If you happen to fly to cities in Southeast Asia or Australia with a transfer, and one of the waiting points for a connecting flight is Changi Airport (Singapore), 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, Changi has received the award at the annual Skytrax World Airport Awards for the third time in a row and, thus, tops 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 just for air travel. The airport often hosts exhibitions, festivals, and other entertainment events. Let's take a look at this hub - the largest in all of Southeast Asia.
SingaporeanChangi Airport in numbers
Even the 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! In the first twenty years of its existence (from 1987 to 2007), Changi received two hundred and eighty awards. Nineteen times he was recognized as the best hub in the world. And the travelers themselves call the most comfortable and beautiful airport in Singapore. The 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, comfortable escalators and moving walkways - all this is at Singapore Airport. By the way, unlike many hubs, there are also comfortable sofas to sleep in. On a transit visa, you can stay in Singapore for up to four days. So if you happen to fly with a change in Changi, let the time period between connecting flights be long - there is something to do.
History
Singapore had several airports built in the 1930s and 1950s. However, with the development of the country's economy and increased passenger traffic, they no longer cope with their task. And the urban development came close to these airports, so there was no way to expand them. The Kallang hub, reconstructed in the seventies, has already received four million passengers. But even this was not enough. Therefore, in 1975 the governmentdecided to build Singapore's main airport in a new location outside the city. In the eastern part of the island, near 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 area of the airport has increased to thirteen square kilometers. The hallmarks of the hub (at least from a technical point of view) are a 78-meter tower for controllers and a hangar that can accommodate three Boeing 747s. The first terminal of Changi Airport was inaugurated with a flight from Kuala Lumpur in July 1981. At the end of this year, the results were summed up: for 6 months of operation, the passenger traffic amounted to eight million, 63 thousand takeoffs and landings were made.
Service Development
Initially it was planned to build two terminals. The second was opened a year after the first. But it soon became clear that this was not enough for passengers at Changi Airport to be at ease. The third terminal, as well as the luxurious 9-storey Crown Plaza hotel next to it, were put into operation in early 2008. At this time, numerous low-costers have already declared themselves. Changi Airport (Singapore) became the first in the world where a terminal for low-cost airlines appeared. It began to receive passengers from March 2006. VIPs were not spared either. In the same 2006, only in autumn, a separate terminal for "commercially important passengers" was put into operation. The conditions in existing buildings are constantly improving. Between terminals there isa neutral zone where transit passengers can move freely. Great attention is being paid to transport means of communication between terminals.
Scoreboard
Singapore Airport is connected to 240 cities in 60 countries. It receives planes from one hundred and ten airlines. Thus, it is the largest airport for the entire Southeast Asia region. The hub is the base for Singapore Airlines, as well as other passenger and cargo carriers. The most frequently departing from Changi are flights to Jakarta, the capital of Malaysia. There are five regular flights a week 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 US west coast.
Changi Airport (Singapore): scheme
Passengers in the arrival halls are waiting for counters with free brochures, where the multi-level layout of the hub is very clearly painted and shown in pictures. In addition, numerous signs and inscriptions in English will not let you get lost. What should a traveler arriving at Singapore Airport know? Its scheme is extremely simple. Terminals No. 1, 2 and 3 are interconnected by a transit zone. So passengers of connecting flights do not need to receive baggage and go through passport and customs controls. You can travel between terminals by monorail train or shuttle bus, both of which are free of charge. If you want tomake this way on foot (follow the white line with a picture of a little man), then moving paths will help you with this. Train and shuttle stops are located on the second floor of the terminals. Low-cost passengers should collect their luggage and go through immigration control. The terminal for low-cost carriers is built autonomously and is not connected to the rest of the transit area. The main buildings can be reached from it by a free bus.
How to get from Singapore airport to the city
On 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 the yellow government taxi, but also order a limousine or convertible from the call service. The cost is about 25 Singapore dollars during the day, at night it is twice as expensive. From 5:30 to 23:20 you can use the metro services. The station is located between terminals 2 and 3. From six in the morning until midnight, special Maxicub shuttles run. They are convenient in that they make stops on demand at hotels. You should book a seat in such a minibus at a special counter, pay for a ticket there (full $ 11, $ 8 per child) and tell where to take you. In fact, "Maksikab" acts like a taxi, only a group one. The exception is Sentosa Island. What is the cheapest option for those passengers arriving in Singapore? Bus number 36 runs from the airport to the city center from six in the morning until midnight. The fare in it is only two dollars. But the trip will takeabout an hour.
Road to the airport
The largest hub in Southeast Asia was specially erected far from the city so that the noise of the aircraft would not cause discomfort to residents. Now the liners are descending to the runway from the sea. Changi is located in the 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 subway. The station where you need to get off is called MRT Changi Airport. But we remind you that this option is available only from 5:30 to 23:20. Unfortunately, at night, the only option is a taxi, the fare of which also doubles compared to the day. On a rented car, you can get to Changi via the East Coast Parkway toll highway. Entrance to it is carried out using an electronic card. It can be purchased at car rental locations.
Terminal 1
Singapore Airport is a small town filled with entertainment. The oldest terminal consists of three levels. The first one is the arrivals area. Check-in for flights is carried out on the second floor. The counters are grouped by airlines. There are massage machines in the transit area, as well as prayer rooms and a bamboo garden. On the third floor there is the hotel "Ambassador" with a swimming pool on the roof. It is free for guests to use. For everyone else, thirteen dollars. The ticket price includes not only the pool, but also the use of a shower, jacuzzi, beach towel and one soft drink. On the thirdfloor there is a cactus garden and a playground for children. The real decoration of terminal No. 1 is the Raindrops installation. Thousands of pink glass 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 in T2 are no worse than in the oldest terminal of Changi. There are also massage chairs and machines, shops, restaurants, cafes (including for smokers - "Harris Bar"), beauty salons, duty-free, playgrounds, prayer rooms. There is also an absolutely free cinema, which Singaporeans love to visit. But the real gem of Terminal 2 is its gardens. There are many of them here. This is a garden of orchids, sunflowers, ferns, a pond with goldfish. For a fee, you can spend time in the "Plaza Premium Lounge" - shower, massage, jacuzzi, fitness room are at your service.
Terminal 3
Singapore Airport acquired this building in 2008. This is by far the most "environmental" terminal of Changi. There is not only a gallery of fluttering butterflies. The entire terminal is one big flowering garden. What is worth only one wall three hundred meters long in the baggage claim! It is full of climbing plants. The glass roof lets in 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. Near Terminal 3 stands the Crown Plaza Hotel. Can stay in roomsrest 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, go 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. The sightseeing tour lasts two hours. You need to sign up for it at least sixty minutes before it starts. From 18:30 to 20:30 there is also a free tour, but to other places in Singapore. So, in the evening you can visit the Marina Bay embankment flooded with lights and the Bugis Village night market.
