Singapore Changi Airport
Singapore Changi Airport is the principal international airport of Singapore and a major passenger and freight hub for South-east Asia. It lies at Changi, about 17.2 kilometres north-east of central Singapore, and uses the IATA code SIN and ICAO location indicator WSSS. The airport handled 69.98 million passenger movements, 374,000 commercial aircraft movements and 2.08 million tonnes of air freight in 2025.[1]
Location and role
Changi Airport occupies the eastern end of Singapore, beside the Singapore Strait. The aerodrome reference point is 17.2 kilometres north-east of the city-centre reference point at the Fullerton Hotel, and the airfield elevation is 6.66 metres. Its coastal location allowed successive terminals, runways and cargo areas to be developed away from the densely built-up central area.[2]
The airport is the main hub of Singapore Airlines and its low-cost subsidiary Scoot. It also accommodates a broad range of Asian, European, Middle Eastern, African, American and Oceanian carriers. Changi's route network combines traffic beginning or ending in Singapore with passengers transferring between flights, making connection design and baggage transfer central to its operation.[1][3]
Changi Airport Group (Singapore) Pte Ltd manages and operates Changi and is responsible for airport operations, commercial activities, air-hub development and airport emergency services. The company was formed in June 2009 when airport operations were separated from the regulatory and air-navigation functions of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore. The Government of Singapore remains CAG's sole shareholder.[4][5][2]
History
Singapore decided to replace Paya Lebar Airport as rapidly growing traffic and surrounding urban development limited further expansion there. Construction at Changi included land reclamation, a new runway, Terminal 1 and supporting cargo, maintenance and ground-transport infrastructure. Terminal 1 began scheduled operations on 1 July 1981; the first arrival was Singapore Airlines flight SQ101 from Kuala Lumpur. Changi was formally declared open on 29 December that year.[6][7]
Terminal 2 opened in November 1990, ahead of projected demand. It was linked with Terminal 1 by an automated people-mover system, establishing the inter-terminal Skytrain concept that remains an important part of the passenger-transfer network.[7]
Terminal 3 entered service in January 2008 and added capacity for 22 million passengers a year. Its design incorporated daylight, extensive planting and an airside butterfly garden. Airport operations were corporatised the following year, when Changi Airport Group assumed the operating functions previously carried out by CAAS.[7][4]
The purpose-built Budget Terminal, opened in 2006, closed in September 2012 and was demolished to clear the site for Terminal 4. Terminal 4 opened in 2017 with greater use of automated check-in, bag drop, immigration and boarding processes.[8][9]
Jewel Changi Airport opened to the public on 17 April 2019 on the site of Terminal 1's former open-air car park. The glass-and-steel complex is connected directly to Terminals 1, 2 and 3 and combines airport facilities with shops, restaurants, a hotel and public attractions. Its central 40-metre Rain Vortex drops through a landscaped indoor space called the Forest Valley.[10]
During the Covid-19 traffic collapse, operations were consolidated and Terminal 2 closed for major renovation. Its southern wing reopened during 2022, and expanded Terminal 2 works were completed in 2023. The project increased Terminal 2 capacity by five million to 28 million passengers a year and raised the airport's stated total capacity to 90 million.[11]
Terminals
Changi has four operating passenger terminals. Terminals 1, 2 and 3 form a connected central complex. Passengers can move among them by Skytrain or landside walkways, while airside transfer arrangements vary with operating hours and route. Jewel is landside and linked most directly with Terminal 1; bridges connect it with Terminals 2 and 3.[12][10]
Terminal 1 is the original terminal and has been repeatedly enlarged and refurbished. Terminal 2 handles a mixture of Singapore Airlines and other international services after its 2022-23 reopening. Terminal 3 is a principal base for Singapore Airlines long-haul and regional operations. Airlines can be reassigned between these terminals, so current flight information is more reliable than a permanent allocation list.[12][11]
Terminal 4 is south of the central terminal area and is reached by shuttle bus from the other terminals. It has its own check-in, security, immigration and baggage systems. Its design uses centralised departure screening and extensive self-service processing, distinguishing it operationally from the older terminals.[9]
