History of Changi Airport
Phase 1 included the construction for the first passenger terminal, the first runway (basically reusing and upgrading the main runway of Changi Air Base), 45 aircraft parking bays, support facilities and structures, including a large maintenance hangar, the first 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.
[5] Officially opened with much fanfare five months later on 29 December 1981, the airport ended its first year operations with 12.1 million passengers, close to 200,000 tonnes of air freight handled and 63,100 aircraft movements.
Topped by a unique roof feature designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, the terminal was built with a full-service nine-story Crowne Plaza Hotel immediately adjacent to it.
Originally planned for completion in 2006, the date was postponed by two years after the SARS outbreak in Singapore slowed growth of air traffic for the airport.
Although the pioneering airport to conceptualise and construct a Budget Terminal in Asia, it became operational on 26 March 2006 and was officially opened on 31 October 2006.
[12] To prepare for the arrival of the Airbus A380, the airport put into place modifications works costing S$60 million, which it has planned for since the late 1990s.
Known as Kinetic Rain, this sculpture is made up of a total of 1,216 bronze droplets, moving in synchrony to a specially choreographed dance every day.
[14] In 2006, a short runway 2,750 m (9,020 ft) was opened for Changi Air Base (East) on the site, an interim measure in preparation for its eventual expansion for passenger flights.
The new terminal will be designed with the flexibility to meet the operational needs of both full-service and low-cost carriers and be able to handle both narrow and wide-body aircraft.
[15] On 7 March 2012, Minister of State for Transport Josephine Teo announced in Parliament that a new multi-storey complex at the current Terminal 1 carpark will be built.
[16] Recently Changi Airport has also announced plans to reduce consumption of electricity and use recycled water at its terminal buildings over the next three years, as part of its contribution towards environmental sustainability.
[17] Minister of State for Transport Josephine Teo, who leads a 10-member Multi-agency committee that has been working on the blueprint which includes the construction of Terminal 5 (T5) – the airport's biggest passenger facility – a third runway for commercial flights, cargo complexes and other supporting infrastructure for around 18 months.
Announced on 19 August 2013 by Changi Airport Group, a new mixed-use complex will be developed on the car park site fronting Terminal 1 (T1) and will optimise the use of the 3.5-hectare plot of land.
The completion of the complex would expect a joint venture partnership between Changi and CapitaMalls Asia to develop and manage Project Jewel.
Due to the construction of Jewel Changi Airport, the open-air car park fronting Terminal 1 (T1) will be closed for redevelopment from 12 November 2014.
In October 2019, Changi announced that South Korean travel retailer Lotte Duty Free would take over the concession, with a 6-year contract.
The concession would include every one of the 18 liquor and tobacco stores in the 4 terminals equating some 8,000 sq m of retail space, and would be Lotte's biggest operation in the Asia Pacific region.
[21][6][7][8] In response to the COVID-19 pandemic which had roiled the air travel industry, Changi Airport Group announced that it would consolidate services in order to optimise their resources and reduce the costs on airline customers.
This winning streak has continued unabated, including the Skytrax Best Airport of the year award in 2006, despite being substantially older than many of its regional rivals.
[30] Changi Airport's efforts to counter the onset of age includes periodic physical upgrades to its existing terminals, building of new facilities and raising the benchmark in service quality, a factor which cannot be bought or built overnight, and where it continues to excel over its rivals.
