Seletar Airport is a civilian

international airport An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries around the world. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports and they must feature longer ...

serving the north-east region of

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

. It is located approximately northwest from

Changi Airport Singapore Changi Airport, commonly known as Changi Airport , is a major civilian international airport that serves Singapore, and is one of the largest transportation hubs in Asia. As one of the world's busiest airports by international passen ...

, the country's main airport, and about north from the main commercial city-centre. The airfield was originally opened in 1928 as RAF Seletar, a military airbase of the British

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

(RAF). The base was handed back over to Singapore in 1971. The

Government of Singapore The Government of Singapore is defined by the Constitution of Singapore to mean the executive branch of the state, which is made up of the president and the Cabinet. Although the president acts in their personal discretion in the exercise ...

intended for Seletar Airport and the surrounding areas to function as the operating aerodrome for their plan to expand Singapore's status as an industrial aviation hub, today known as the

Seletar Aerospace Park Seletar Aerospace Park is an industrial park in Singapore catering to the aerospace industries. Located in Seletar, the plan to develop 140 hectares of land adjacent to Seletar Airport will further strengthen Singapore's position as an aviatio ...

. Today, Seletar Airport mostly serves

turbo-prop A turboprop is a turbine engine that drives an aircraft propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction gearbox, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propelling nozzle. Air enters the intake and is compressed by the compressor. Fuel ...

and smaller-sized private and business jet airlines and aircraft. It helps to serve as a secondary destination to Singapore for turbo-prop aircraft to decrease load from Changi Airport, which has heavy air traffic consisting of jet aircraft. Nevertheless, the airport's runway is capable of handling jet aircraft such as the

Airbus A320 family The Airbus A320 family is a series of narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Airbus. The A320 was launched in March 1984, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was introduced in April 1988 by Air France. The first member of the famil ...

. The runway designation is 03/21, where the precise headings on ground of the actual runway are 033° / 210°.

History

RAF Seletar

RAF Seletar was a

station in

between 1928 and 1971. Plans for establishing an airfield, flying boat and naval base in Singapore were first agreed by the RAF in 1921. In 1923, two sites in the northern region of the island were approved. The first planes to arrive at the base were four

Supermarine Southampton The Supermarine Southampton was a flying boat of the interwar period designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Supermarine. It was one of the most successful flying boats of the era. The Southampton was derived from the experime ...

seaplanes on 28 February 1928. RAF Seletar was also used for civilian flights from 1930 to 1937, when

Kallang Airport Kallang Airport (also known as the Kallang Aerodrome, Kallang Airfield and RAF Kallang) was the first purpose-built civil international airport in Singapore, opened officially on 12 June 1937 and ceased operations in 1955, when it was reloca ...

was opened.

Amy Johnson Amy Johnson (born 1 July 1903 – disappeared 5 January 1941) was a pioneering English pilot who was the first woman to fly solo from London to Australia. Flying solo or with her husband, Jim Mollison, she set many long-distance records duri ...

landed at Seletar in May 1930 on her UK – Australia flight in her

Gipsy Moth The de Havilland DH.60 Moth is a 1920s British two-seat touring and training aircraft that was developed into a series of aircraft by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. Development The DH.60 was developed from the larger DH.51 biplane. ...

named 'Jason'.

Amelia Earhart Amelia Mary Earhart ( , born July 24, 1897; disappeared July 2, 1937; declared dead January 5, 1939) was an American aviation pioneer and writer. Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She set many oth ...

also landed there in June 1937 on her world flight attempt in an

Lockheed 10 Electra The Lockheed Model 10 Electra is an American twin-engined, all-metal monoplane airliner developed by the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation in the 1930s to compete with the Boeing 247 and Douglas DC-2. The type gained considerable fame as one was fl ...

World War II

With the threat of war in the area, the RAF started building up their forces in the Far East in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Seletar airfield was the target of

carpet bombing Carpet bombing, also known as saturation bombing, is a large area bombardment done in a progressive manner to inflict damage in every part of a selected area of land. The phrase evokes the image of explosions completely covering an area, in th ...

when

Japanese navy , abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) ...

bombers conducted the

first air raid on Singapore The bombing of Singapore was an attack on 8 December 1941 by seventeen G3M ''Nell'' bombers of Mihoro Air Group (''Mihoro Kaigun Kōkūtai''), Imperial Japanese Navy, flying from Thu Dau Mot in southern Indochina. The attack began at around ...

