APEX Asia: Singapore Slings to Air Travel Hub Status

October 1, 2015  | Written by APEX Staff

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APEX Insight: In anticipation of APEX Asia taking place in Singapore, we look at some of the initiatives our members have made and why the country, known for its amazing airlines and airport, is the ideal setting for the event.

Singapore – fresh from celebrating its 50th anniversary of statehood – is rising as the air travel hub of the Asia-Pacific region. It outshines its regional counterparts with accolades touting Singapore Airlines (SIA), Changi Airport and its passenger experience as the best in the world. And behind that impeccable reputation are many APEX members working quietly in the background.

Take for example, SIA’s premium economy class. The Zodiac Aerospace-designed seating sports Panasonic’s ex3 touch screens powered by Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband. The in-flight entertainment system can be experienced on the double-deck Airbus A380 or Boeing 777-300ER, the latter which features first class cabins conceptualized by BMW Group Designworks and rich caramel colored fabrics in economy woven by Rohi.

Also flying above and beyond is Scoot, the world’s first low-cost carrier to operate an all-Boeing Dreamliner fleet. The airline was an early adopter of streaming in-flight entertainment to passengers’ smartphones and tablets, which are connected via Gogo to stream movies and TV shows, including early window content, provided by BlueBox Avionics.

To keep atop competition from rival airports in Hong Kong and South Korea, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) is making huge investments to future-proof Singapore as the center of APAC air travel. Construction of the new Terminal 5 will see a third runway, more taxiways, plane parking and cargo facilities that will help process the 54.1 million passengers that pass through Changi every year. Adding to that, the CAAS is injecting S$160 million to boost productivity in the airport, which SITA is already equipping with self-service check-in booths and intelligent boarding pass scanners.

And since Singapore strategically liberated its aviation policies, signing 40 open skies contracts with more than 100 countries, the region has seen a trade and tourism boom – an influx that its airports and carriers have managed gracefully without dampening its rigour to provide the most pleasant passenger experience making it the perfect setting to host APEX Asia, 3-4 November, 2015.

APEX ASIA TO CO-LOCATE WITH FTE ASIA IN SINGAPORE

APEX Asia: November 16-17, 2015
FTE Asia: November 17-19, 2015

SAVE THE DATE

APEX EXPO 2016
October 24-27, Singapore