Singapore Changi Airport
| Continent: Asia | Country: Singapore |
| Singapore Changi Airport | |
| Location | Changi, Singapore |
| IATA code | SIN |
| ICAO code | WSSS |
| Airport type | Commercial |
| Website | http://www.changiairport.com/ |
| Overview map | Google Maps |
| Communications | |
| Tower | |
| Ground | |
| Clearance | |
| Approach | |
| ATIS | |
Official Spotting Locations
Although there are no "official" spotting locations in Singapore Changi Airport, there are public viewing galleries located within the terminals. All the viewing galleries are air-conditioned and there are ample seats available. Listed below are a more in-depth review of the respective viewing galleries
Terminal 1
Terminal 1 Public Indoor Viewing Mall
This area is just about the only place in the airport which you can spot comfortably. There are ample seats in this air-conditioned viewing mall, and there is a food court and a pub on the same level. Spanning the entire T1 central apron, provides a clear view of the central apron, as well as movements along the three North Cross taxiways. Aircraft parked at the remote bays off the terminal, the cargo terminal and at SIAEC hangars are also visible from a distance, although near impossible to photograph due to the many obstacles that make a full, unblocked view of the aircraft there impossible. You can also see takeoffs from 02L and 02C (during November to April) and landings on 20R and 20C (during May to October), but from a distance.
The usual aircraft parked at the central apron include Garuda 737s, Qantas A330s, Cathay Pacific and Indian Airlines. It is advisable to check the gates of the flights online at the airport website (information is usually online up to 12 hours before, although for shorter flights this may only be available about 2 hours before the arrival of the flight) as on some days there are very few flights using the central apron whilst on other days it can be full house there.
The viewing mall is located one floor above the departure hall. Escalators to the viewing mall are located next to Immigration East (near check-in row 9 and 10) and Immigration West (near check-in row 7 and 8).
Note: Due to the upgrading at T1 which has already started in some parts of the terminal this spot could be closed soon as it is also affected by the upgrading.
Terminal 2 Public Indoor Viewing Mall
The viewing mall hear offers a view of many Singapore Airlines 777s, SilkAir and Malaysian Airlines aircraft, which are the main users of Terminal 2. Movements on 20C/02C are also visible. However, this location is unsuitable for photography, firstly as the glass panels are tinted green, and secondly the transit mall extends under the viewing mall, effectively placing two layers of glass in front of you, and a lot of panel frames to contend with. The sunshades also block you from looking at eye level, instead you have to look downwards to see the aircraft parked at the apron.
The relatively small size of the viewing mall also means that it tends to get crowded often, especially on weekends. There are many restaurants on the same level, which you will pass by before you get to the viewing mall.
The viewing mall is located one floor above the departure hall. Escalators are located between Immigration North and South, near check-in rows 5 and 6 and rows 7 and 8. There are signs that will guide you to the location.
Terminal 3 Public Indoor Viewing Mall
The viewing mall here offers a different angle of view from the other viewing malls at Changi, giving you a more aerial-like view of the apron. Aircraft that can be seen from here are Singapore Airlines heavies, movements on 20R/02L, and in the morning and evening, the A380. However, just like at Terminal 2, the transit lounge extends beyond the viewing mall, thus the two layers of glass frames block clear views of the planes. Photography here is also near impossible.
Do note that the viewing mall tends to get crowded during the weekends but due to its large area this is quite tolerable. There is a restaurant located within the viewing gallery (Earl's Swensons) and it is a good place to dine and watch the planes at the same time!
The viewing mall is located two floors above the departure hall. There are four escalators to access the viewing mall, two at the central immigration area and two at the ends of the green wall. There are signs to guide you.
Terminals 1, 2 and 3 Transit Malls
Like many other airports, one has to explore places to spot especially in the transit lounges, but there are places within the transit lounges to spot especially around the areas which you first enter after clearing immigration. This is mainly the same throughout all the terminals especially at Terminal 3 with great views of aircraft landing and taking off on runway 02L/20R. Do note that within the transit lounges there are "skytrains" available for you to hop from one terminal to the other or you can walk as all the terminals(except the budget terminal) are inter-connected. There are also plenty of shops and restaurants (some are open 24 hours) available within the transit lounges in all the terminals (including the budget terminal). However at Terminal 1 the tinted glass prevents you from viewing the planes parked at night.
