Singapore Changi Airport has been voted the World’s Best Airport at the Skytrax World Airport Awards. This is the 12th time Changi Airport has been awarded this prestigious accolade, a record number since the award was first given out in 1999. In addition to the World’s Best Airport award, Singapore Changi Airport also garnered awards for the World’s Best Airport Dining, Best Airport for Leisure Amenities and Best Airport in Asia.

Mr Lee Seow Hiang, Chief Executive Officer of Changi Airport Group (CAG), said, “Changi Airport is honoured to be named World’s Best Airport for the 12th time. This recognition is great encouragement to our airport community, who stood firmly together to battle the challenges of Covid-19 over the past two years. We thank them for their dedication to serve Changi’s passengers and the perseverance to keep Singapore connected to the world. To our passengers, we are deeply grateful for your vote of confidence. Your continued support encourages us to keep pursuing service excellence as we expand our offerings to redefine the Changi Experience. We look forward to welcoming everyone to Changi Airport as we rediscover the magic of travel again.”

The Skytrax World Airport Awards reflect the views of airport customers. Each year, respondents of more than 60 nationalities take part in a global customer satisfaction survey to assess facilities and customer service across more than 550 airports. The World Airport Awards are independent of airport input and fully funded by Skytrax.

 Mr Edward Plaisted, CEO of Skytrax, said, “This recognition for Changi Airport is from the airport customers and serves to underline the airport’s popularity with international air travellers. Winning this award as the World’s Best Airport is a very clear recognition of the team effort amongst all staff at the airport who contributed to Changi Airport’s success.”

Post-pandemic rebound in Passenger Traffic and Travel Retail 

With the roll-back of Covid-19 measures and the return of global travel, passenger traffic at Singapore Changi Airport has recovered to about 80% of pre-Covid levels and is expected to reach 100% by 2024. Changi Airport’s top five passenger markets for 2022 were Australia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. In 2022, passenger movements between Indonesia and Singapore make up about 10% of Changi Airport’s passenger movements. Eight airlines1 currently operate 391 weekly flights at Changi Airport, connecting Singapore to 10 cities2 in Indonesia.

The increase in passenger traffic has also boosted concession sales in Changi Airport. In 2022, Changi recorded total concession sales of S$1.1 billion (about 12,600 billion Indonesian Rupiah), representing 37% of sales in 2019. Perfumes & Cosmetics as well as Luxury products are popular with Indonesian passengers.

Enhanced infrastructure and passenger touchpoints 

Changi Airport re-opened Terminals 2 and 4 in 2022 due to strong travel demand. Terminal 4 (T4) resumed operations in September after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. As part of continuous efforts to enhance the passenger experience, Singapore Changi Airport embarked on expansion and renovation works at Terminal 2 (T2) in 2020. T2’s phased re-opening began in May 2022.

Upon completion in 2024, T2’s expansion will increase Changi Airport’s total capacity by five million passengers per annum (mppa) to 90 mppa. The project adds 15,500 square metres of space, allowing for larger Departure and Arrival Halls, and consequently, more room for operations including check-in and immigration clearance. Key operating infrastructure including the baggage handling systems have been upgraded to enhance efficiency and support increased capacity.

Changi Airport also rolled out several initiatives to enhance passenger experience. Among the enhancements rolled out in 2022 is a personalised Baggage Tracker on the iChangi app for passengers to keep track of the status of their bags. In addition, Jewel’s Early Check-In lounge has reopened with even more airlines offering the service to passengers now.

New leisure, dining and retail experiences

At the same time, Changi Airport has been adding to its growing range of offerings that cater to different interests and tastes. Apart from the nature-themed attractions of Jewel, the family-friendly experiences at Changi now also include a rock-climbing attraction and a 16m-tall play structure called Chandelier.

Changi Airport and Jewel have over 550 retail stores and restaurants, bringing travellers a rich and diverse travel and transfer experience. Nine out of ten stores reopened, with various new brands opening in Changi. The world’s largest Bacha Coffee flagship has landed in Changi Airport’s Terminal 3, as well as Japanese discount chain Don Don Donki opened its first aviation-themed store in Jewel. Changi Airport is also ramping up on pop-up events to offer travellers exclusive promotions and world’s first product launches.

Special celebrations also keep travellers pleasantly surprised. Changi Airport’s popular “Be A Changi Millionaire” campaign is making a comeback for its 11th instalment this year. The event, which has been running since 2010, provides travellers the opportunity to win S$1 million grand prize with a single purchase at the airport. Winners of the 2013, 2016 and 2017 editions are from Indonesia.

Tailoring Content to our Indonesian Passengers 

Changi has always been creating content to stay relevant to our Indonesian passengers in Bahasa Indonesia. Changi has developed a comprehensive website with travel requirements and airport information, thoughtful travel blog called Travel Journal to inspire readers to travel the world, explore Singapore and discover Changi and an Indonesian Instagram account to connect with our fans.

  1. Changi Airport is connected to these cities in Indonesia: Jakarta, Surabaya, Bali, Medan, Yogyakarta, Bandung, Lombok, Manado, Pekanbaru, and Makassar
  2. Airlines serving the Indonesia to Singapore route: Singapore Airlines, Garuda, AirAsia, Jetstar, Scoot, Batik Air, Citilink, and Lion Air