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Kallang Airport
Kallang Airport
(also known as the Singapore Civil Aerodrome or Old Kallang Airport) was
Singapore’s first purpose-built civil international airport. It
operated from 1937 to 1955 on reclaimed mangrove swampland at the edge
of the Kallang Basin. It was designed for both landplanes and seaplanes,
hailed as one of the finest airports in the British Empire (and praised
by Amelia Earhart as “an aviation miracle of the East”), and handled
growing commercial traffic until larger aircraft and rising demand
forced its replacement by Paya Lebar Airport.
Here are some of the most
significant events in its history:
Construction and Opening
- Early 1930s: Governor Sir Cecil Clementi
proposed a dedicated civil airport near the city centre. Land
reclamation of roughly 300–339 acres of mangrove swamp began around
1931–1932 (costing several million Straits dollars). Villages in the
area were relocated.
- 21 November 1935: The first aircraft (three
Hawker Hart/Osprey planes from HMS Hermes) landed on the
still-incomplete field.
- 12 June 1937: Official opening by Governor Sir
Shenton Thomas. He arrived by air (Imperial Airways Atalanta
Artemis) escorted by warplanes. The Art Deco terminal (designed
by Frank Dorrington Ward) featured a distinctive circular glass
control tower. Wearne’s Air Service soon began internal Malayan
flights.
Amelia Earhart’s Visit
- 20 June 1937 (just eight days after opening):
Aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan landed in
their Lockheed Electra during her second attempt to fly around the
world. She spent a short time there, described the airport
glowingly, and departed the next morning.
World War II
- December 1941–February 1942: As Japanese forces
advanced, Kallang became the only operational Allied fighter
airfield in Singapore (other bases were within range of Japanese
artillery in Johor). RAF, RNZAF, and other units flew Brewster
Buffalos and later Hurricanes from it in the defence of Singapore.
It was heavily bombed.
- Japanese occupation (1942–1945): The Japanese
upgraded the original grass strip to a concrete runway about 5,500
ft (1,700 m) long and used it for military operations.
Post-War Period and Accidents
- Post-1945: The British retook the airfield.
Civil operations gradually resumed (full commercial traffic
recovered later in the late 1940s). Malayan Airways began scheduled
services from Kallang in 1947.
- 29 June 1946: An RAF Dakota (DC-3) crashed in a
thunderstorm shortly after takeoff, killing all 20 on board. Nearby
roads (Dakota Crescent/Close) and the later Dakota MRT station
commemorate the aircraft type and this disaster.
- 13 March 1954: The worst aviation disaster in
Singapore at the time — a BOAC Lockheed Constellation (G-ALAM
Belfast) crash-landed short of the runway, struck a
seawall/ridge, and caught fire. 33 of the 40 people on board died.
An inquiry cited pilot error (fatigue) and inadequate emergency
response.
Closure and Later Use
- 1955: Operations transferred to the new, larger
Paya Lebar Airport (opened August 1955). Kallang’s final commercial
flights occurred around mid-to-late August (sources vary slightly on
the exact last-flight date, commonly cited as 21 August). The short
runway could no longer handle bigger postwar aircraft or growing
traffic.
- 18 March 1956: After closure, the site hosted a
large merdeka (independence/self-government) rally attended
by about 20,000 people, with speeches by Chief Minister David
Marshall and others.
- 1960–2009: The terminal building became the
headquarters of the People’s Association (after interim use by the
Singapore Youth Sports Council and others). It was also used for
National Service enlistment activities in the late 1960s–early
1970s. Parts of the former runway area later became the site of the
National Stadium and surrounding developments; “Old Airport Road”
preserves the name of the former runway alignment.
- 2008: The terminal building (and related
structures such as hangars and gate posts) was gazetted for
conservation by the Urban Redevelopment Authority. It has since
hosted events including the 2011 Singapore Biennale.
The site’s legacy lives on
in place names (Old Airport Road, Old Kallang Airport Estate, Dakota MRT)
and the conserved terminal building, which remains an important piece of
Singapore’s early aviation and architectural heritage.
Notable special
visitors to Kallang Airport (Singapore’s first civil international
airport, 1937–1955) included pioneering aviators, colonial officials,
and political leaders.
Aviation pioneers and official openings
- Amelia Earhart (with navigator Fred Noonan)
landed on 20 June 1937 — just eight days after the official opening
— during her second attempt to fly around the world. She described
the new airport as a “magnificent” facility and “an aviation miracle
of the East.”
- Governor Sir Shenton Thomas officially opened
the airport on 12 June 1937. He arrived by air (Imperial Airways
Atalanta Artemis) from RAF Seletar, escorted by warplanes.
Military and postwar officials
- Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Park (Allied Air
Commander-in-Chief, South East Asia Command) arrived in November
1945 with Lady Park; he was greeted with a guard of honour and a
fighter flypast.
- Lord Killearn (Sir Miles Lampson, Special
Commissioner to South East Asia) arrived in March 1946 and was met
by Lord Mountbatten.
Political leaders
- Jawaharlal Nehru (Prime Minister of India) was
a notable visitor on multiple occasions. One early postwar arrival
was greeted by Lord Mountbatten; in December 1954 he made a brief
stop (with Burmese Prime Minister U Nu) en route to a Colombo Powers
conference in Indonesia, drawing large crowds.
- Sir John Kotelawala (Prime Minister of
Ceylon/Sri Lanka) arrived on 27 December 1954 for an overnight stop
en route to the same conference.
- Other high-profile figures associated with the airport during
its operational years include Sir John Fearns Nicoll
(Governor of Singapore, 1952–1955), Chinese Premier Zhou
Enlai, and prominent Chinese businessman/philanthropist
Tan Kah Kee.
The airport also handled
routine commercial and military traffic (including seaplanes), but these
visitors stand out in historical accounts for their prominence and the
public or ceremonial attention they received. After closure in 1955 the
conserved terminal later hosted cultural/fashion events (e.g., a 2014
Calvin Klein showcase attended by celebrities such as Zhang Ziyi and
Dakota Johnson), but those were not aviation-related visits to the
operating airport.
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