Chiangi Airport, Singapore

Currently rated the world's best airport.

By whom? Skytrax, a consultancy that rates airlines and airports around the world. This is the fourth year in a row that Chiangi has been rated as the best.



Chiangi has 3 terminals and this year I've passed through different terminals twice. (There's a new Terminal 4 due to open next year) Thankfully the layovers were really short, just over an hour, so I didn't really make use of the facilities that Chiangi offers but took a few pictures none the less.

Many airports around the world have bright shiny terminals, Milan's Malpensa used to have horrible terminals, but last year I left from their new terminal and it was lovely. Architecturally Beijing's airport is the most interesting in my opinion. Kansai Airport in Osaka, to me was always the most efficient, I would time it. Twenty minutes, each time from the plane touching down, to clearing immigration, getting your luggage and clearing customs! The thing that makes Chiangi stand out is that it accommodates the long layover passenger, Singapore Airlines has Chiangi as their hub, so flights to Europe in particular have layovers that can be over 8 hours. 

The designers of Chiangi have incorporated things to do, Terminal 1 has a pool, you can go for a swim. There's a butterfly garden, various gardens to wander around in, cinemas with showing films that are free, if your layover is 5.5 hours or longer you can go on an organised tour of Singapore. There's a transit hotel in the terminal(which I love since I've used it!) for particularly long layovers you can have a nap, shower or just a rest before continuing on your next leg.



Like most major airports, Chiangi has a large shopping area for those who like to spend time shopping between flights!



Immigration in Terminal 3, the main part of the terminals are on the upper level so you go down to street level to enter the country (and exit the airport) Singapore being in the tropics, I like how the arrivals hall is bright, cool as it uses floor tiles and spacious, and breezy (with air-conditioning!)






These orchid displays were just in the passageways as you walked to the gates. 



The Skytrain shuttle which goes between the terminals, you can walk between Terminals 1 and 2 as they're not that far apart. After spending a multitude of hours sitting in a plane, just walking around feels good!

Chiangi has seasonal displays in the terminals, these ones are from Chinese New Years, hence the cute monkeys! They were advertising places to travel to, so London and the cherry blossoms and peaches are for Japan.







During day time flights, when taking off and landing, you can look down to the sea below and see crowds of cargo ships. They are parked waiting for a pilot ship to take them through the Straits of Singapore, there's quite a complex queueing system going on. How many you see depends on what direction you are approaching or leaving the airport.



These weren't a lot, when you fly closer to the southern tip of Singapore island where the strait is at its narrowest, there are many more cargo ships.




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