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February 16, 2020Singapore Seletar Airport – Spotting Guide
Seletar Aiport was the first international airport for Singapore before Kallang, Paya Lebar and the current Changi Airports. In the past decade, it has seen many enhancement works being carried out such as the addition of the Seletar Aerospace Park, runway lengthening to accomodate larger aircraft and the construction of the new S$80m two-storey passenger terminal which opened in December of 2018. Currently, the airport is home to MRO facilities such as ST Aerospace and flying schools such as the Singapore Youth Flying Club operating DA40s and the Seletar Flying Club. As of August 2019, the only scheduled airline that operates into Seletar is Malaysian carrier Firefly with their ATR 72s from Subang Airport in Kuala Lumpur although other destinations in the Southern Peninsular Malaysia are being looked into. The airport also receives a number of business jets everyday, with the occasional narrowbody commercial aircraft including the Fokker 100, A320s and B737s from airlines such as QantasLink and Tigerair Australia coming in for maintainence works. Some 737 Classic freighters have also been seen operating into the airport. Spotting at Seletar airport is purely luck-based as Private flights can rarely be tracked on radar application such as FR24 so, be patient and you might get something interesting.
A lot of additional movements taking place during the annual Formel 1 Grand Prix at Singapore.
Written by: Ho Zong Xi (Last Update September 2019). Pics provided by Sebastian Sowa.
Rating | |
Movements | |
Airline Variety | |
Photo Locations | |
Weather | |
Airport Information | |
Runways | |
03/21 | 1.840 m |
Terminals | One for all passenger flights. |
Spotting Information | |
Ladder | Nor required. |
Car/Public Transport | Several public bus services operate along the perimeter of the airport. Hence, it is the easiest way to get between different spots. Taxis and private-hire vehicles (PHVs) such as Grab/Gojek (similar to Uber/Lyft) are also available. However, there aren’t many taxis that go to the Seletar area and the same goes for PHVs so do expect some wait. Bike sharing is also available at many parking stops in the area. SGbike is most recommended as it has more bikes available than other operators in the area. The airport is not very big so a 15-20 minute cycle could bring you from one side to the other. Using a car is not recommend as there are no parking spaces at most locations. |
Restrooms | There aren’t many establishments open to the public in the area so be sure to clear your biological waste before your journey to the airport. |
Drinks/Food | There are some restaurants and cafes in the eastern side of the airfield where ‘The Oval’ is, such as Wheelers Estate and further down, the Hangar66 restaurant located in the WingsOverAsia building. Do make sure to have a sufficient supply of water before heading to the airport. You may purchase 1.5 litre bottles of water at convenience stores. |
Hotels | No hotels in the area. |
Season | More rain is expected from October to January. Best months to visit are from February to June |
Security | No photography of the fenceline, signs have been in place. – No photography of restricted area including but not limited to apron/ramp, taxiway and runway areas from outside of the airfield and the landside (applies to all airports and restricted areas/protected places on the state land of Singapore) – Comply with all safety notices put up by the airport, site facility owners or Airport Police Division. – When approaches by figures of authority (police officers/ airport police/ auxilary police officers), do not attempt to run away. Show full cooperation and do not defy their orders as that could mean serious trouble. If asked to delete photos, please do so without hesitation. |
Runway Usage | |
03/21 | Generally, departures and approach are based on the wind direction. In most cases where the effects of the wind is not significant, the wind direction my be disregarded and takeoff and landings will be planned accordingly to reduce noise above residential areas south of the airport. For example, a Firefly may land on 21 and take off on 03 if the effects of the wind is insignificant, or that a SYFC DA40 may take off from 31 but a QantasLink A320 (which makes much more noise than the DA40) may be holding short of 03 at the same time. Hence, check the wind direction and speed to plan accordingly. |
Spot #1 – Seletar Aerospace Park Broadwalk – all movements, ramp | |
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WHERE | There is a boardwalk along a section of the eastern perimeter of the airport within the Seletar Aerospace Park. It can be easily reached by bus with some walking. Alight at bus stop Bef Baker St (68099) for lines 102, 103 and 117. If coming from the city use the MRT northbound and exit at Sengkang. Then take bus 102 and exit at the stop of the park. The lines 103 and 117 are perfect to reach the other locations from the park. Sadly there is a fence with very tight mesh. You have to shoot through the fence so some shots may have the fence visible if unfocused. All samples were made through the mesh. Another option is to climb up an electrical distribution box. From there you have a free sight of the runway and partially the taxiway. You can see the grey box at the picture below. |
WHAT | Aircraft parked at the stands along taxiway EP and ES (South-East of the field), and Runway 03 action can be seen. However, the fence might be a problem for photography. |
TIME | Best light conditions are from sunrise till noon. Depends a bit on the season. |
MISC. | Seating and shadow is available. |
FOCAL LENGTH | Runway Global 5000 = 180mm; |
The first three pics were made from the grey box, the three biz jets through the fence.
Spot #2 – RR Overhead Bridge – 03 arrivals | |
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WHERE | Here is an overhead bridge which links to the other side of the road where you can get up to take the photos. Alight at the bus stop Rolls Royce Pte Ltd, 68101 for lines 103 and 117. You can easily walk from the park spot #1 to this location. Parking is not available at this location. |
WHAT | Best for arrivals on runway 03. Close-ups with the departing traffic from runway 20. |
TIME | Best light conditions are from sunrise till noon. Depends a bit on the season. |
MISC. | Do not photograph into the airfield area and/or the Bombardier Hangar and do not stay on the bridge for too long as it may flag suspicion to the police as there are CCTVs installed. |
FOCAL LENGTH | Not known |
Sample Pictures to follow
Spot #3 – Seletar Aerospace Drive Intersection – 03 arrivals | |
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WHERE | There are plenty of postions on the sidewalks at th intersection of Seletar Aerospace Drive and Seletar Aerospace Link. Alight at bus stop Bef West Camp Rd (68121) for lines 103 and 117. Parking is not available at this location. If you spot from the previous location you can easily walk to this spot when the sun has turned around. |
WHAT | Runway 03 landings, banking shots are possible for aircraft approaching from the North. |
TIME | Best light conditions are from late noon, around 1400, till sunset. Depends a bit on the season. |
MISC. | Nothing nearby. Light poles disturb the sight. |
FOCAL LENGTH | Focal length 100-300mm |
Spot #4 – Seletar North Link Bridge – 21 arrivals, 03 departures | |
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WHERE | There is a vehicular bridge connecting to the Punggol Islands. Take buses 103 or 117 and alight at bus stop ‘Bef Shell Aviation’ (Stop code: 68151), where upon alighting you should see a bridge on your right. Walk to the bridge (approx. 5 min) and pick a spot on the walkway. For your safety and courtesy towards cyclists, stay close to the sides of the bridge to prevent blocking the way of cyclists. Parking is not available at this location. |
WHAT | Traffic approaching runway 21 and taking off from 03 can be photographed. |
TIME | Best light conditions are from late noon, around 1400, till sunset. Depends a bit on the season. |
MISC. | Even though the location offers a great view of the ramp areas near the passenger terminal and the threshold and taxiways leading onto runway 21, do not photograph these areas as it is against the law to photograph places designated as protected places under the Protected Places Act of the Constitution of Singapore. |
FOCAL LENGTH | 717 = 200mm; Global 5000 = 300mm |