Jewel Changi Airport (Jewel) officially opened on 18 October during a ceremony attended by Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, six months after it welcomed the public in April 2019.
With 300,000 visitors a day, the 135,700sqm complex, built on the site of the former Terminal 1 open air carpark, offers a multi-faceted experience that includes play attractions, unique shopping and dining concepts, as well as airport and accommodation facilities.
During the ceremony, a new light and sound show was unveiled at the stunning 40-metre HSBC Rain Vortex. The HSBC Rain Vortex transforms into a series of abstract dreamscapes, as the show highlights the movement of the water and plays with the audience’s perception of reality.
In partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board and Singapore Airlines, a new 2.5-hour walking tour of Jewel has also been launched to give stopover travellers a taste of what Singapore has to offer.
Led by an experienced guide, this complimentary tour takes travellers through the many features of Jewel, including a closer look at its architectural wonder, samplings of local food dishes, and culminates in a free entry to Jewel’s Canopy Park.
Moreover, 14 new stores have opened since April, including the first for Singapore Burger & Lobster, local design retailer Naiise, as well as Apple’s second Singapore store at a Jewel duplex unit.
Early Check-In and intermodal travel
A total of 35 airlines, including Cathay Pacific, Jetstar and Malaysia Airlines, now offer the Early Check-In (ECI) service at Jewel. With an increasing number of passengers utilising ECI at Jewel, two new check-in kiosks have been added this month. After checking in their baggage, travellers can shop, dine and enjoy Jewel’s facilities before their departing flight.
To facilitate intermodal travel for fly-cruise and fly-ferry passengers, Changi Airport Group now offers a seamless transfer service for passengers flying into Singapore and sailing out on cruise lines and ferries such as Genting Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean International and Bintan Resort Ferries. Passengers who take up this service will have their baggage delivered from their arriving flight right into their departing vessel, while passengers can enjoy the facilities of the Changi Lounge. Passengers on Genting Cruise Lines and Bintan Resort Ferries can also check in for their cruise or ferry at the Changi Lounge, allowing them to enjoy faster boarding at the ferry and cruise terminals.
Hung Jean, Chief Executive Officer, Jewel Changi Airport, commented, “Since Jewel opened its doors to the public in April 2019, operations have gone into full swing with Jewel recording a footfall of about 50 million from both local and foreign visitors in the first six months.
“Behind the successful launch are tales of adventures and challenges that we had to overcome, such as the numerous design iterations and complexity of bringing this engineering feat to life in a live airport environment. We would like to thank our consultants and partners for staying true to the vision, as well as our tenants for having the conviction to join us in this journey.
“Come end of the year, Jewel will be transformed into a Christmas wonderland as we celebrate our very first Christmas. Immersive experiences, themed decorations, performances and shopping promotions are some of the upcoming features we will reveal. We continue to enhance our offerings so that every guest, whether a first-time or repeat visitor, will be constantly surprised and delighted.”
