Flying out of Singapore? Get ready for higher airfares

Travellers flying out of Singapore’s Changi Airport will soon to encounter a new reality: higher fees.

The cost of departing from the renowned aviation hub – often rated as the world’s best airport – will steadily increase from the current SGD$46 (AUD$53) to S$66 by 2030, with transfer and transit fees tripling from SGD$6 to SGD$18 per passenger.

Airlines will also have to pay more in landing, parking and aerobridge charges from April 2025 – an additional average of SGD$110-$290 per year for the next three years, depending on the size of the aircraft, followed by an annual hike of SGD$65-$190 from 2028 to 2031.

Those fees are of course likely to be passed onto passengers in the form of higher airfares.

Departure fees are set to rise at Singapore's Changi Airport.

The extra charges come as the airport embarks on a hefty SGD$3 billion project that promises everything from new Skytrain cars to expanded terminals.

That might be a jolt for frequent flyers, particularly those who remember Singapore’s airport as a beacon of low fees and high service.

But these costs, Changi Airport Group (CAG) asserts, are crucial for its ambitious plans to stay “strategically ahead of the game”, says SAG’s Koh Ming Sue, executive vice-president of engineering and development.

So what’s driving these fee hikes? Changi’s vision to accommodate surging travel demands involves both revamped terminals and a fleet of upgraded Skytrains that promise shorter transfer times.

“Over the course of the last 10 years, Changi Airport Group has built Terminal 4, upgraded and expanded Terminals 1 and 2 successively,” Koh reflects.

“We are planning to do the same for Terminal 3, which has been operating for nearly 20 years without a major refresh,” adding that more details will be provided in the future.

There'll be higher transit fees, but more Skytrains to smooth the journey between terminals.

Terminal 1’s arrival immigration halls will be expanded by almost 60% to relieve key bottlenecks for arrival clearance, especially during peak periods.

Seven new cars will be aded to the Skytrain system to reduce waiting times and carry more passengers travelling between Terminals 1, 2 and 3. 

Out of sight, there’ll also be upgrades to the baggage handling system – especially for passengers connecting between T1 and T3, with a new rooftop “inter-terminal conveyance system” to make sure luggage isn’t left behind even on tight transfers.

To assist with the growing amount of baggage stemming from a steady increase in passenger numbers, Terminal 3’s early bag storage subsystem will be revamped to hold 65% more baggage.

Airside infrastructure will also be improved to accommodate Boeing’s new 777X jetliners, which counts Singapore Airlines among its backers – alongside Emirates, Lufthansa and Qatar Airways – and for which SQ plans all-new first class and business class suites.