, sometime after their ground forces invaded Kota Bahru. It was abandoned when the Japanese took

Johor Bahru Johor Bahru (), colloquially referred to as JB, is the capital city of the state of Johor, Malaysia. It is located at the southern end of Peninsular Malaysia,along the north bank of the Straits of Johor, opposite of the city-state Singapore. T ...

, which brought their artillery in range of the airfield. When the Japanese launched their invasion of Malaya and

, Seletar housed four RAF units. 205 Sqn operated

Consolidated Catalina The Consolidated PBY Catalina is a flying boat and amphibious aircraft that was produced in the 1930s and 1940s. In Canadian service it was known as the Canso. It was one of the most widely used seaplanes of World War II. Catalinas served wit ...

flying boats, and No. 36 and

No. 100 Squadron RAF Number 100 Squadron is a former Royal Air Force squadron. It last operated the British Aerospace Hawk T1, providing 'aggressor' aircraft for air combat training from RAF Leeming in North Yorkshire, UK. History First World War No. 100 was est ...

operated obsolete

Vickers Vildebeest The Vickers Vildebeest and the similar Vickers Vincent were two very large two- to three-seat single-engined British biplanes designed and built by Vickers and used as light bombers, torpedo bombers and in army cooperation roles. First flown i ...

torpedo bombers (as well as five

Fairey Albacore The Fairey Albacore is a single-engine biplane torpedo bomber designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Fairey Aviation. It was primarily operated by the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm (FAA) and was heavily used during the Second ...

s acquired by 36 Sqn to supplement its Vildebeests). These flying squadrons were serviced by 151 Maintenance Unit RAF. 21 Squadron,

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

was also based at Seletar in 1941–42, and was in the process of converting from lightly-armed

CAC Wirraway The CAC Wirraway (an Aboriginal word meaning "challenge") was a training and general purpose military aircraft manufactured in Australia by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC) between 1939 and 1946. It was an Australian development of ...

trainers to

Brewster F2A Buffalo The Brewster F2A Buffalo is an American fighter aircraft which saw service early in World War II. Designed and built by the Brewster Aeronautical Corporation, it was one of the first U.S. monoplanes with an arrestor hook and other modifications ...

fighters, when hostilities began. These units stayed until Jan–Feb 1942, soon before the surrender to the invading Japanese. During the Japanese occupation, Seletar as was in the case of

Sembawang Sembawang is a planning area and residential town located in the North Region of Singapore. Sembawang planning area is bordered by Simpang to the east, Mandai to the south, Yishun to the southeast, Woodlands to the west and the Straits of Jo ...

came under the

Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service The was the Naval aviation, air arm of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). The organization was responsible for the operation of naval aircraft and the conduct of aerial warfare in the Pacific War. The Japanese military acquired their first air ...

while

Tengah ''Tengah'' is an Indonesian and Malay word meaning "Central". It can be found in topography, e.g. *Kalimantan Tengah * Tengah Islands or Central Archipelago. *Tengah, Singapore Tengah is a planning area and future HDB town located within the ...

fell under the jurisdiction of the

Imperial Japanese Army Air Force The Imperial Japanese Army Air Service (IJAAS) or Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (IJAAF; ja, 大日本帝國陸軍航空部隊, Dainippon Teikoku Rikugun Kōkūbutai, lit=Greater Japan Empire Army Air Corps) was the aviation force of the Im ...

. From 1942 through 1945, a number of IJN squadrons were based or transited through Seletar mainly, for training. Among the units known to be based at Seletar during this time were ''936th

Kōkūtai A ''Kōkūtai'' () was a term used by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJNAS) to designate a military aviation unit, similar to the Air Groups in other air arms and services of the time. (''Group'' in the British Royal Air Force, ''Gruppe ...

