The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Transport. Set up on 1 September 1984,[1] CAAS is responsible for developing Singapore into an international aviation hub.[2]
The CAAS was established to maintain and manage Singapore’s airports; provide air traffic control services; oversee search and rescue operations within the Singapore zone; provide fire fighting and rescue services and facilities at the airports; regulate and promote the development of air transport; promote and facilitate the development of the local aerospace industry; advise the government on aviation matters; and represent Singapore as the national body on aviation matters.[3]
Prior to the establishment of the CAAS in 1984, civil aviation responsibilities in Singapore were carried out by the Department of Civil Aviation. However, as the aviation industry in Singapore grew, particularly with the opening of the S$1.5 billion Changi Airport in 1981, it became clear to the government that the department had to be reorganised as a statutory board in order to manage the airport effectively, respond more quickly to changes in the aviation industry, and maintain and raise the standard of Singapore’s aviation sector. The government also noted that large international airports such as Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, Germany’s Frankfurt Airport, Paris’s Charles De Gaulle Airport, Tokyo’s Narita Airport, London’s Heathrow Airport and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport were managed as statutory bodies or commercial organisations.[4]
To effect the change in the Civil Aviation department into a statutory board, then Acting Minister for Communications Yeo Ning Hong introduced the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore Bill in parliament on 2 March 1984.[5] The bill was read for the second and third time on 20 March and passed on the same day.[6] The president gave his assent on 4 April[7] and the act came into effect on 1 September that same year.[8]
The CAAS was launched by Yeo at a ceremony held in Changi Airport Terminal 1 on 1 September 1984. The event was commemorated by the unveiling of two sculptures at the terminal that were collectively called the “Spirit of Man”.[9] Yeo also unveiled the deep blue logo of the CAAS about a year later on 20 July.[10]
With the establishment of the CAAS, Changi Airport came under its management until 1 July 2009 when the airport was transferred to the Changi Airport Group (which was previously part of the CAAS) and became corporatised.[11] The CAAS instituted and implemented many changes at Changi Airport during the period when the airport was under its administration. The CAAS ensured that the facilities and infrastructure at the airport were complete and comprehensive and that the services provided were efficient and reliable.[12] The CAAS also set competitive prices and increased the range of products available in airport shops to make shopping attractive to travellers.[13] The authority also took charge of the construction of Terminal 2 and continued to expand Changi Airport’s flight connections network.[14] Improvements were also made to operations related to aviation safety, air traffic control and airport management at the airport. To keep staff up-to-date with changes in the aviation industry, CAAS provided training programmes in areas such as air traffic control and fire fighting through the Singapore Aviation Academy.[15]
References
1. Republic of Singapore. Government Gazette. Acts Supplement. (1984, August 10). The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore Act 1984 (Act 12 of 1984, pp. 167–188). Singapore: Government Printing Office. Call no.: RSING 348.5957 SGGAS; Republic of Singapore. Government Gazette. Subsidiary Legislation Supplement. (1984, August 17). The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore Act (Commencement) Notification 1984 (S207/1984, p. 487). Singapore: Government Printing Office. Call no.: RSING 348.5957 SGGSLS.
2. Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS). (1985). Annual report 1984/85 (p. 4). Singapore: CAAS. Call no.: RCLOS 387.7095957 CAASAR-[AR].
3. Government Gazette. Acts Supplement, 10 Aug 1984, Act 12 of 1984, pp. 167–188.
4. Republic of Singapore. Parliament. Parliamentary Debates: Official Report. (1984, March 20). Second Reading of Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore Bill (Vol. 43, cols.1437–1446). Singapore: Government Printing Office. Call no.: RSING 328.5957 SIN.
5. Republic of Singapore. Parliament. Parliamentary Debates: Official Report. (1984, March 2). First Reading of Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore Bill (Vol. 43, col. 408). Singapore: Government Printing Office. Call no.: RSING 328.5957 SIN.
6. Parliamentary Debates: Official Report, 20 Mar 1984, Second Reading, Vol. 43, cols. 1437–1446; Republic of Singapore. Parliament. Parliamentary Debates: Official Report. (1984, March 20). Third Reading of Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore Bill (Vol. 43, col. 1447). Singapore: Government Printing Office. Call no.: RSING 328.5957 SIN.
7. Republic of Singapore. Parliament. Parliamentary Debates: Official Report. (1984, June 29). Assent to bills passed (Vol. 44, col. 1483). Singapore: Government Printing Office. Call no.: RSING 328.5957 SIN.
8. Government Gazette. Subsidiary Legislation Supplement, 17 Aug 1984, The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore Act (Commencement) Notification 1984, S207/1984, p. 487.
9. Aviation seeks new heights. (1984, September 2). The Sunday Times, p. 13. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
10. Dr Yeo lauds SIA, Changi airport’s achievements. (1985, July 22). The Straits Times, p. 8. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
11. Changi Airport Group. (2013). About Changi Airport. Retrieved November 19, 2013, from Changi Airport Singapore website: http://www.changiairport.com/our-business/about-changi-airport; Republic of Singapore. Government Gazette. Acts Supplement. (2009, May 22). The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore Act 2009 (Act 17 of 2009, pp. 535–641). Singapore: Government Printing Office. Call no.: RSING 348.5957 SGGAS; Republic of Singapore. Government Gazette. Subsidiary Legislation Supplement. (2009, July 3). Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore Act (Commencement) Notification 2009 (S292/2009, p. 1306). Singapore: Government Printing Office. Call no.: RSING 348.5957 SGGSLS; Republic of Singapore. Government Gazette. Subsidiary Legislation Supplement. (2009, July 3). Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore Act (Transfer Date) Notification 2009 (S295/2009, p. 1311). Singapore: Government Printing Office. Call no.: RSING 348.5957 SGGSLS.
12. Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, 1985, p. 5
13. Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, 1985, p. 5
14. Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, 1985, pp. 4–5
15. Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, 1985, p. 22.
The information in this article is valid as at 2014 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.