Perimeter Road and Station 2 by Runway 2 and Station 3 by Runway 3), one sub-station (Domestic Fire Station), and one sea rescue base near the airport. 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 (former CISCO) and SATS Security Services. Aetos and SATS Security Services are affiliated to the ground handling companies of dnata and SATS respectively. 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. 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. 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. 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. Duty-free shops that sells liquor are exempted from regulations. ==Airlines and destinations==

Key markets and destinations In 2025, China was the largest market for the airport, followed by Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia and India. Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Jakarta, Denpasar (Bali) and Hong Kong were the busiest routes for the year. Passenger Cargo ==Transport links==

from Terminal 3 Terminals 1, 2 and 3 of the airport are linked by the free Skytrain service, operating daily from 05:00 to 02:00. 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 the Mezzanine Level link bridges between T2 and T3, and the link bridge to travel on foot between T1 and T2/T3. Terminal 4 is accessible by a complimentary shuttle bus services at both public and transit areas. The shuttle bus journey between terminals at the public area takes about 10 minutes and the shuttle bus journey between terminals at the transit area takes between 10 and 18 minutes. The airport is served by the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) 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. 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. On 25 July 2025, LTA announced a new Cross Island Line (CRL) interchange station CR1 Changi Terminal 5, which will directly connect the upcoming Changi Airport Terminal 5 to the city centre and other major hubs via the Thomson-East Coast Line extension (TELe) and the CRL. Eight 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, 44 (only during peak hours) 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. Limousines and other transport options are available through the Ground Transport Concierge. Private pick-ups occur at the terminals' arrival areas, and car rental counters are found in each arrival hall. The long Changi Airport Connector, launched in October 2020, links the airport to East Coast Park and features the Changi Jurassic Mile trail with life-sized dinosaur sculptures. The Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal is connected to the airport by shuttle buses. A direct link to Terminal 5 is currently being studied. ==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. 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. 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. == Operational statistics ==

• 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. • 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. The aircraft was also repaired. • 16 May 2017 – a fire broke out at the departure hall in Terminal 2. The fire caused 40 flights at Terminal 2 to be delayed and diverted to Terminal 3. 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. • 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. ==See also==