'' ( B5N Kate, D3A Val and E13A1 Jake), ''381st Kōkūtai'' (

A6M Zero The Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" is a long-range carrier-based aircraft, carrier-based fighter aircraft formerly manufactured by Mitsubishi Aircraft Company, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and was operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy from 19 ...

and J2M Raiden). The ''601st Kōkūtai'' was also stationed there for training early before its destruction on board Japanese aircraft carriers during the

Battle of the Philippine Sea The Battle of the Philippine Sea (June 19–20, 1944) was a major naval battle of World War II that eliminated the Imperial Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier actions. It took place during the United States' amphibious invas ...

(Marianas Turkey Shoot) in June. Seletar's present runway was built during the Japanese Occupation.

Post-World War II

After World War II, the base went back to the RAF and, in the late 1940s and 1950s, the base was heavily involved in the

Malayan Emergency The Malayan Emergency, also known as the Anti–British National Liberation War was a guerrilla war fought in British Malaya between communist pro-independence fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA) and the military forces o ...

, with Beaufighters,

Spitfires The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Griff ...

and

Mosquitos Mosquitoes (or mosquitos) are members of a group of almost 3,600 species of small flies within the family Culicidae (from the Latin ''culex'' meaning "gnat"). The word "mosquito" (formed by ''mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish for "litt ...

based there while operating against Malayan Communist insurgents. Among the many squadrons based there during this time were Nos 60, 81 and

205 Year 205 ( CCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Aurelius and Geta (or, less frequently, year 958 '' Ab urbe condita' ...

Sqns of the

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

.Jefford 2001, pp. 48–49. The base was also the home of 390 MU – the Maintenance Base for the whole of the

RAF Far East Air Force The former Royal Air Force Far East Air Force, more simply known as RAF Far East Air Force, was the Command organisation that controlled all Royal Air Force assets in the east of Asia (Far East). It was originally formed as Air Command, South Ea ...

- FEAF. During the 1960s, RAF Seletar was home base to No's 103 and 110 Squadrons, both of which were equipped with

Westland Whirlwind Westland or Westlands may refer to: Places *Westlands, an affluent neighbourhood in the city of Nairobi, Kenya * Westlands, Staffordshire, a suburban area and ward in Newcastle-under-Lyme *Westland, a peninsula of the Shetland Mainland near Vaila, ...

Mk 10 helicopters and to 34 Squadron, which was equipped with

Blackburn Beverley The Blackburn B-101 Beverley was a heavy transport aircraft produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Blackburn Aircraft. It was notably the only land-based transport airplane built by Blackburn, a company that otherwise specialised in pr ...

transports. All three Squadrons (among several others) were involved with support of operations in

North Borneo North Borneo (usually known as British North Borneo, also known as the State of North Borneo) was a British Protectorate, British protectorate in the northern part of the island of Borneo, which is present day Sabah. The territory of North Borneo ...

during the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation. From June 1962, 66 Squadron (led by Sqn Leader Gray) with their Bristol 192 Belvedere helicopters were also based at Seletar, and were sent on frequent tours and detachments to

Kuching Kuching (), officially the City of Kuching, is the capital and the most populous city in the States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Sarawak in Malaysia. It is also the capital of Kuching Division. The city is on the Sarawak River ...

, Brunei,

Labuan Labuan (), officially the Federal Territory of Labuan ( ms, Wilayah Persekutuan Labuan), is a Federal Territory of Malaysia. Its territory includes and six smaller islands, off the coast of the state of Sabah in East Malaysia. Labuan's capit ...

and

Butterworth Butterworth may refer to: Places * Butterworth (ancient township), a former township centred on Milnrow, in the then Parish of Rochdale, England, United Kingdom * Butterworth, Eastern Cape, now also known as Gcuwa, a town located in South Africa ...

as part of the Borneo hearts and minds campaign (the squadron was later disbanded in March 1969). The helicopter squadrons provided a search and rescue service for the Singapore area. The station was also, at that time, home to 209 Squadron, equipped with

Single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

and

Twin Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of TwinLast Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two em ...

Pioneer aircraft. 65 Squadron based at Seletar operated

Bloodhound The bloodhound is a large scent hound, originally bred for hunting deer, wild boar and, since the Middle Ages, for tracking people. Believed to be descended from hounds once kept at the Abbey of Saint-Hubert, Belgium, in French it is called, ''l ...