Runways and airfield
The Singapore AIP valid from 9 July 2026 lists three parallel runways, each with a grooved bituminous-concrete surface and physical dimensions of 4,000 by 60 metres:[2]
| Runway | Common project designation | Physical dimensions |
| 02L/20R | Runway 1 | 4,000 m x 60 m |
| 02C/20C | Runway 2 | 4,000 m x 60 m |
| 02R/20L | Runway 3 | 4,000 m x 60 m |
Runway 02R/20L originated as a military runway and has been upgraded for joint civil use as part of Changi East. The July 2026 AIP lists all three runways as operating H24, with scheduled maintenance and inspection closures. A 740-metre displaced threshold on runway 20R reduces its published landing distance to 3,260 metres even though the pavement is 4,000 metres long.[2]
The three-runway system includes new taxiways, end-around taxiways and a separate Changi East control tower. Physical dimensions do not by themselves determine the distance available to a particular flight; crews use current declared distances, NOTAMs and air-traffic instructions.[2]
Airlines, connections and cargo
Singapore Airlines uses Changi as the centre of a network designed around local and connecting traffic. Scoot provides a complementary low-cost network, while other carriers add regional and intercontinental services. In January 2025 Changi reported about 100 airlines, more than 7,400 weekly scheduled flights and direct links to 163 cities in 49 countries and territories.[3]
Changi Airfreight Centre and the Airport Logistics Park support express, pharmaceutical, perishable, e-commerce and general-cargo traffic. The airfield also has extensive maintenance facilities operated by Singapore-based aerospace companies. In 2025 the airport handled 2.08 million tonnes of air freight, compared with 2.01 million tonnes in 2019.[1][2]
Ground transport
The Changi Airport MRT station lies between Terminals 2 and 3. East West Line airport-branch trains connect with the wider rail network at Tanah Merah; passengers for the Downtown Line can transfer at Expo. Public buses, coaches, taxis, private-hire cars, hire cars and private vehicles also serve the terminals.[2][13]
Skytrain services connect Terminals 1, 2 and 3. Terminal 4 uses a shuttle-bus link because it is separate from the Skytrain network. Walking routes between the central terminals and Jewel provide an alternative landside connection, but airside transfer passengers must follow the route available for their terminals and immigration status.[12]
Changi East and Terminal 5
The 1,080-hectare Changi East development includes Terminal 5, supporting airfield works and a future industrial zone. Construction of Terminal 5 began with a groundbreaking ceremony in May 2025. Its first phase is designed for about 50 million passenger movements a year and is expected to open in the mid-2030s.[14]
Terminal 5 is planned to connect with the existing terminals so that the expanded airport can operate as one hub. It will include a ground-transport centre and an inter-terminal train link. These are future facilities and are not part of the airport's operating terminal system in August 2026.[14]
Traffic statistics
| Year | Passengers | Commercial aircraft movements | Air freight |
| 2019 | 68.30 million | 382,000 | 2.01 million tonnes |
| 2024 | 67.70 million | 366,000 | 1.99 million tonnes |
| 2025 | 69.98 million | 374,000 | 2.08 million tonnes |
The 2025 passenger total exceeded the pre-pandemic 2019 figure, while commercial aircraft movements remained below the 2019 level. Changi Airport Group publishes passenger movements, commercial aircraft movements and freight tonnage separately; the measures should not be combined or treated as live counts.[1][3]
Related pages
Sources
Singapore AIP: WSSS Singapore Changi International - Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, valid 9 July 2026
Traffic statistics - Changi Airport Group, accessed 29 August 2026
Changi Airport handled 67.7 million passengers in 2024 - Changi Airport Group, 22 January 2025
Changi Airport major milestones - Changi Airport Group, 2014
Thirty years at Changi - Changi Airport Group, 2011
Celebrating a new dawn in Singapore aviation - Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, 1 July 2009
Who manages the reserves? - Singapore Ministry of Finance, accessed 29 August 2026
Terminal 2 expansion completed - Changi Airport Group, 28 September 2023
Jewel Changi Airport welcomes the world - Jewel Changi Airport, 7 March 2019
Terminal 5 project - Changi Airport Group, accessed 29 August 2026
Image source and licence: Rain Vortex Jewel Changi Airport - kallerna, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
