• The result of this process was a clear Climate Adaptation Pathway, detailing how Changi Airport can become more resilient to climate change and potential risks in terms of sea level rise, erratic wind patterns and rainfall events, lightning strikes, extreme heat stress, reduced visibility, and wildlife. The pathway laid out what steps the airport can take today, in 2030 – and what can be achieved by 2050. By implementing the recommendations in this plan, Changi Airport can continue to be a safe, efficient, and world-class transportation hub and gateway to Asia for years to come.
• Moreover, the collaborative approach, actively engaging Changi Airport’s stakeholders, increased the understanding of interrelations of different components  and departments of the airport and fostered a stronger sense of collaboration within the airport community.
• Changi Airport Group (CAG) has introduced new measures to keep its airside workers cool and protected against the heat. 30,000 workers work at the airside, in multiple roles such as ramp assistants, aircraft maintenance engineers and in-flight catering drivers. These heat stress management measures are all but one part of managing higher ambient temperatures at Changi, under CAG’s climate resilience strategy. Foresight and early planning are critical to fostering long-term climate resilience for Changi Airport to enable operational continuity for  passengers. CAG continually seeks to bolster Changi Airport’s resilience to climate change through infrastructural adaptations and taking care of its staff.

Co-Benefits of the Initiative:

By implementing the Climate Adaptation Pathway, Changi Airport ensured the airport's continued safe and efficient operation even in the face of climate-related challenges but also brought about positive outcomes for stakeholders, employees, and the environment.

• Improved Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement: The collaborative approach of engaging multidisciplinary stakeholders fostered a stronger sense of collaboration and ownership within the airport community. This improved collaboration enhanced communication, coordination, and understanding of interrelations among different components  and departments of the airport, leading to more effective decision-making and problem-solving.
• Employee Well-being: The introduction of heat stress management measures for airside workers demonstrated the airport's commitment to the well-being and safety of its staff. Prioritizing employee health and productivity will continue contributing to a positive work environment as more actions are implemented.
• Long-term Operational Continuity: Foresight and early planning for climate resilience has enabled Changi Airport to ensure long-term operational continuity. By proactively implementing infrastructural adaptations and climate resilience strategies, the airport will continue to function efficiently and serve passengers without significant disruptions caused by climate-related events.
• Positive Public Perception: Changi Airport's proactive approach to climate resilience and employee well-being will enhance its public perception and reputation.

Implementation Challenges and Mitigation Strategies:

• Collaboration with government-led initiatives: Coordinating efforts were led with district-wide measures to mitigate natural impacts as well as achieve overall sustainability of the project. This included building a strategy plan which could be implemented within the existing frameworks of Green Procurement, sustainable aviation fuel, and Zero Carbon policies.
• Uncertainty and future projections: Dealing with uncertainties in climate projections and decision-making meant that any long-term planning and decision-making had to balance incremental changes with strategic investments.

Scalability:

The extensive adaptation roadmap enables the airport to continue its climate resilience journey as Singapore’s first-in-class aviation hub. It is important to continue with climate change response capacity and knowledge building efforts. Furthermore, continual monitoring of Climate risks and resilience measures as part of CAG’s Enterprise Risk Management has been put in place and is planned to be enforced through a Periodic re-evaluation (every 5 years). This intervention offers important operational and strategic lessons for replication in similar settings, particularly in the context of formulating a climate resilience strategy which is focused on a critical infrastructure.