Mk II surface-to-air missiles as anti-aircraft defence from 1 January 1964 until the squadron was disbanded on 30 March 1970 with the equipment and role handed over to 170 Squadron,

Republic of Singapore Air Force The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) is the aerial service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) responsible for controlling and defending the airspace of the country, and providing air support to the Army and Navy. It was establish ...

Auster Auster Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer from 1938 to 1961.Willis, issue 122, p.55 History The company began in 1938 at the Britannia Works, Thurmaston near Leicester, England, as Taylorcraft Aeroplanes (England) Limited, ma ...

aircraft were flown during the Emergency and Confrontation periods in troop/enemy spotting patrols. In December 1966, three

Andover Andover may refer to: Places Australia * Andover, Tasmania Canada * Andover Parish, New Brunswick * Perth-Andover, New Brunswick United Kingdom * Andover, Hampshire, England ** RAF Andover, a former Royal Air Force station United States * Ando ...

CC Mk1 arrived to replace the ageing

Vickers Valetta The Vickers Valetta is a twin-engine military transport aircraft developed and produced by the British manufacturing company Vickers-Armstrongs Ltd. Developed from the Vickers VC.1 Viking compact civil airliner, it was an all-metal mid-wing m ...

C1 aircraft of 52 Sqn. 52 Squadron was later reformed in March 1967 after the arrival of a further three aircraft. By now, Confrontation had finished and with no purpose the squadron moved to Changi in 1968 before being disbanded in January 1970. The RAF station closed at the end of March 1971 (see

East of Suez East of Suez is used in British military and political discussions in reference to interests beyond the European theatre, and east of the Suez Canal, and may or may not include the Middle East.

) and Seletar was handed over to Singapore's

Department of Civil Aviation A civil aviation authority (CAA) is a national or supranational statutory authority that oversees the regulation of civil aviation, including the maintenance of an aircraft register. Role Due to the inherent dangers in the use of flight vehicles, ...

. Several aircraft types flew their last RAF operational sorties from Seletar including the

Short Singapore The Short Singapore was a British multi-engined biplane flying boat built after the First World War. The design was developed into two four-engined versions: the prototype Singapore II and production Singapore III. The latter became the Roya ...

flying boat (Mk.III ''K6912'' of

No. 205 Squadron RAF No. 205 Squadron was a Royal Air Force unit formed on 1 April 1918. Prior to this it had existed as No. 5 Squadron of the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). In 1929, it became the first RAF squadron to be permanently based in Singapore, taking as i ...

14 October 1941, aircraft transferred to No. 5 Squadron RNZAF),

Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Grif ...

(PR.XIX ''PS888'' of 81 Sqn 1954),

De Havilland Mosquito The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito is a British twin-engined, shoulder-winged, multirole combat aircraft, introduced during the Second World War. Unusual in that its frame was constructed mostly of wood, it was nicknamed the "Wooden Wonder", or ...

(PR.34 ''RG314'' of 81 Sqn 1955),

Short Sunderland The Short S.25 Sunderland is a British flying boat patrol bomber, developed and constructed by Short Brothers for the Royal Air Force (RAF). The aircraft took its service name from the town (latterly, city) and port of Sunderland in North East ...

flying boat (GR.5 ''ML797'' "P" of 205 Sqn, 15 May 1959) and

Bristol Beaufighter The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter (often called the Beau) is a British multi-role aircraft developed during the Second World War by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. It was originally conceived as a heavy fighter variant of the Bristol Beaufort ...

(TT.X ''RD761'' Station Flight 1960). The Short Sunderland flying boats started in RAF service from ''Seletar'' on 22 June 1938 with 230 Sqn, a sister squadron of 205 Sqn.

Seletar Airbase

The formative years of the SADC (later the RSAF) was established at Seletar Airbase in September 1968, with the setting up of the Flying Training School (FTS) utilising three

Cessna 172 The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is an American four-seat, single-engine, high wing, fixed-wing aircraft made by the Cessna Aircraft Company.

