Once every 2 years, a 900-metre stretch of Aviation Park Road turns into a temporary taxiway. Led by police escorts, tow trucks rumble down the road one after another, bringing along aircraft that will form the static display of the Singapore Airshow.
This arrangement is unique to Singapore Airshow. The nature of the showgrounds, located off-airport at Changi Exhibition Centre, requires a highly orchestrated operation akin to solving a jigsaw puzzle.
In the lead up to the airshow, the road was closed daily from 8.30pm to 6.00am. This facilitated the transfer of aircraft from Changi Airport to the exhibition site. Lampposts were temporarily removed and replaced by spotlights to cater to the aircrafts’ large wingspans. Foreign Object Debris (FOD) sweeps were performed for a safe towing operation.
The MAphotoSG team were positioned on the nights of 15 and 16 February 2024 to bring a unique perspective of the planes on tow.
Military Aircraft
01: Embraer C390 Millennium, PR-ZIQ.02: The C390 sports Brazilian Air Force colours.03: Royal Thai Air Force JAS 39C Gripen, 70106.04: German Air Force A400M Atlas, 54-03.05: The A400M dwarfs a photographer on the roadside
Civil Aircraft
06: Pilot of China Eastern C919 gives a friendly wave.07: China Eastern C919-100ER, B-919A08: China Central Longhao Airlines ARJ21-700(F), B-3388.09: The ARJ21 passes the gate that segregates Aviation Park Road with Changi Airport. Here, it will be picked up by police escorts for the journey to Changi Exhibition Centre.10: TransNusa ARJ21-700, PK-TJB.11: The E2 pilot poses for the camera.12: Embraer E195-E2, “Profit Hunter”, PR-ZIQ.13: The E2 is one of the larger aircraft on tow, its wingspan extends to the pedestrian pathway.14: Gulfstream G700, N706GD.15: Dassault Falcon 2000LX, T7-58GG.16: Embraer Praetor 600, N776EE.17: Textron Aviation Cessna 525 Citation M2, N69HY.18: Textron Aviation Beechcraft King Air 360, RP-C8484. 19: Aircraft Industries L-410 NG, OK-JRP.20: HondaJet Elite S, HS-IPA.21: Auxiliary police escorts lead the way for each towing convoy.
