RSAF shifts operations to new runway at Changi Air Base East

RSAF is listed as its operator, and the runway is not available for civil use unless with prior coordination.

The new 3,660m-long and 60m-wide runway has hookwire cables, which are used to catch the tailhooks of aircraft during emergency stops, and arrestor barriers, which are used to stop aircraft safely in such situations.

According to aviation websites, these items, known as arresting equipment, are used to recover damaged or degraded fast jets.

The runway is also fitted with the TACAN – or Tactical Air Navigation – system for homing purposes, which provides aircraft with bearing and distance information relative to ground-based stations.

Features like the hookwire cables mean fighter jets are likely to be deployed from the new runway, said Chen Chuanren, Asia-Pacific editor at defence, aviation and aerospace publication Aviation Week Network.

The RSAF’s A330 multi-role tanker transport could also be deployed there, given the length of the runway, he also noted.

Changi Airport to use third runway from 2027

Following RSAF’s move to the new runway, the older runway in Changi Air Base East will be closed for all aircraft operations from Oct 1, 2026, to April 14, 2027, according to another aeronautical information publication supplement published on Aug 20.

The older runway, previously used for military flights, has been extended from 2.75km to 4km to handle larger passenger aircraft.

It will be part of a three-runway system for Changi Airport and the new Changi East development, which includes the future Terminal 5. It has been reported that by 2027, CAAS will prepare for the three-runway system to start operations.

In April, Changi Airport Group announced that Changi Airport will operate the third runway as well as its second runway during the northern summer 2027 season, which starts from the end of March 2027.

Chen told ST that the new runway will be beneficial to the RSAF, with its previous runway in Changi Air Base East being converted for commercial use.

“Having their own runway will give the RSAF the flexibility to deploy their aircraft as and when they require to, without interfering with the civil runway’s operation.”