We will bring Changi Airport 'into a new phase of life', says S Iswaran as transport hub marks 40th anniversary

Minister for Transport S Iswaran said he is confident that Singapore will "grow Changi back once again and bring it into a new phase of life", as Changi Airport marked its 40th anniversary on Thursday. The Singapore Changi Airport handled 4.3m passengers in the first six months of its opening in 1981, said Iswaran. Since then, it has welcomed multiple awards and accolades, including Skytrax's World's Best Airport and Best Airport by Size and Region at the Airport Council International Airport Service Quality Awards. Changi Airport brought home the former 11 times, including in 2020. Iswaran noted how the birth of the airport had been a "major feat - not just of engineering, but of vision". It was built "swiftly" in six years, he said, and crossed the 10-million mark in 1986 before reaching nearly 70m passengers in 2019. "We realised the prediction of Mr Howe Yoon Chong, another key architect of Changi, that it would be 'one of the best if not the best in the world'," said the minister. <br/>