Singapore Changi Airport

When long-haul travelers talk about their favorite airport, one name comes up almost every time: Changi. In four decades, the airport in eastern Singapore has grown from the replacement for a too-small city airport into one of the most important hubs in Asia. It is home to Singapore Airlines and its low-cost subsidiary Scoot, connects Europe with Australia and Southeast Asia, and has, in Jewel, a building that is more reminiscent of a botanical garden than a terminal. For spotters, that means A380s, A350s, 787-10s and 777-300ERs in large numbers, plus airlines from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand or the Philippines. At the same time, Singapore is not a country where you simply walk up to the fence with a telephoto lens. So if you want to collect Changi, you need some planning.

From Kallang via Paya Lebar to Changi

Singapore’s aviation history doesn’t begin at Changi. In 1937, Kallang Airport near the city center began operations, and in 1955 the larger Paya Lebar airport took over. But with the rapid growth of air traffic in the 1970s and the rise of Singapore Airlines, Paya Lebar quickly hit its limit as well. The government therefore decided on a completely new build at the far eastern end of the island, on the site of a former military base and on large areas wrested from the sea by land reclamation.

On July 1, 1981, the first scheduled flights landed at Changi, and the official opening followed on December 29, 1981. Paya Lebar became an air base and still is. The concept of the new airport was designed for growth from the start: room for further terminals and runways was planned in. That foresight pays off to this day – hardly any Asian hub has been able to grow so orderly.

The state is the owner. Since June 16, 2009, operations have been run by the Changi Airport Group, a state-owned company that emerged from the previously government-run airport administration. The list of awards includes the “World’s Best Airport” title from Skytrax, among others: through 2025, Changi won it thirteen times, including eight years in a row between 2013 and 2020. To see how Changi measures up against other long-haul hubs, look at Doha Hamad Airport, with which Singapore has been contesting these titles for years.

Three runways, one clear axis

Changi’s runway system is easy to grasp: three parallel runways, all running roughly north-northeast to south-southwest and each about 4,000 meters long. The western runway 02L/20R lies near Terminals 1 and 3, the middle one 02C/20C near Terminal 2 and the cargo area. The eastern runway 02R/20L has a history of its own: it was built for Changi East Air Base, at first used only by the Republic of Singapore Air Force and later extended to 4,000 meters so that large airliners can take off and land there as well.

This third runway is the centerpiece of the Changi East expansion project. It has since been extended to 4,000 meters and is being prepared for civil three-runway operation, the start of which, according to reports so far, is planned for around 2027. Until then, mainly the two western runways matter for spotters.

According to spotter reports, direction 02 is the preferred runway direction in use: landings then come from the south over the Tanah Merah area, and takeoffs go north over the sea. Depending on the monsoon and daily winds, however, operations switch to 20 – then the aircraft float in over Changi Beach. How wind and runway direction are related is explained in the article Understanding the runway direction in use at an airport.

Four terminals and a jewel

Changi grew step by step. Terminal 1 at the north end is the founding terminal from 1981. Terminal 2 followed on November 22, 1990 at the east end, Terminal 3 on January 9, 2008 at the west end. T3 was planned with Singapore Airlines and its then-new A380 in mind and is still one of its most important terminals. Between 2006 and 2012 there was also a simple Budget Terminal for low-cost carriers, which was later demolished. Terminal 4 was built on its site, opening on October 31, 2017, and relies heavily on automated processing.

Terminal 2 was closed during the pandemic and thoroughly modernized. It has been fully back in operation since November 1, 2023. The free Skytrain connects Terminals 1, 2 and 3; you reach Terminal 4 by shuttle bus.

Jewel: waterfall instead of parking lot

The airport’s best-known building is not a terminal. Jewel Changi Airport opened on April 17, 2019 (official inauguration in October 2019) on the site of a former parking lot directly in front of Terminal 1. The design is by the architect Moshe Safdie; it was built by a joint venture of Changi Airport Group and the real estate group CapitaLand. Construction costs were about 1.7 billion Singapore dollars.

Under the ring-shaped glass dome, the Rain Vortex plunges about 40 meters – the tallest indoor waterfall in the world. Around it, in the Forest Valley, an indoor forest with thousands of trees and shrubs grows over several levels, and on the top level is the Canopy Park with mazes, nets and a suspension bridge. Add shops, restaurants, a hotel and counters for early check-in. Jewel connects Terminals 1 to 3 and is accessible even without a boarding pass. For spotters, it’s not a viewpoint onto the apron, but the perfect place to bridge the time until the evening light.

Singapore Airlines and Scoot: the home team

One airline group shapes the picture at Changi. Singapore Airlines concentrates all its traffic in SIN and has been a member of the Star Alliance since 2000. You recognize it by the dark blue tail with the golden-yellow bird and by the registration prefix 9V-. The airline is a true showcase of types: it flew the very first scheduled A380 flight on October 25, 2007, was launch customer of the 787-10 and uses the ultra-long-range version A350-900ULR for nonstop flights to the USA. More on these record routes is in the article on ultra-long-haul flights.

Whether it’s an A350 or a 787 in front of you is the daily exam question at Changi. The reliable features are shown in the article A350 or Boeing 787; for the double-decker, Telling the A380 and Boeing 747 apart helps. For the future, Singapore Airlines has ordered the Boeing 777-9. When it shows up at Changi depends on certification at Boeing.

Scoot is the group’s low-cost brand and flies 787s on medium- and long-haul routes and narrowbody jets to neighboring countries. Add Singapore Airlines Cargo with its own freighters. The group also operates a large maintenance facility on site.