G/H on loan from the Singapore Flying Club. The subsequent arrival of eight new Cessna 172Ks in May 1969, took over the duty from the former and contributed to the increase of training tempo for more selected trainees to participate in the basic flight-training course. On 29 October, four armed Vietnamese hijacked a domestics Air Vietnam flight from

Saigon , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...

, Vietnam to

Phu Quoc island Phu or ''variation'', may refer to: Places *Phủ, prefecture in 15th–19th century Vietnam People Given name *Phu Dorjee (died 1987), first Indian to climb Mount Everest without oxygen *Phu Dorjee Sherpa (died 1969), first Nepali to climb Mount ...

west of Saigon, and forced the aircraft, a

Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version ...

, to land at Seletar Airport. The hijackers killed two Vietnamese crew members and seriously wounded a third. The hijackers were seeking political asylum in Singapore and eventually surrendered themselves to Singapore authorities.

Changi Airport Group management

Changi Airport Group Singapore Changi Airport, commonly known as Changi Airport , is a major civilian international airport that serves Singapore, and is one of the largest transportation hubs in Asia. As one of the world's busiest airports by international passe ...

took over the management of the airport from the

Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) is Singapore's civil aviation authority and a statutory board under the Ministry of Transport of the Government of Singapore. Its head office is located on the fourth storey of Singapore Chan ...

on 1 July 2009. As part of the Seletar Aerospace Park programme, the

runway According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt concrete, as ...

was extended to 1,840 metres in 2011 to enable larger and heavier aircraft to use the airport. The airport's

avionics Avionics (a blend word, blend of ''aviation'' and ''electronics'') are the Electronics, electronic systems used on aircraft. Avionic systems include communications, Air navigation, navigation, the display and management of multiple systems, ...

systems were also upgraded. The airport underwent refurbishment in 2015 as part of plans to relieve pressure on Changi Airport by increasing Seletar Airport's capacity and move smaller and slower aircraft from Changi to Seletar airport. A new passenger terminal building opened on 19 November 2018, replacing the previous passenger terminal. The terminal houses four check-in counters, six immigration lanes, two security screening stations and a gate holdroom that can accommodate 200 passengers.

Instrument Landing System (ILS) usage

In 2018, the use of the

Instrument Landing System In aviation, the instrument landing system (ILS) is a precision radio navigation system that provides short-range guidance to aircraft to allow them to approach a runway at night or in bad weather. In its original form, it allows an aircraft to ...

(ILS) at Seletar Airport by Singapore was disputed by Malaysia, saying that the flight path used by the system may encroach into its airspace. In 2019, an agreement was reached between the two countries whereby Malaysia will immediately suspend its permanent restricted area in the airspace over

Pasir Gudang Pasir Gudang is a city in Johor Bahru District, Johor, Malaysia. The main industries are transportation and logistics, shipbuilding, petrochemicals and other heavy industries, and oil palm storage and distribution, which is located in Johor Port ...

, while Singapore will similarly suspend its implementation of Instrument Landing System (ILS) procedures for Seletar Airport.

Current operations

Seletar Airport now operates as a

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

airport, mainly for chartered flights, private aircraft operations and training purposes. The airport is open 24 hours a day. It has a single runway with 27 aircraft stands, 100 square metres of warehouse space and can handle 840 tons of freight per day. In 1998, the airport recorded receiving a total of 7,945 scheduled flights, handled 23,919 passengers and 6,025 tons of cargo. The airport fire service, AES Seletar, is provided by Changi Airport Group. AES Seletar has 1 station housing 6 apparatus (water tender, foam tender and others) and provides Level 7 protection. The Republic of Singapore Flying Club, Seletar Flying Club and

Singapore Flying College The Singapore Flying College ( Abbreviation: SFC) is a CAAS approved flight school based in Singapore. Established in 1988 under the Singapore Airlines Group, it is the training school for cadet pilots with Singapore Airlines, Scoot and Singapo ...

are situated at Seletar Airport. The Singapore Flying College conducts its flying training at

Jandakot Airport Jandakot Airport is a general aviation (GA) airport located in Jandakot, Western Australia, about south-southwest of the "general aviation area of the Airport West precinct" at Perth Airport. Jandakot airport opened in 1963. From 1 July 1998 ...

