If you happen to fly to the cities of Southeast Asia or Australia with a transfer, and Changi Airport (Singapore) is listed as one of the waiting points for the connecting flight, you should know that spending time in this hub can be compared to relaxing at some resort. You just don't want to leave it. After all, for the third consecutive time, Changi receives an award at the annual Skytrax World Airport Awards and, thus, leads the ranking of the best airports in the world. In 2015, he was awarded an additional prize as the most comfortable in terms of entertainment for passengers. The traveler will definitely not be bored here. Even Singaporeans visit their airport. And not only to go on air travel. The airport often hosts exhibitions, festivals, and other recreational activities. Let us take a look at this hub - the largest in all of Southeast Asia.
Singapore Changi Airport in numbers
Even dry statistics are amazing. Six and a half thousand flights a week! Passenger traffic in 2011 amounted to forty-six and a half million people! For the first twenty years of its existence (from 1987 to 2007), Changi was awarded two hundred and eighty awards. Nineteen times he was recognized as the best hub in the world. And the travelers themselves call Singapore the most comfortable and beautiful airport. A photo of this small town looks very presentable. But it does not give an idea of the rich content of the four terminals. A swimming pool, a cinema, huge shopping centers, galleries of butterflies, cacti, prayer rooms of various denominations, convenient escalators and moving walks - all this is at the airport in Singapore. By the way, unlike many hubs, there are also comfortable sofas to sleep here. You can stay up to four days on a transit visa in Singapore . So if you happen to fly with a transfer to Changi, let the time period between connecting flights be long - there is something to do.
History
In Singapore, there were several airports built in the 30-50s of the twentieth century. However, with the development of the country's economy and increased passenger flow, they ceased to cope with their task. Yes, and urban development came close to these airports, so there was no way to expand them. Reconstructed in the seventies, the Callang hub was already receiving four million passengers. But this was not enough. Therefore, in 1975, the government decided to build the main airport of Singapore in a new place, outside the city. In the eastern part of the island, at the Changi military air base, a land plot was alienated. Part of the territory was reclaimed from the sea by land reclamation by a Japanese construction company. Thus, the airport area increased to thirteen square kilometers. The hallmark of the hub (at least from a technical point of view) is the 78-meter tower for controllers and a hangar that accommodates three Boeing 747 airliners. The first terminal at Changi Airport was inaugurated with the flight from Kuala Lumpur in July 1981. At the end of this year, the results were hit: for 6 months of operation, the passenger flow amounted to eight million, 63 thousand take-offs and landings were made.
Service Development
Initially, the construction of two terminals was planned. The second was opened a year after the first. But it soon became clear that this was not enough to make passengers at Changi Airport comfortable. The third terminal, as well as the luxurious 9-story Crown Plaza Hotel next to it, were commissioned in early 2008. Numerous low-fires have already made themselves known at this time. Changi Airport (Singapore) was the first in the world where a terminal for low-cost airlines appeared. He began to receive passengers in March 2006. VIPs were not ignored either. In the same 2006, only in the fall, a separate terminal for "commercially important passengers" was commissioned. Constantly improving conditions in existing buildings. There is a neutral zone between the terminals, through which transit passengers can freely move. Great attention is paid to vehicles connecting between terminals.
Scoreboard
Currently, the Singapore airport is connected to 240 cities in sixty countries. It takes the planes of one hundred and ten airlines. Thus, it is the largest airport for the entire region of Southeast Asia. The hub is the base for Singapore Airlines, as well as other passenger and freight carrier companies. Most often flights depart from Changi to Jakarta, the capital of Malaysia. Five scheduled flights per week depart from Moscow Domodedovo to Singapore. You can get to this country from St. Petersburg. Singapore Airport is a convenient connecting point. Through it you can get to the cities of Australia, the island powers of the Pacific Ocean, to the west coast of the United States.
Changi Airport (Singapore): scheme
Passengers in the arrival halls are waiting for racks with free brochures, where a multi-level plan of the hub is painted and shown in pictures. In addition, numerous pointers and inscriptions in English will not let you get lost. What do travelers need to know when arriving at Singapore airport? Its outline is extremely simple. Terminals Nos. 1, 2 and 3 are interconnected by a transit zone. So passengers of connecting flights do not need to receive luggage and pass through passport and customs controls. Between the terminals you can travel by monorail train or shuttle bus - both of these vehicles are free. If you want to go this way on foot (follow the white line with a drawing of a little man), then the moving paths will help you with this. The train and shuttle stops are located on the second floor of the terminals. Low-cost passengers should collect their luggage and go through migration control. The terminal for low-cost carriers is built autonomously and is not connected to the rest of the transit zone. The main buildings can be reached from it by a free bus.
