Enabling 40 years of world-class customer experience at Changi Airport

NACO has helped shape the exceptional customer experience at Singapore Changi Airport. From designing Terminal 1, its signage and wayfinding system; to conceptualising and implementing a taxiway renaming master plan which will align infrastructure across the existing airport and Changi East expansion.

Project facts

Client
Changi Airport Group
Location
Singapore
Date
1980 – present
Challenge
Facilitate a seamless flow for passengers and aircraft across existing and future terminal and airside infrastructure.
Solution
A wayfinding solution for both terminal and airside that supports the airport’s existing and future operational excellence with an intuitive signage convention.

Setting the foundations of Changi’s success

With a handling capacity of 90 million passengers per annum (mppa), Changi Airport is one of the biggest air transportation hubs in Asia. Since being appointed to design the airport in 1976, NACO has been there to provide its team with advice and support to deliver a world-class air hub.

When Changi airport opened, Terminal 1’s architecture was regarded as one of the best in the world and a benchmark for future airports. Its ease of wayfinding and clarity of the functional layout between passenger touchpoints has continued to win accolades – a testament to the airport’s hallmark 5-star service and infrastructural excellence.

The wayfinding and signage strategy we proposed for Changi Airport introduced the concept of ‘less is more’ to Asia’s airport signage ecosystem. The concept was built on a clear hierarchy of pictorial information and logical guiding flow, providing passengers with a simple and user-friendly experience, overcoming the limitations of written languages.

Goh Keng Chew – Deputy Director (Airports) — Sourced from National Archives of Singapore

“In January 1976 we employed the Netherlands Airport Consultant Company who had done the Schiphol Airport design and construction to review and to make improvements on our concept. In mid 1976 the final master plan had been drawn up together with the NACO consultant and this has been adopted by our government for implementation.”

Goh Keng Chew – Deputy Director (Airports), Public Works Dept

Incorporating existing and new

In the early 2010s, Changi Airport Group (CAG) initiated fresh and bold airport expansion plans. These involved converting an existing military runway (on a greenfield site next to Changi Airport) to create an expanded airfield with associated taxiways and aircraft parking stands, as well as further plans to construct a new passenger terminal - T5.

Together, the existing and new airport developments would be operated as a single aerodrome. To help deliver this, in 2021, NACO was appointed to study the taxiway and aircraft parking stand naming options and recommend a convention to be adopted across the existing and new airport sites.

Exploring the opportunities and the risks

Data was collected and analysed to form a benchmark study, which advised the group on typical solutions and best practices at other airports in compliance with international standards. This formed a critical element in the decision making going forward.

Along the journey, expert groups were brought together in the form of stakeholder workshops and site visits were also conducted, enabling all the parties involved to consider the most appropriate processes, requirements, and timelines for the changes required. The subsequent feedback received from stakeholders was invaluable in building ownership and allowing for more effective change management.

Through these processes, we evaluated the taxiway and aircraft parking stand naming options before assessing the associated risks and making recommendations for the safest and most efficient naming convention.

The systematic methodology and professional guidance provided by NACO was instrumental in tabling comprehensive considerations as part of the stakeholder buy-in process, and galvanising the community affected by the change to act concertedly to deliver a smooth, safe, and hassle-free transition that would benefit all airfield users of Changi Airport in the long term.

Chew Sze OngAssociate General Manager - Master Planning, Changi Airport Group

Paving the way for a smooth and safe transition

Following the comprehensive risk assessment, the new taxiway and aircraft parking stand naming conventions were selected, and the phasing options and transition plans proposed.

At the airside, the newly implemented taxiway and aircraft parking stand naming scheme allowed pilots and support vehicles to avoid cost- and emission-increasing detours, in addition to potentially ambiguous and unsafe ground movement situations.

NACO’s contributions through the terminal and airfield signage study projects enabled Changi Airport to optimise its operations from both the passengers’ and pilots’ perspectives. This provided it with a well-thought-out infrastructure and an attention to detail that has allowed Changi Airport to deliver a positive customer experience, and continue to lead the world as the preferred global transfer hub.

Adam Ekman PedersenAirport Commerce & Customer Experience Lead, NACO