Opened in 1981, Changi Airport is Singapore’s primary civil airport, succeeding Kallang Airport (in operation from 1937-55) and Paya Lebar Airport (1955-81). Today, Changi is a global leading air hub, with flights connecting more than 400 cities.
The airport’s history can be traced back to a runway constructed by the Japanese during World War II, utilising Allied prisoners-of-war (POWs) labour. Following the end of the Japanese Occupation in 1945, the runway was incorporated as part of the Royal Air Force Changi base and earmarked for the development of a new civilian airport. In 1975, Changi was chosen to replace Paya Lebar Airport as the nation’s main civil airport.
The airport’s development between 1975 and 1981 involved the reclamation of the coastline from Telok Paku to Telok Mata Ikan, leading to the resettlement of five kampongs. After the construction of the Terminal 1 complex which included a control tower designed and built by the Public Works Department, an expansion of the runway and other infrastructural works, Changi Airport officially began operations on 1 July 1981.
Over the following decades, Changi Airport expanded to include four terminals, with plans underway for a fifth terminal and a third runway to open in the mid-2030s. Previously managed by Department of Civil Aviation and its successor Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, the airport was corporatised in 2009 and is presently managed by Changi Airport Group.
