Singapore Airshow 2024 Shuttle Buses

The Singapore Airshow 2024 returned for its ninth edition from 20 to 25 February 2024. This instalment of the biennial airshow was also the first full-scale event in six years since the COVID-19 pandemic. The final two days, dubbed Weekend@Airshow (February 24th and 25th), were open to the public with valid tickets.

Getting to Singapore Airshow 2024

The Singapore Airshow 2024 was held at Changi Exhibition Centre. For both Trade & Public Days, the Airshow Shuttle pick-up point was at Singapore Expo Hall 5, near Expo MRT station.

For Public Days, visitors were encouraged to use the Airshow Shuttle which was included with the price of admission ($34 per Adult, $17 per Child).

Shuttle buses were stated to operate at 15-minute frequency during Trade & Public days respectively; however, buses ran at far higher frequencies on public days.

Shuttle Buses (Trade Days)

On trade days, shuttle services were subcontracted to various private bus operators.

Shuttle Bus rides were charged $17 one-way from Singapore Expo to Changi Exhibition Centre. Complimentary rides were offered from Changi Exhibition Centre to Singapore Expo.

Visitors were strongly advised to pre-book their shuttle tickets in advance through the ‘ Singapore Airshow Shuttle Services’ app, available on the App Store / Google Play Store / Huawei AppGallery. According to the organiser, on-site booking through the app is possible, but those with booking will be given priority boarding.

Shuttle Buses (Weekend@Airshow)

As with previous years, SMRT Buses was contracted to provide the Airshow Shuttle over the weekend, with a mix of rigid, articulated and double-deck buses. Over a hundred buses were deployed.

The pick-up point for the Shuttle was at the loading bay behind Singapore Expo Hall 5. The loading bays behind Halls 3 and 4 were used as holding areas for buses.

Security screening and ticket validation were conducted at Singapore Expo Hall 5 before boarding the Shuttle Buses.

Shuttle buses performed layovers at Changi Business Park where Bus Captains took breaks and consumed meals between driving duties. Buses were also dispatched in coordination with ground staff at Singapore Expo or Changi Exhibition Centre, wherever resources were required.

For alighting activities, rigid and articulated buses alighted passengers at the coach bay behind Singapore Expo Halls 2 & 3.

Due to height restrictions, double-deck buses alighted passengers at Bus Stop 96301 – Expo Stn Exit B, along Changi South Avenue 1.

Additional buses to east traffic flow

Congestion to and from the airshow on trade days was picked up by national media outlets on Thursday (22 Feb), citing several kilometres of crawling traffic, long queues for the airshow shuttle buses, location surcharge, and difficulty in getting private-hire car and taxi rides.

On Friday (23 Feb), organisers acknowledged the issues and promised a better experience for the public. Apart from opening more traffic lanes, it would also increase the number of shuttle buses to and from Singapore Expo to run at a higher frequency.

Bus Models

A mix of single-deck, double-deck and articulated bus models were deployed by SMRT Buses.

Double-deck bus models deployed by SMRT were the ADL E500 and Volvo B9TL. Previously in 2020, only MAN A95 buses were used.

All rigid buses were MAN A22 buses, while all articulated buses were MAN A24 buses.

In previous years, as part of security procedures, tamper-evident security stickers were affixed across the exterior and interior panels of every bus. This year, no such stickers were used, but security personnel accompanied each bus on every passenger-ferrying trip.

Airshow Shuttle (Public) - Past Routes

External Links & References:

• Getting There – Singapore Airshow 2024
• Getting There (singaporeairshow.com)
• Additional buses at Singapore Airshow to ease traffic flow – Singapore Airshow