With more than 4.7 million passengers travelling between Singapore and China in the first nine months in 2017, China is one of the fastest growing key country markets for Changi Airport. Working hard to improve the 11% year-on-year growth of Chinese passenger movements, Changi Airport Group (CAG) is collaborating with various airports and airlines to grow new city links in the coming months, to further improve connectivity to the country. By the end of 2017, 13 airlines will offer routes connecting to 35 cities in China, with more than 700 flights to and from China on a weekly basis.
To engage this group of passengers to choose Changi as a preferred hub, CAG has in place various programmes and initiatives to ensure that Changi feels like home for these Chinese passengers, who are among the top spenders at the airport.
Starting online, CAG launches tactical in-market campaigns through popular social media platforms popular with the Chinese, such as WeChat and Weibo. Through these platforms, we engage potential travellers and promote Changi Airport as the hub of choice, from which they can explore the region. Other than social media, we also work with popular travel sites such as Mafengwo, Qyer, ctrip and Tuniu, where the Chinese prefers to research and book their travels.
‘Xiao Fei Ji’ – one of characters used for a campaign that CAG ran on WeChat
At Changi Airport, a myriad of customised services is available to Chinese passengers, including mandarin-speaking shopping concierges and Alipay mobile payment option. By creating an eco-system which Chinese passengers are comfortable with, CAG hopes to enhance their shopping experience, and spur their desire to spend.
Emphasis is also put on understanding the preferences of Chinese passengers, to ensure that the offerings at Changi Airport are in line with their travel and spending patterns. With the growing demand for beach holidays by the Chinese, campaigns centre on the concept of “twinning” holidays – where passengers can fly through Changi to enjoy the city life in Singapore, paired with a nearby beach destination in the region, which Changi is very well-connected to.
Even after the passengers return home, CAG continues to engage them on the social media platforms to nurture their love for Changi, so that Singapore would be the hub of choice the next time that they are travelling to the region.
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Changi East in 2017 and Beyond
Spanning a massive 1,080 hectares (equivalent to more than 660 football fields), the Changi East project is Changi Airport’s largest development in its history. An inter-agency Changi 2036 Steering Committee was established in 2012 to develop a plan for this mammoth expansion for Changi, which included a recommendation to construct a fifth terminal, Terminal 5 (T5).
Besides T5, the scope of works for this mega-project also includes the operationalisation of a three-runway system, the construction of tunnels and other underground systems, and the development of cargo complexes and other supporting infrastructure. Being a greenfield development site, located to the east of the existing airport (hence the name Changi East), basic infrastructure, including utilities, water management systems, ground transportation (road and MRT) will need to be built and this will take several years before airport facilities are commissioned.
Integrated duty-free zone at Terminal 4
To keep the retail proposition fresh and exciting for shoppers, the Commercial team at Changi Airport is always on the lookout for novel retail concepts and experiences that it can bring to travellers.
To ensure that T4’s commercial offerings would excite and enthrall, despite being the most compact terminal in Changi Airport, it’s commercial layout and offerings have been carefully thought through. For the first time, the anchor categories – Liquor & Tobacco and Perfumes & Cosmetics – are located within the same zone to test out the integrated duty-free concept. While the concept of an integrated duty-free zone has been done in some airports around the world, Changi Airport is the first to feature 2 operators within the same zone. This is the result of a strong tripartite collaboration between Changi Airport and the two anchor duty-free operators, DFS and Shilla Duty Free.
Changi’s new garden blooms with crystals
Refreshing our facilities in the terminals frequently is how Changi ensures that passengers continue to enjoy a great Changi Experience whenever they pass through the airport. Rejuvenating our offerings not only helps to keep the terminal fresh, it also gives passengers something to look forward to the next time they travel through us.
Many may not know that Terminal 3 has been in operations for about 10 years now. To invigorate the Central Piazza to keep in line with the new shops in its surrounds, the area was redesigned into a contemporary nature centrepiece with the airport’s seventh feature garden made up of elegant glass dandelion sculptures – the Crystal Garden.