Articles
First Plane to land in Singapore
Topic
Economy
Subtopic
Heritage
Infrastructure and urban planning
3 December 2024
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#DidYouKnow that the first plane^ to land in Singapore was not at Changi, but the old Race Course at Farrer Park? The refurbished Vickers Vimy aircraft (affectionately known as "God 'Elp All Of Us") was crewed by four Australians who were on a pioneering flight from England to Darwin, Australia. The aircraft stopped over in Singapore #OnThisDay on 4 December 1919 at 4.48pm. 🛬
The flight was a race organised by the Australian Government to promote aviation. Given the technology at that time, flying was a daunting task – of the six teams that entered the race, only two managed to finish it, with two teams suffering tragedy in a plane crash and another two pulling out after experiencing damage to their aircraft.
Nonetheless, this historical flight marked the dawn of aviation in Singapore. A decade later in 1929, the Seletar Air Base, both a civilian airport and military airbase, was completed. As demand for air travel grew, Singapore’s civilian aircraft operations was shifted to other locations: at the Kallang Airport (now defunct) and then, Paya Lebar Airport before Changi Airport opened its doors on 1 July 1981.
Today, Changi Airport is world-renowned and constantly rated as the one of the finest airports in the world. In the first half of 2024, Changi Airport handled 33.01 million passengers, 960,000 tonnes of airfreight movements and had 178,500 commercial aircraft taking off and landing at Changi Airport – figures comparable to pre-COVID-19 levels with some months even surpassing pre-COVID-19 levels! To continue its lead as a global aviation hub, Changi Airport will undergo a $3 billion enhancement plan to facilitate smoother passenger and airline experience, by upgrading Terminal 3 and including more Skytrain cars, amongst others
From a humble beginning, it was envisaged that Singapore would one day grow into an important aviation hub. Building on our strategic location and excellent connectivity to the rest of the world, we’ve distinguished our air hub with world-class infrastructure, high service standards, and a supportive regulatory environment.
Indeed, our aviation story is one of careful ambition, built with foresight for long-term growth, and the fortitude to overcome challenges — values that will carry us through the ups and downs.
With the December school holidays upon us, will you be visiting Changi Airport soon? ✈️
#Singapore #Aviation #Airport #Holidays
📷: The pioneering flight crew of the “God ‘Elp All of Us” (Photo credit: State Library of South Australia)
References:
^Psst ... While there were other flights that took place prior to the 1919 flight, they were mainly flight demonstrations. For example, as part of a flight demonstration at the first aviation meet held in Singapore, a Bristol Boxkite biplane piloted by Joseph Christiaens took off at the old Race Course (now Farrer Park) on 16 Mar 1911. The 1919 flight was historic because it was the first time that a non-demonstration flight landed in Singapore! (Reference: https://www.roots.gov.sg/en/stories-landing/stories/singapore-takes-flight-a-hundred-years-of-aviation/story)