An incredible airport that will have cost around £16 billion when its latest expansion is completed has again been named the world's best. Singapore Changi Airport is globally renowned for its extensive facilities, exceptional service, and unique architecture. Built in stages over decades, it has continually expanded and evolved to maintain its reputation for excellence.
It first opened in 1981 at a cost of around £1.1 billion - which would be approximately £4bn today. Since then, billions more have been spent - with a new £7.
7bn expansion, creating a fifth terminal, in the pipeline. Work on Terminal 5 is due to start next year (2025). It will increase the airport's capacity by 50 million passengers annually, bringing the total to 140 million.
A previous £1.3 billion expansion created Terminal 3, which opened in 2008. Meanwhile, Terminal 4, which opened in 2017, cost a little under £1 billion.
And Jewel Changi - a vast entertainment and retail complex within the airport - cost another £1.3 billion and opened in 2019. This incredible addition features the world’s tallest indoor waterfall.
Adjusting for inflation, a major refurbishment in 1995 cost another £250 million. And a project that added 14 aerobridges, between 1996 and 1999, cost another £580 million. This means the airport will have cost an astonishing £16 billion by the time Terminal 5 is completed in 2030.
But it would appear this money has been well spent. Once again, Conde Nast Traveller's jet-setting r.