Other Spotting Locations
Changi Beach Park
This is the best place to spot aircraft arriving on runway 20R and 20C. In most cases aircraft that will park at the C-gates at Terminal 1 or Terminal 3 , as well as cargo aircraft will land on runway 20R while runway 20C is mainly used for traffic that will park at the D-gates at Terminal 1 or at Terminal 2 except during runway maintenence which would usually last 20-30 mins and arrival traffic would temporarily be diverted to the other runway. Runway maintenence only occurs once every 6-7 hours. The best places to spot within Changi Beach for morning arrivals would be after carpark 5 for 20R arrivals which also has a bus stop if you do not have a car. For evening and afternoon arrivals the best place would be either near carpark 3 or 4 for 20R arrivals which also has a bus stop nearby or it is just a short walk from carpark 5. The planes for 20R fly directly over carpark 5. Runway 20R is usually used between March-October after which the runway is changed to 02L due to seasonal wind changes. Also note that listening to VHF radios is strictly forbidden and hefty fines are given to those caught listening or using it. For runway 20C you have to spot at the beach near carpark 6 for afternoon and evening arrivals(only accessible by car as there are no bus services).
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Changi Business Park
This is the best place to spot aircraft arriving on runway 02L, in most cases most aircraft would land on this runway between October-February. This area is an industrial park so a car is necessary as the nearest bus stop is roughly about 1.5km away from the area best to spot arriving aircraft. Due to this area being industrial, it tends to be filled with heavy vehicles driving around the area during the weekdays so it is advisable to spot at this area only during the weekends as you can easily park your car anywhere without blocking or disrupting anyone. As this area is more built up than Changi Beach Park, finding a spot which has an unobstructed view might be difficult so I have listed down one of the unobstructed locations.
<googlemap version="0.9" lat="1.340424" lon="103.970747" zoom="16">1.337443, 103.971026Spot 1</googlemap>
Locations to Avoid
Changi Coast Road
This is one area regularly petrolled by the police as it is illegal to photograph airport buildings and serious action would be taken if one is caught photographing at this location especially with a D-SLR, it is also illegal to park one's car at the emergency entrances (which are the only places without double fencing) and it requires either a car or a bicycle to get there as it is a good 5km to the nearest bus stop and taxis don't usually pick-up passengers from the Coast Road. There is a park connector which is separated from the perimeter fence by the Changi Coast Road with occasional shelters along the path. You can see the planes take off and land but due to the double security fence the view is not very clear. Thus it is not advisable to hang around this area for more than 30 minutes. My advice is for you NOT TO SPOT HERE unless you are familiar with this area.