The guests: from Qantas to Garuda

According to common overviews, more than 100 airlines fly to about 170 cities from Changi. For spotters from Europe, the Southeast Asian share is especially interesting. From neighboring countries come, for example, Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, Garuda Indonesia, Batik Air, Thai Airways, Vietnam Airlines, Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific. From East Asia, Cathay Pacific, EVA Air, Starlux, Japan Airlines and ANA are among those represented.

On long-haul, Qantas connects Australia via Singapore with Europe, Emirates, Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines send widebody jets, and Lufthansa connects Changi with Germany. Which routes and types are current, you check in the schedule before your trip – as of October 2026, the offering can shift from season to season.

Changi is also a significant cargo airport. FedEx Express operates a hub for the Asia-Pacific region here. How the big parcel carriers organize their networks is explained in the article on the integrators DHL, FedEx and UPS.

Traffic: back on record course

The pandemic hit Changi harder than many other airports because Singapore has almost exclusively international traffic. In 2020, passenger numbers fell to about 11.8 million, in 2021 to about three million. After that, it climbed steeply: 2024 saw about 67.7 million, 2025 according to Changi Airport Group 69.98 million passengers, an increase of 3.4 percent and more than ever. On top of that came about 374,000 aircraft movements and 2.08 million tons of air cargo. From January to August 2026, the airport counted 46.7 million travelers.

Interesting for spotters: despite a new passenger record, aircraft movements are still below the 2019 level. So on average, airlines are using larger aircraft – good news for anyone collecting widebody jets.

Changi East and Terminal 5: the next leap

East of today’s airport, the Changi East area is taking shape on about 1,080 hectares of reclaimed land. Besides the three-runway system, it includes a new cargo area, a tunnel system for vehicles, baggage and passengers, and above all Terminal 5. Singapore celebrated the groundbreaking in May 2025. In the first phase, T5 is designed according to plans for about 50 million passengers a year, with the opening planned for the mid-2030s. The MRT is growing along with it: according to the transport authority’s plans, the Thomson-East Coast Line and the Cross Island Line will be connected to the new terminal.

For spotters, in the coming years that mainly means one thing: construction sites. Fences, earth mounds and closed roads keep changing which sight lines work. How surprising such work can be was shown in March 2026, when a World War II aerial bomb was found during construction work for T5 and was detonated in a controlled manner in early April.

Spotting at Changi: what works and what doesn’t

Singapore is not considered a relaxed spotting country. Signs stand along the airport fence, photography at the fence is not tolerated, and you should refrain from targeted shots of the apron, taxiways and military areas from outside. That applies especially because the air force is stationed right next door. For the basics of photography in other countries, read the article Spotting abroad; for rules of conduct, the article Proper behavior at the airport fence.

The proven locations

The following spots are based on spotter reports. You’ll find a detailed description with light and directions in the guide Plane spotting in Singapore.

• Changi Beach and Changi Beach Park: For landings on 20R, the aircraft come in over sea and beach – for many the most beautiful location in Singapore. Depending on the section, the spot works in the morning or the afternoon.
• Aviation Park Road: In the north by a canal, good for landings on 20C and takeoffs with runway direction 02, mostly in the morning.
• Changi Business Park: In the southwest, the classic location for landings on 02L in the afternoon, with limited visibility because of construction.
• Around Tanah Merah: In the south, public green strips and the area around the ferry terminal for landings on 02C and heavy takeoffs toward 20.
• Viewing mall in Terminal 1: Landside with a view of taxiways and the apron, though behind tinted glass. Tips against reflections are in the article Shooting through fences and glass.

Spotting during layovers

The most relaxed way to collect Changi is a stopover. From the gate areas of the terminals, you look onto the apron and taxiways, and many travelers photograph their aircraft there. That is generally unproblematic as long as you don’t capture security areas, staff or other passengers. What applies in the terminal in general is in the article Photography in the terminal; how to plan a layover optimally is under Spotting during layovers.

Light, heat and thunderstorms

Singapore lies only about 1.4 degrees north of the equator. The midday sun is therefore almost directly overhead all year and delivers harsh light with hardly any shadows. Good pictures happen in the morning and late afternoon. Because the runways run roughly north–south, in the morning you have the sun behind you on the west side of the approach paths, in the afternoon on the east side. The air over the asphalt often shimmers as early as the morning – tips against it are collected in the article Avoiding heat haze. Violent thunderstorms in the afternoon occur all year; afterward the air is often wonderfully clear for a short time. Spotters mostly recommend the months from about February to September, because it rains more often between November and January.

Changi compared

In Southeast Asia, Changi competes with Kuala Lumpur Airport and Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport for transfer passengers, and in East Asia with Hong Kong Airport and Seoul Incheon Airport. On the Kangaroo Route between Europe and Australia, the Gulf hubs such as Dubai Airport are the big rivals. If you want to look at spotting in the neighborhood, the article Plane spotting in Hong Kong offers an alternative; at the other end of the route, Shep’s Mound at Sydney Airport awaits.

You don’t have to photograph Singapore Airlines in Asia, by the way. As of October 2026, it flies to Frankfurt and Munich in Germany – visible, for example, from the Zeppelinheim viewing platform at Frankfurt Airport or from the visitors’ hill in Munich.

Verdict

Changi is one of those airports that impress even frequent flyers: grown in an orderly way over four decades, repeatedly named the best airport in the world, and richer by a landmark with Jewel. For spotters, Singapore is above all the stage of Singapore Airlines and Scoot – with A350s, A380s, 787-10s and 777-300ERs in a density you won’t find in Europe. Add airlines from all over Southeast Asia.

The catch is the rules. Photography at the fence is taboo, and the construction sites in Changi East keep changing the surroundings. If you stick to public places like Changi Beach, use the morning and evening light and keep an eye on the terminal windows during layovers, you’ll still go home with a packed collection.