User:Terence/S/Singapore Changi Airport
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| Singapore Changi International Airport | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| IATA: SIN - ICAO: WSSS | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | civil and military | ||
| Operator | CAAS | ||
| Serves | Singapore | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 22 ft (7 m) | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 02L/20R | 13,123 | 4,000 | Bituminous concrete |
| 02C/20C | 13,123 | 4,000 | Bituminous concrete |
| 02R/20L | 9022 | 2750 | Asphalt |
Singapore Changi International Airport (Chinese: 新加坡樟宜机场; pinyin: Xīnjiāpō Zhāngyí Jīchǎng; Malay: Lapangan Terbang Changi Singapura; Tamil: சிங்கப்பூர் சாங்கி விமானநிலையம்) or simply Changi Airport (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 other airlines. The airport hosts roughly four thousand flights per week to 177 cities worldwide. The airport employs over 13,000 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 2005, the airport handled a record of 32.43 million passengers, a 7% increase over the previous year. This made it the 26th busiest airport in the world and the sixth busiest in Asia by passenger traffic. 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 Budget Terminal, which opened on March 26th, 2006. The continued success and growth of Singapore-based Singapore Airlines has also contributed to the airport's success.
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[edit] History
[edit] 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 hemmed 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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 an 80m high control tower.
[edit] 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 12.1 million passengers, almost 200,000 tonnes of air freight handled, and 63,100 aircraft movements.
[edit] Expansions
[edit] 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.
[edit] Budget Terminal
On 9 January 2006, a terminal for low cost carriers at Changi Airport was completed. In a competition to decide an appropriate name for the new terminal, a teenager, Jonathan Sng had his suggestion of naming the terminal "Budget Terminal" selected as the winning entry. Although 44 entries out of over 12,000 had made the same suggestion, Sng's entry was chosen due to his reason, which was that the new name was "short, easy to remember and representative of what the terminal is".
[edit] 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 as the best airport since its opening in 1981, from organisations such as International Air Transport Association [1] and Business Traveller [2]. It has also won numerous awards for its home based airline-Singapore Airlines as the best airline in the world and for customer service towards tourists in the airport. It was named the best airport of the world in year 2006 by Skytrax, defeating its all-time rival, Hong Kong International Airport. [3] Singapore Changi Airport is also rated by Skytrax as the only 5 star airport in the world.
[edit] Service and codeshares
The following is a list of airlines that serve Changi Airport directly or via codeshare.
[edit] Terminal 1
[edit] Terminal 2
[edit] Budget Terminal
| Operations and Statistics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| 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 | |
[edit] Terminal 3 (2008)
- Singapore Airlines (Will move some of its operations from Terminal 2 to Terminal 3 in 2008)
[edit] New Airlines in 2005 and 2006
- Jet Airways (15 April 2005)
- Merpati Nusantara Airlines (30 April 2005)
- Air Sahara (11 May 2005)
- Royal Jordanian (June) (codeshare)
- Pakistan International Airlines (28 June 2005)
- Adam Air (28 October 2005)
- LOT Polish Airlines (30 October 2005) (codeshare)
- Yangtze River Express Airlines (1 November 2005)
- Air Malta (codeshare)
- Air India Express (Flying together with sister airline Air India to Changi)
- Royal Khmer Airlines
- Uzbekistan Airways
- Shenzhen Airlines
- Etihad Airways
- Hainan Airlines
- Sriwijaya Air
- Lao Airlines
- Star Air
- Phuket Air
[edit] Former users
- Aeroflot (terminated flights due to poor load)
- Air Macau
- Alitalia
- Ansett Australia (due to bankruptcy and liquidation)
- Cebu Pacific Air (from 6 November 2002 to January 2003) (due to poor load)
- Evergreen International Airlines (from 12 April 2000)
- EgyptAir
- First Cambodia Airlines (terminated on 25 February 2004 due to financial problems)
- Jat Airways (Will return in 2007)
- Jatayu Airlines
- Kuwait Airways (consolidated all flights to Jakarta via Bangkok) now operating as a cargo airline to Singapore
- Lauda Air (taken over by fellow Austrian Airlines Group member Austrian Airlines)
- Mekong Airlines
- PT. Bouraq Indonesia Airlines (Terminated flights since March, continuing operations to Changi through codeshare with Silkair)
- Riau Airlines
- Swissair (ceased operations on 31 March 2002 and services restored by Swiss International Air Lines)
- Scandinavian Airlines System (terminated from 26 March 2006)
- Sempati Air (due to bankruptcy)
[edit] 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.
[edit] Infrastructure, facilities & services
| Taxiways | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Length | 25,300 m | ||
| Width | 30 m | ||
| Current totals | |||
| Floor area | 634,100 m² | ||
| Handling capacity | 44 million | ||
| Parking bays | 68 (aerobridge) 30 (remote) |
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| Passenger terminal buildings | |||
| Terminal One | |||
| Opened | 1 July 1981 (operational) 29 December 1981 (official) |
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| Floor area | 276,100 m² | ||
| Handling capacity | 21 million | ||
| Parking bays | 32 (aerobridge) 16 (remote) |
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| Terminal Two | |||
| Opened | 22 November 1990 (operational) 1 June 1991 (official) |
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| Floor area | 358,000 m² | ||
| Handling capacity | 23 million | ||
| Parking bays | 34 (aerobridge) 10 (remote) |
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| Terminal Three | |||
| Opened | 2008 (estimated) | ||
| Floor area | |||
| Handling capacity | 20 million | ||
| Parking bays | 28 (aerobridge) 1 (remote) |
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| Budget Terminal | |||
| Opened | 26 March 2006 | ||
| Floor area | |||
| Handling capacity | 2.7 million | ||
| Parking bays | (remote) | ||
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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 has been completed and was opened in March.
- 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 in late 2006. 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.
[edit] 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. There are also internet facilties, prayer rooms, spas and a gym.
[edit] 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 [1]. 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.
[edit] 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 latter became the company's first customer. Adam Air chose Swissport as its ground handler in 2005, while Tiger Airways followed suit in 2006. Other customers of Swissport include Australian Airlines, Swiss World Cargo, Thai AirAsia and Cardig Air.
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.
[edit] Security
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 [4].
[edit] Transportation
[edit] Inter-terminal transportation services
[edit] SkyTrain
SkyTrain services are available at the SkyTrain stations located at the departure halls of both airport terminals. The system has been revamped with a new fleet of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Crystal Mover Cars incorporating the most advanced technological features (replacing the previous Bombardier CX-100 Cars built in the early 1990s), 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
[edit] Shuttle bus service
There is a free shuttle bus service that transports people between Terminal 2 and the budget terminal.
[edit] Land transportation services
[edit] 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.
- Changi Airport (CG2) to City Hall (EW13) via a cross platform transfer at Tanah Merah (EW4)
- S$1.40 on a standard ticket | S$1.39 on an adult EZ-Link card
- 26 minutes (excluding waiting & transfer times)
[edit] 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
[edit] 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
[edit] 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)
[edit] 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.
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- 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
[edit] Car rental
Car rental services are provided at the car rental counters located at Terminal 2.
[edit] References
- ^ "IATA Eagle Awards for Airservices Australia, Changi and Brisbane Airports", International Air Transport Association, 30 May 2005.
- ^ "Best in Business Travel 2005", Business Traveller, 14 January 2006.
- ^ "Singapore Changi Airport is the world's best airport".
- ^ Singapore to install more security cameras at Changi airport ABC Radio Australia, April 10, 2005
[edit] See also
- Singapore Changi Airport passenger traffic by destination
