Former Air Force chief Ng Chee Khern to take over as chairman of CAAS from Aug 1

He is now the director and chief executive officer of the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute and a member of its board of trustees, 

CONTRIBUTIONS TO CAAS

Since July 2018, Mr Cheng has served as chairman of CAAS, having been its deputy chairman from December 2016.

He was chairman of ground-handling company SATS from 2003 to 2016, as well as chairman of the Singapore Tourism Board from 1993 to 2001.

Under Mr Cheng’s leadership, CAAS worked on several long-term projects aimed at strengthening Singapore as an aviation hub, including the development of the upcoming Changi Airport Terminal 5, the Changi East Industrial Zone and the Changi East Urban District. It also set up new organisations such as the Asia Pacific Sustainable Aviation Centre and the Singapore Sustainable Aviation Fuel Company.

During his tenure, CAAS steered Singapore’s aviation sector through the pandemic, rebuilding it to handle a record high of nearly 70 million passenger movements and more than two million tonnes of air cargo in 2025, MOT said.

In 2025, the authority announced a S$1 billion (US$780 million) commitment to support initiatives in connectivity, technology, infrastructure and manpower. 

MOT also said that under Mr Cheng, CAAS has built new capabilities to make Singapore’s aviation hub a more sustainable and technology-enabled one, through the launch of the Air Transport Industry Transformation Map in 2023 and the launch of the Singapore Sustainable Air Hub Blueprint in 2024. 

Thanking Mr Cheng for his “distinguished service”, MOT and CAAS said that they deeply appreciate his “invaluable contributions” to the authority and Singapore’s aviation sector.