How to get from Singapore Airport to the city
At the first level of all three main terminals there are exits to taxi stops, city buses and high-speed shuttles. The first mode of transport is available around the clock. You can take not only a yellow state taxi, but also order a limousine or convertible in the call service. Cost - about 25 Singapore dollars during the day, at night - two times more expensive. From 5:30 to 23:20 you can use the metro. The station is located between terminals 2 and 3. From six in the morning until midnight, special shuttles “Maksikab” run. They are convenient in that they make on-demand stops at hotels. A place in such a minibus should be ordered at a special counter, pay for a ticket there ($ 11 full, 8 from a child) and tell where to deliver you. In fact, Maksikab acts like a taxi, only a group one. The exception is Sentosa Island. What is the cheapest option for passengers arriving in Singapore? From the airport to the city center from six in the morning until midnight, bus number 36 runs. Travel in it is only two dollars. But the trip will take about an hour.
Road to the airport
The largest hub in Southeast Asia was specially built far from the city so that the noise of the aircraft would not cause discomfort to residents. Now the liners are descending to the landing strip from the sea. Changi is located in northeast of Singapore. It is separated from the city by seventeen and a half kilometers. How to get from Singapore to the airport? The easiest way to do this is by metro. The station where you need to get off is called MRT Changi Airport. But we remind you that this option is only available from 5:30 to 23:20 hours. Unfortunately, at night, the only option is a taxi, the rate of which also doubles compared to daytime. By rented car, you can reach Changi via the East Coast Parkway toll road. Entrance to it is carried out using an electronic card. It can be purchased at car rental points.
Terminal 1
Singapore Airport is a small town filled with entertainment. The oldest terminal consists of three levels. The first is the arrivals area. On the second floor, check-in for flights is carried out. Racks are grouped by airline. There are massage machines in the transit area , as well as prayer rooms and a bamboo garden. The Ambassador Hotel with a rooftop pool is located on the third floor. For guests using it is free. For all the rest, thirteen dollars. The ticket price includes not only the pool, but also the use of a shower, a jacuzzi, a beach towel and one soft drink. On the third floor there is a cactus garden and a playground for children. The real decoration of terminal No. 1 is the installation “Raindrops”. Thousands of glass pink beads suspended from the ceiling move to the beat of the music.
Terminal 2
This airport building is famous for the world's largest plasma display. Facilities at T2 are no worse than at Changi's oldest terminal. There are also massage chairs and vending machines, shops, restaurants, cafes (including Harris Bar for smokers), beauty salons, duty-free, playgrounds, and prayer rooms. There is absolutely free cinema here, which Singaporeans love to visit. But the real decoration of Terminal No. 2 is its gardens. There are a lot of them. This is a garden of orchids, sunflowers, ferns, a pond with goldfish. For a fee, you can spend time in the Plaza Premium Lounge - at your service are a shower, massage, jacuzzi, fitness room.
Terminal 3
Singapore Airport acquired this building in 2008. This is, of course, the most “ecological” terminal in Changi. There is not only a gallery of fluttering butterflies. The entire terminal is one large flowering garden. What is only one wall three hundred meters long in the baggage claim! She is all seated with climbing plants. The glass roof transmits sunlight, and trees and shrubs grow in the terminal, like in a greenhouse. There are also ponds and fountains, a cinema, playgrounds, shops, restaurants, cafes, prayer rooms. Next to Terminal 3 is the Crown Plaza Hotel. You can stay in the lounges for transit passengers in the mini-hotel Transit Hotel on the third floor.
Things to do at Changi Airport
If you have more than five hours between connecting flights, head to the second level of terminals 2 or 3. There you will find The Free Singapore Tours, which means “Free Tour to Singapore.” From the airport to the city, buses leave at 09:00, 11:30 14:30 and 16:00. A sightseeing tour lasts two hours. You need to sign up for it no less than sixty minutes before it starts. From 18:30 to 20:30 a free tour is also provided, but to other places in Singapore. So, in the evening you can visit the marina filled with lights at Marina Bay and the Bugis Village night market.