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Changi International Airport Singapore
Introduction
The project is located at Changi, Singapore. The project mapped the potential risks from natural hazards such as sea level rise, erratic wind patterns and rainfall events, lightning strikes, extreme heat stress, and reduced visibility and wildlife.
About the Initiative
Changi Airport, one of the world's foremost transportation hubs, serves as a vital gateway to Asia and beyond. Considering escalating climate impacts, the Airport authorities needed expert guidance to determine the potential risks to their airport infrastructure and operations, and recommendations on how to keep Changi Airport operating smoothly even as the climate changes. The project supported the airport with valuable insights into the risks and associated measures they can implement to adapt and increase their resilience. This included climate stressors & scenario analysis, assessment of climate risks on assets & operations and development of measures to build institutional capacity for a climate resilient 2050.
First, the team carried out climate scenario modelling to explore how the climate might change in the area where the airport is located. They combined operational data with weather information received from Meteorological Service Singapore and the Centre for Climate Research Singapore to get a clear picture of potential operational problems the airport might face in the future due to climate change. Next, they engaged stakeholders in Changi Airport's through workshops to map climate risks. Together with airport stakeholders, they mapped the potential impact of a disruptive event and drew connections on how a single disruption can impact multiple assets and operations. They used RHDHV’s digital tool STAIN, to visualize these cascading effects and highlight the interconnected nature of airport operations.
Following the identification of key risks and again working closely with the airport’s stakeholders, they developed measures to reduce these risks and increase airport resilience, covering everything from infrastructure to procedures and guidelines. The project underscored the importance of multiple expertise desirable to formulate a climate resilience plan for an airport. The strategic and collaborative approach empowered the stakeholders to take ownership of the decision-making processes, with identification of practical measures for the near and long-term.
Learning & Impact
- The result of this process was a clear Climate Adaptation Pathway, detailing how Changi Airport can become more resilient to climate change and potential risks in terms of sea level rise, erratic wind patterns and rainfall events, lightning strikes, extreme heat stress, reduced visibility, and wildlife. The pathway laid out what steps the airport can take today, in 2030 – and what can be achieved by 2050. By implementing the recommendations in this plan, Changi Airport can continue to be a safe, efficient, and world-class transportation hub and gateway to Asia for years to come.
- Moreover, the collaborative approach, actively engaging Changi Airport’s stakeholders, increased the understanding of interrelations of different components and departments of the airport and fostered a stronger sense of collaboration within the airport community.
- Changi Airport Group (CAG) has introduced new measures to keep its airside workers cool and protected against the heat. 30,000 workers work at the airside, in multiple roles such as ramp assistants, aircraft maintenance engineers and in-flight catering drivers. These heat stress management measures are all but one part of managing higher ambient temperatures at Changi, under CAG’s climate resilience strategy. Foresight and early planning are critical to fostering long-term climate resilience for Changi Airport to enable operational continuity for passengers. CAG continually seeks to bolster Changi Airport’s resilience to climate change through infrastructural adaptations and taking care of its staff.
Co-Benefits of the Initiative:
By implementing the Climate Adaptation Pathway, Changi Airport ensured the airport's continued safe and efficient operation even in the face of climate-related challenges but also brought about positive outcomes for stakeholders, employees, and the environment.
- Improved Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement: The collaborative approach of engaging multidisciplinary stakeholders fostered a stronger sense of collaboration and ownership within the airport community. This improved collaboration enhanced communication, coordination, and understanding of interrelations among different components and departments of the airport, leading to more effective decision-making and problem-solving.
- Employee Well-being: The introduction of heat stress management measures for airside workers demonstrated the airport's commitment to the well-being and safety of its staff. Prioritizing employee health and productivity will continue contributing to a positive work environment as more actions are implemented.
- Long-term Operational Continuity: Foresight and early planning for climate resilience has enabled Changi Airport to ensure long-term operational continuity. By proactively implementing infrastructural adaptations and climate resilience strategies, the airport will continue to function efficiently and serve passengers without significant disruptions caused by climate-related events.
- Positive Public Perception: Changi Airport's proactive approach to climate resilience and employee well-being will enhance its public perception and reputation.
Implementation Challenges and Mitigation Strategies:
- Collaboration with government-led initiatives: Coordinating efforts were led with district-wide measures to mitigate natural impacts as well as achieve overall sustainability of the project. This included building a strategy plan which could be implemented within the existing frameworks of Green Procurement, sustainable aviation fuel, and Zero Carbon policies.
- Uncertainty and future projections: Dealing with uncertainties in climate projections and decision-making meant that any long-term planning and decision-making had to balance incremental changes with strategic investments.
Scalability:
The extensive adaptation roadmap enables the airport to continue its climate resilience journey as Singapore’s first-in-class aviation hub. It is important to continue with climate change response capacity and knowledge building efforts. Furthermore, continual monitoring of Climate risks and resilience measures as part of CAG’s Enterprise Risk Management has been put in place and is planned to be enforced through a Periodic re-evaluation (every 5 years). This intervention offers important operational and strategic lessons for replication in similar settings, particularly in the context of formulating a climate resilience strategy which is focused on a critical infrastructure.