Regular Traffic
Terminal 1:
Air China (B737, B767)
Air France (B777)
Air India (A310, A330)
Air India Express (B737)
Air Mauritius (A330)
Air Zimbabwe (B762)
AirAsia (A320)
All Nippon Airways (B763)
Asiana Airlines (A330)
Bangkok Airways (A319)
Biman Bangladesh Airlines (DC10)
British Airways (B747, B777)
Cathay Pacific Airways (A330, B747, B777)
China Airlines (A330, B737)
China Southern Airlines (A321)
Emirates (B777)
EVA Air (A330)
Garuda Indonesia (A330, B737)
Indian Airlines (A320)
Japan Airlines (B747, B767, B777)
JetStar (A320)
JetStar Airways International (A320)
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (B777)
Korean Air (B777)
Lion Airlines (B737-900ER)
Northwest Airlines (A330)
Qantas Airways (A330, B737,B747)
Saudi Arabian (B747)
SriLankan Airlines (A340)
Swiss International Air Lines (A340)
Thai AirAsia (A320, B737)
Thai Airways International (A300-600, A330, B777)
Transaero Airlines (B747, B767)
Turkish Airlines (A330)
Valuair (A320)
Vietnam Airlines (A321)
Xiamen Airlines (B737)
Terminal 2:
Etihad (B777)
Lufthansa German Airlines (B747)
Malaysia Airlines (A330, B737)
Philippine Airlines (A320, A330)
Royal Brunei (A320)
SilkAir (A319, A320)
Singapore Airlines (A345, B777)
Terminal 3:
Jet Airways (A330, B737)
China Eastern Airlines (A300-600R, A330)
Qatar Airways (A330)
Singapore Airlines (A345, A380, B747, B777)
United Airlines (B747, B777)
Budget Terminal:
Cebu Pacific (A320)
Tiger Airways (A320)
Cargo Airlines:
Air Hong Kong (A300F)
Cargolux (B747F)
Lufthansa Cargo (MD11)
FedEx Express (A300F, MD11F)
Jett8 Airlines Cargo (B742F)
Nippon Cargo Airlines (B747F)
Singapore Airlines Cargo (B744F)
Shanghai Airlines Cargo (B757F)
United Parcel Service (B757)
Facilities and Transportation
Within the Terminals
As mentioned above, most of the spotting done in the terminals are very comfortable with seats, air-conditioning and food available nearby. Transportation wise, it is very easy to get around the airport especially with the sky-train system linking the terminals together and is the most convenient way of getting around the airport. There are public buses (such as service 36) that takes roughly about 30-45 mins to get to the airport from the Orchard Road area and it costs roughly SGD2.00 for the ride. The MRT which is Singapore's Subway System can also get you from the city center to the aiport's Terminal 2 and 3 in about 25 mins (excluding waiting and transit time). A new feature of the airport is that it also offers a new airport hotel operated by Crowne Plaza (accessible from Terminal 3) and it is a good place to spend the night if you plan to do some spotting either within the airport or at Changi Beach Park.
Outdoor Spotting
Spotting at Changi Beach Park still has rather good facilities with adequetly clean toilets and snack stalls selling snacks and drinks within the park itself. Just a 10 minute walk from the beach is Changi Village which has many restaurants and a hawker center which serves a multitude local delights at resonable prices. There is a hotel called Changi VIllage Hotel located very close to the beach so if you plan to do most spotting at Changi Beach, it is advisable to stay there, there is also an Italian Restaurant located at the top floor of the hotel which offers lovely views of aircraft landing while dining (this is even more lovely during sunset), if you are a guest, the hotel also includes complementary shuttle services to the city center.
Transportation to get to either the beach or Changi Village would require a change of bus services from the airport bus terminal, so therefore this is the easiest way to get from Changi Airport Bus Terminal (located at all 3 terminals) to Changi Beack Park:
1) Take Bus Service 34 from the Airport to Tampines Avenue 7 Block 497D Bus Stop (it's near a petrol kiosk)
2) Cross the road to the other side from the overhead bridge
3) Take Bus Service 9 or 19 to Changi Beach Park **Do note that the bus will make a loop at the Cargo Complex and it is not allowed for people without a pass to enter, so get off the bus by Carpark 5**
Other than Changi Beach, the rest of the locations mentioned are only accesible by Car
Hazards and Risks
Major Hazards
The weather can change unpredictably but this rarely happens and it is mainly very safe for people to spot here in Singapore, but just to be sure, it is advisable to check the weather forecast before venturing out
Other Hazards
Changi Beach and Changi Village are pretty unsafe at night as it will turn into a "red-light" district by the wee hours of the night, so it is not advisable to venture out to Changi Beach Park too late at night unless you are staying at Changi Village Hotel or are camping at the park (permits are required for weekdays) but it is also not advisable to camp at the beach if you are unfamiliar with the area
Another thing to note is that taking photographs while boarding aircraft at the budget terminal (for Tiger Airways and Cebu Pacific flights only) is strictly forbidden and police officers are always on the lookout for anyone taking photographs especially since one is so close to the aircraft.