On 22 September 2008, Changi Airport was named the ‘Best Airport Duty-Free in the World’ for the 7th consecutive year at an awards ceremony held in London by Business Traveller (United Kingdom/Europe) magazine. At this ceremony, Changi also picked up the ‘Best Airport in the World’ award, a title it has held for 21 consecutive years since 1988. At an earlier awards ceremony held on 18 September 2008 in Hong Kong by Business Traveller (Asia Pacific) magazine, Changi Airport was similarly named the ‘Best Airport for Duty-Free Shopping’ for the 11th year running and the ‘Best Airport in the World’ for the 17th consecutive time.

Mr Lim Kim Choon, Director-General and Chief Executive Officer, Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) attributed these achievements to his colleagues, the airport’s retail partners and all airport staff. He expressed that “they have done an excellent job in introducing innovative and fresh retail offerings at Changi Airport’s 230 retail and 110 food & beverage outlets”. Mr Lim added, “Maintaining Changi Airport’s appeal to international shoppers, especially sophisticated business travellers with immaculate tastes and demand for quality purchases, is a constant challenge. We are not resting on our laurels and are continuously working on enhancing Changi’s shopping and dining experience for our travellers.”

One such example is the current 66-days “Terminal 3 Celebration” shopping promotion to celebrate T3’s official opening. Those who spend at the airport from 25 July to 28 September 2008 stand to win attractive prizes such as air tickets on Singapore Airlines A380 suites to Tokyo, London and Sydney, an Audi A5 3.2FSI Quattro Coupe or a luxury cruise vacation on Queen Victoria. On a larger scale, CAAS is currently upgrading Changi Airport’s 27-year old Terminal 1 at an estimated cost of S$500 million to improve passenger flow and enhance the passenger experience.

This year, Changi Airport has won 17 awards so far. Besides these four new awards, other awards garnered in recent months include the ‘Best International Airport (Asia)’ by Travel Weekly, ‘Asia’s Leading Airport’ by World Travel Awards, ‘Best International Airport’ by OAG Worldwide, and ‘Best Airport for Cargo’ by Frost & Sullivan.