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

and at

Sunshine Coast Airport Sunshine Coast Airport (formerly Maroochydore Airport) is an Australian international airport located at the northern end of the Sunshine Coast and approximately north of centre of Brisbane, within South East Queensland agglomeration. I ...

Maroochydore Maroochydore ( ) is a coastal town in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. The town was subdivided from the Cotton Tree reserve by Surveyor Thomas O'Connor in 1903. The land was acquired from William Pettigrew who had a timber de ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

. The renowned

Singapore Youth Flying Club The Singapore Youth Flying Club (SYFC), headquartered at Seletar Airport, was established in December 1971 as the Junior Flying Club, by the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). It aims to introduce and promote aviation to students, by providing aerom ...

has its headquarters built on western side of the airport's

. Completed in June 2003, the clubhouse also has its own parking bays for its fleet of

Diamond DA40 The Diamond DA40 Diamond Star is an Austrian four-seat, single-engine, light aircraft constructed from composite materials. Built in both Austria and Canada, it was developed as a four-seat version of the earlier DA20 by Diamond Aircraft ...

. In addition, the rotary training unit of Republic of Singapore Air Force – 124 Squadron, has a training detachment at the civilian airport although it is normally headquartered at

Sembawang Air Base The Sembawang Air Base is a military airbase of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) located at Sembawang, in the northern part of Singapore. The base motto is ''Swift and Resolute''. History RAF Sembawang Before Singapore's independence ...

. Previously,

Berjaya Air Berjaya Air Sdn Bhd (doing business as Berjaya Air) is an airline with its head office in the Berjaya Hangar of the SkyPark Terminal Building on the property of Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang, Selangor, Malaysia. As of 2018, the airli ...

operated scheduled flights to

Tioman Tioman Island ( ms, Pulau Tioman) is a mukim and an island in Rompin District, Pahang, Malaysia. It is located off the east coast of the state, and is some long and wide. It has seven villages, the largest and most populous being Kampung Te ...

and Redang. The Berjaya Air service ended on 31 October 2010 and relocated to

. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, the number of daily commercial flight operations at the airport have severely declined. Airport operations are also subjected to new processes and rules laid down by the Singapore government Ministry of Health and according to the Infectious Diseases Act. On 13 June 2022,

Firefly The Lampyridae are a family of elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are light-emitting. They are soft-bodied beetles commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, or glowworms for their conspicuous production ...

marked the resumption of flights to the airport since the suspension of commercial flights due to the pandemic.

Airlines and destinations

Photo gallery

File:Vildebeest Mark ll.jpg, Vickers Vildebeest Mk IIs, K2918 and K2921, of 'A' Flight, No. 100 (TB) Squadron, at RAF Seletar. File:Vildebeest Mk III.png, A

Mk III of No. 36 Squadron RAF in flight over Singapore City. File:Short Singapore flying boat of 205 Sqn RAF with Vickers Vildebeests of 100 Sqn RAF.jpg,

Mk III flying boat of 205 Sqn, in flight below three 'vic' formations of Vickers Vildebeest torpedo bombers of 100 Sqn. File:Aircraft of the Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Short S.19 Singapore CH2556.jpg, A Short Singapore Mk III flying boat, similar to those operated by 205 Sqn. File:PBYs 205 Sqn RAF in hangar Singapore 1941.jpg, Catalina I of 205 Sqn undergoing servicing in their hangar at RAF Seletar. One of the squadron's Short Singapore Mk III biplane flying boats can be seen in the right background. File:J2M in Malaya.jpg, December 1945, captured

Mitsubishi J2M The Mitsubishi J2M ''Raiden'' (雷電, "Lightning Bolt") is a single-engined land-based fighter aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service in World War II. The Allied reporting name was "Jack". Design and development The J2M was ...

