Yesterday, 2 May 2020, only 12 commercial airplanes arrived in Singapore’s Changi Airport. Sadly, this airport is seeing the lowest air traffic in about half a century!
In my opinion, it is the best airport in the world and no other airports comes even close to beating it. This amazing transformation did not happen overnight, of course. Let’s take a trip down memory lane with these iconic photos of Paya Lebar Airport, Changi Airport and Singapore Airlines.
As someone born in the 80s, I remember Terminal 1’s open-air car park the most. It closed only 5 years ago (to make way for Jewel) but somehow, feels much longer than that!
1959: First passenger flight arrival at Paya Lebar Airport was a Qantas Boeing 707 (Photo credit: changiairport.com)1967: Arrival of BOAC’s VC-10 at Paya Lebar Airport (Photo credit: changiairport.com)While the port side (left) of the aircraft showcased Singapore Airlines’ livery, the starboard side (right) showcased British Airways’ (Photo credit: Unknown)1973: Singapore Airlines received a Boeing 747 in Seattle (Photo credit: Unknown)1979: The beautiful Concorde arrives in Singapore as a jointly operated aircraft of Singapore Airlines and British Airways (Photo credit: Unknown)1979: Foundation work of Changi Airport’s control tower (Photo credit: changiairport.com)1981: Singapore’s Changi Airport’s Terminal 1 opens (Photo credit: National Library Board)1981: Changi Airport Terminal 1 (Photo credit: Changi Airport)1980s: Changi Airport’s Terminal 1 (Photo credit: Singapore Tourism Board, National Archives of Singapore)1980s: Roads leading up to Changi Airport Terminal 1 (Photo credit: Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore Collection, National Archives of Singapore)1980s: Highway to Singapore’s Changi Airport (Photo credit: roots.sg)1980s: Open air car park outside Terminal 1 (Photo credit: National Tourism Board, National Archives of Singapore)1980s: Singapore Changi Airport (Photo credit: Changi Airport)1981: First commercial flight, a Boeing 727 with flight number SQ101 arrived from Kuala Lumpur (Photo credit: Unknown)1982: Waterfall feature in Terminal 1 (Photo credit: changiairport.com)1990: Check-in counters in Terminal 1 (Photo credit: changiairport.com)1980s: Terminal 1 got very crowded and plans for Terminal 2 begins in 1986 (Photo credit: changiairport.com)1991: Terminal 2 opens (Photo credit: Unknown)1998: Singapore Airlines Boeing 747 First Class cabin (Photo credit: Unknown)1990s: Meal service onboard a Singapore Airlines Boeing 747 (Photo credit: Unknown)1990s: Meal service onboard a Singapore Airlines Boeing 747 (Photo credit: Unknown)2008: Crowne Plaza hotel opens (Photo credit: Unknown)2014: Construction of Jewel begins (Photo credit: changiairport.com)2019: Jewel opens (Photo credit: Unknown)2019: Singapore Changi Airport (Photo credit: Straits Times)2020: After almost 30 years, Terminal 2 closed for upgrading works (Photo credit: Changi Airport)
Let’s hope that we can make new memories at this beautiful airport in the near future! <3
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1 thought on “Remembering the history of commercial aviation in Singapore”
The Famous Old Terminal 1 Tall Fountain Displays and other Waterfall features Can be used to build in the Giant Future Terminal 5 as Tributes to those designers ,Engineering staff that build up Changi International Airport 🇸🇬 of its humble beginning in the 80s era till Now as The World 🌎 Second 2nd Best International Airport by Skytrax 2024 and 5th Busiest International Airport.
The Famous Old Terminal 1 Tall Fountain Displays and other Waterfall features Can be used to build in the Giant Future Terminal 5 as Tributes to those designers ,Engineering staff that build up Changi International Airport 🇸🇬 of its humble beginning in the 80s era till Now as The World 🌎 Second 2nd Best International Airport by Skytrax 2024 and 5th Busiest International Airport.