Despite being small in size, the country of Singapore represents a key Asian location when it comes to air travel. Its primary airport, Changi, is one of the busiest hubs in world aviation, and its strategic location makes it popular with transiting passengers in all directions. However, did you know that Singapore also has a second airport by the name of Seletar?

Originally a military base

Many airports worldwide have a history of military operations, and Singapore's Seletar Airport (XSP) is no different. It opened on February 28th, 1928, under the name RAF Seletar. The Royal Air Force is the air and space division of the UK's armed forces, and it was present in Singapore due to the fact that the country was a British Crown colony at the time.

Plans to open an RAF base in Singapore dated back as far as 1921, with Seletar being one of two sites shortlisted in 1923. The first aircraft to use the completed RAF base were Supermarine Southampton flying boats. In RAF Seletar's first decade of operation, pioneering aviators Amy Johnson (1930) and Amelia Earhart (1937) landed there on long-distance flights.

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Singapore Seletar Airport
Seletar Airport initially functioned as a military base. Photo: SCJiang via Wikimedia Commons

While RAF Seletar was primarily a military base, it did briefly serve civilian flights. These ran from 1930 to 1947, at which point the dedicated Kallang Airport opened. The base was busy during the Second World War, with Australian forces also present there. It remained active after the conflict, and played a key role in a guerilla war known as the Malayan Emergency.

Expansion and refurbishment

The RAF eventually withdrew from Seletar in 1971, handing the base over to what became the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF). It has since become a civilian airport, primarily handling general aviation and private jets, with a handful of commercial services. To support this transition, Seletar has undergone several changes over the years.

These have been particularly prevalent in the 21st century, with the airport touted as a means of relieving pressure on Changi. Most notably, 2011 saw a runway extension, followed by a refurbishment project in 2015. November 2018 then marked the opening of a new terminal. The surrounding area has become known as the Seletar Aerospace Park.

Firefly ATR 72
Malaysian regional carrier Firefly connects Seletar with Kuala Lumpur. Photo: Aero Icarus via Flickr

Limited commercial service

Despite the Changi Airport Group's plans to use Seletar to move smaller planes away from Singapore's main airport, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has limited commercial operations at the facility. As of June 2021, Seletar's only scheduled flights served Kuala Lumpur's secondary Subang (SZB) airport. These were operated by Malaysian airline Firefly.

That being said, that isn't to say that commercial aircraft don't visit Seletar. Indeed, a brief look at data from RadarBox.com shows that several passenger jets have departed in recent days. These have included a Virgin Australia Airbus A320 and a Eurowings A321. The latter had been there for a conversion, and will later operate cargo flights for Lufthansa.

Did you know about Singapore's Seletar Airport? Perhaps you've even flown there yourself? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!