For the seventh year in a row, Singapore Changi Airport has been crowned the world’s best aviation hub at the Skytrax World Airport Awards. The award comes as no surprise to anyone who has travelled through the Southeast Asian hub and experienced world-class F&B offerings, browsed at boutique shops, checked out art installations, or had a splash in the rooftop swimming pool.
Raising the bar
The secret of the airport’s success in impressing global travellers has been to continually innovate. Case in point: the much-awaited Jewel Changi terminal – a stunning 137,000sqm indoor sanctuary – has just been unveiled and is truly a sight to behold. This game-changing terminal has been developed to the tune of nearly US$1.3 billion.
Chasing waterfalls
The terminal will attract more tourists and transit passengers to Singapore but will also be of interest to locals with an array of superlative amenities and attractions, for example, the HSBC Rain Vortex. At 40m, it’s the world’s tallest indoor waterfall and a stunning visual installation that pays tribute to the cascading tropical rains of Singapore. The Shiseido Forest and Canopy Garden further create a wonderfully green environment – quite a contrast to the typical generic terminals many of us have endured on a long and forgettable layover.
Don’t forget to leave!
Under the dome of the Jewel terminal, there are also scores of food outlets with famous restaurants from London (Burger and Lobster) and New York (Shake Shack) making their Southeast Asian debuts… yes, in an airport! There is also a movie theatre, hundreds of high-end shops and much, much more besides. It seems your only concern now in Changi is getting so comfortable you will end up missing your flight.
Main photo (top): George Tan – Flickr