Raiden fighters belonging to the 381st

being evaluated at Seletar airfield. File:J2M over Malaya.jpg, The same Mitsubishi J2M Raiden fighters being test flown by Japanese naval aviators under close supervision of RAF officers from Seletar. File:RAF Seletar ramp 205 Sqn Sunderland.jpg, A 205 Sqn

Mark V ''ML797'' "P" at the ramp of RAF Seletar, this particular airframe became the last of its type to retire from active RAF service on 30 June 1959. File:Aerial view of RAF Seletar in late 1945.jpg, An aerial view of Seletar airfield, Singapore, with RAF

Mosquito Mosquitoes (or mosquitos) are members of a group of almost 3,600 species of small flies within the family Culicidae (from the Latin ''culex'' meaning " gnat"). The word "mosquito" (formed by ''mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish for "li ...

and Dakota I aircraft parked up. File:Spitfire mark19 ps853 takeoff arp.jpg, A Spitfire PR Mk 19, similar to those operated by

No. 81 Squadron RAF No 81 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It flew Fighter aircraft during the Second World War, and reconnaissance aircraft in the Far East after the war and was disbanded in 1970. History First World War No. 81 Squadron Royal Flyin ...

from RAF Seletar. File:Viewing gallery.jpg, The viewing gallery of

overlooking the runway of Seletar. Note the club's

Piper Warrior The Piper PA-28 Cherokee is a family of two-seat or four-seat light aircraft built by Piper Aircraft and designed for flight training, air taxi and personal use.Plane and Pilot: ''1978 Aircraft Directory'', pages 62–64. Werner & Werner Corp, ...

taxiing Taxiing (rarely spelled taxying) is the movement of an aircraft on the ground, under its own power, in contrast to towing or pushback where the aircraft is moved by a tug. The aircraft usually moves on wheels, but the term also includes aircra ...

on the runway.

Ground transportation

Bus

Two bus services (services 103 and 117) are available from the old airport terminal. Since 14 October 2018, Service 102 also serves the new airport terminal of Seletar Airport, with a bus stop within the Passenger Terminal Building. Service 102 allows access to the

North East Line The North East MRT line (NEL) is a high-capacity Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line in Singapore. Operated by SBS Transit, it is the shortest MRT line at . The line runs from HarbourFront station in southern Singapore to Punggol station in the no ...

via

Sengkang Sengkang (, ta, செங்காங்) is a planning area and residential town located in the North-East Region of Singapore. The town is the second most populous in the region, being home to 249,370 residents in 2020. Sengkang shares ...

and

Hougang Hougang is a planning area and mature residential town located in the North-East Region of Singapore. The town is the most populous in the region, being home to 247,528 residents as of 2018. Hougang planning area is bordered by Sengkang to th ...

station. Passengers heading to Changi Airport can alight at Jalan Kayu roundabout and transfer to 858. Connections to Tampines, Pasir Ris & Serangoon via services 168, 39 and 103 are also possible here.

Rail

While there are currently no Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) services in the vicinity, passengers may transfer to service 103 at Aft Baker St bus stop to head to

Yishun MRT station Yishun MRT station is an above-ground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the North South line (NSL) in Yishun, Singapore. The station is located at the junction of Yishun Avenue 2 and Yishun Avenue 5, and is currently one of the two MRT stat ...

on the North South Line. Geographically, the closest MRT station is

Sengkang MRT station Sengkang MRT/LRT station is a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and Light Rail Transit (LRT) interchange station in Sengkang, Singapore. It is an interchange between the North East line (NEL) and Sengkang LRT (SKLRT). Along with Buangkok station, ...

on the

via Thanggam LRT station on the Sengkang LRT line's West Loop.

Taxi

Taxis are available at the taxi stands located outside the departure hall. There is an additional airport surcharge for all trips originating from the airport.

Private transportation

All pick-ups by private transportation occur at the arrival pick-up point.

References

Works cited

* * Rawlings, J.D.R. "History of 230 Squadron". ''Air Pictorial'', July 1969. Vol. 31 No.7. pp. 242–244. * Shores, Christopher, Brian Cull and Yasuho Izawa. ''Bloody Shambles: Volume One: The Drift to War to the Fall of Singapore''. London: Grub Street, 1992. .

External links

Seletar Airport at Changi Airport GroupRAF Seletar Association
* ttp://www.northlincsweb.net/103Sqn/ History of 103 Squadron RAF 1917 - 1975 {{authority control 1928 establishments in British Malaya Airports established in 1928 Airports in Singapore Buildings and structures in North-East Region, Singapore Military of Singapore under British rule

Airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...

Transport in North-East Region, Singapore World War II sites in Singapore