Difference between revisions of "Kallang Airport"

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<!-- This article is NOT written in US-English. Please do not change it to US-English contrary to [[WP:ENGVAR]]:
The '''Kallang Airport''', also known as the Kallang Aerodrome, Kallang Airfield and RAF Kallang, opened in 1937 as Singapore's first purpose-built civil airport, together with an anchorage for seaplanes. Land was reclaimed in the Kallang Basin to turn the swampy area into a circular-shaped airfield and to build a slipway for the seaplanes. The airport was closed in 1955 when the new Singapore International Airport at Paya Lebar was built. Although most of the airport was demolished and put to other use, the distinctive terminal building was used as the headquarters of the People's Association until April 2009. It is currently unoccupied.
"An article on a topic that has strong ties to a particular English-speaking nation uses the appropriate variety of English for that nation." -->
{{Infobox Airport
|name = Kallang Airport
|nativename-a = 加冷机场
|nativename-r = Pangkalan Udara Kallang
|image = PA Building.JPG
|image-width = 
|caption = The control tower of Kallang Airport
|IATA = ?
|ICAO = ?
|type = [[Civilian]] public usage
|owner =
|operator = Ceased operating 1955
|city-served = [[Singapore]]
|location = [[Kallang]]
|elevation-f =
|elevation-m =
|coordinates = {{Coord|01|18|26.68|N|103|52|24.16|E|type:airport}}
|website =
|metric-elev = yes
|metric-rwy = yes 
|r1-number = <s>06/24</s>
|r1-length-f = <s>5,500</s>
|r1-length-m = <s>1,677</s>
|r1-surface = <s>[[Asphalt]]</s>
|r2-number =
|r2-length-f =
|r2-length-m =
|r2-surface =
|r3-number =
|r3-length-f =
|r3-length-m =
|r3-surface =
|stat-year =
|stat1-header =
|stat1-data =
|stat2-header =
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|footnotes =
}}
 
The '''Kallang Airport''' ([[Simplified Chinese|Chinese]]: 加冷机场), also known as the Kallang Aerodrome, Kallang Airfield and '''RAF Kallang''', opened in 1937 as [[Singapore]]'s first purpose-built civil [[airport]], together with an [[anchorage]] for [[seaplane]]s. Land was reclaimed in the [[Kallang Basin]] to turn the swampy area into a circular-shaped airfield and to build a slipway for the seaplanes. The airport was closed in 1955 when the new [[Singapore International Airport]] at [[Paya Lebar]] was built. Although most of the airport was demolished and put to other use, the distinctive terminal building was used as the headquarters of the [[People's Association]] until April 2009. It is currently unoccupied.
 
==History==
Singapore's strategic location on the routes from Europe to the Far East, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, traversing the Middle East and India, made it an ideal centre to serve the region in aviation. In 1930, the [[Far East Air Force (Royal Air Force)|RAF]]-owned Seletar Airbase was opened to commercial aircraft.
 
On 11 February 1930, the Dutch Airline [[KLM|Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij]] (KLM) operated the first service flight between Amsterdam and Batavia (since renamed [[Jakarta]]), landing in Seletar with a Dutch-made tri-engine monoplane carrying 8 passengers and a cargo of fresh fruit, flowers and mail. This marked the beginning of commercial civil aviation in Singapore. KLM later introduced a regular Amsterdam to Batavia flight service in late-1931.
 
Two years later, in July 1933, [[Imperial Airways]], the flagship airline of the British empire at the time, started a service between London and Darwin via Cairo, Karachi, Calcutta, Singapore and Jakarta. This service was later extended to Brisbane and operated jointly with [[Qantas Empire Airways]] on 17 December 1934.
 
Booming commercial aviation traffic led to congestion at the existing [[RAF Seletar|Seletar Airbase]] (today's [[Seletar Airport]]), creating a need for a new airport. On August 31, 1931, Sir [[Cecil Clementi]], then Governor of the [[Straits Settlements]], announced that Kallang Basin would be the location for the new civil aerodrome suitable for land planes and seaplanes, and relieving Seletar of commercial flight activities.
 
{{quote box
|quote=Looking into the future, I expect to see Singapore become one of the largest and most important airports of the world ... It is, therefore, essential that we should have here, close to the heart of the town, an aerodrome which is equally suitable for land planes and for sea planes; and the best site, beyond all question, is the Kallang Basin.
|source=Sir [[Cecil Clementi]], Governor of the [[Straits Settlements]]<ref>[http://www.alpas.org/page.php?id=35&PHPSESSID=e310a51df214d247b1b54c40512ca8e9 "Ho, L.H., Flight Into Fantasy: Singapore's journey into Aviation. AirLine Pilots Association, Singapore"]</ref>, August 31, 1931.
|width=20em}}
 
==Construction==
Reclamation work began on the 103 hectares of tidal swamp in Kallang Basin in 1932. Seven million cubic metres of earth were used for the filling of this tidal swamp. By 1936, all reclamation and consolidation of land were completed, forming a 915-metre diameter, dome-shaped landing ground.
 
On 12 June 1937, the Kallang Aerodrome was officially opened by Sir [[Shenton Thomas]], who had taken over the governorship of the Straits Settlements from Sir Cecil in 1934. At the time it was hailed as "the finest airport in the [[British Empire]]", with facilities that were considered revolutionary. The circular aerodrome allowed planes to land from any direction, and the slipway allowed seaplanes to be served at the same terminal building as regular planes. The terminal building itself was considered a marvel, with a large open-air viewing gallery on the top of the two-storey building and a circular [[control tower]] in the middle of the glass-covered building.
 
==World War II==
When the Japanese launched their invasion of [[Battle of Malaya|Malaya]] and [[Battle of Singapore|Singapore]] on 8 December 1941, Kallang was the principal fighter airfield. By January 1942, it was the only operational fighter airfield in Singapore, as the other airfields ([[Tengah Air Base|Tengah]], [[Seletar Airport|Seletar]] and [[Sembawang Air Base|Sembawang]]) were within range of Japanese artillery at [[Johore Bahru]].
 
Brewster Buffalo fighters of [[No. 243 Squadron RAF|243 Squadron RAF]], [[No. 488 Squadron RNZAF|488 Squadron RNZAF]] and a detachment of 2-VLG-V of the [[Royal Netherlands East Indies Air Force]] operated from the airfield, defending Singapore from repeated Japanese air raids. They were joined later by Hawker Hurricanes of [[No. 232 Squadron RAF|232 Squadron RAF]], but attrition took a steady toll on men and machines, and by the last days of January 1942, the airfield had been badly damaged by the bombing and only a small number of aircraft were serviceable. The last of the fighters left in early February, escaping to carry on the fight just before Singapore was surrendered to the advancing Japanese.
 
==The war years and after==
The growth in aviation traffic was stunted during the [[Japanese Occupation of Singapore|war years]], a period which saw the landing circle being converted into a single runway to allow use by warplanes. The [[British Overseas Airways Corporation]] (BOAC) and [[Qantas]] resumed their regular services to the airport, while the resurrected local airline [[Malayan Airways]] (MAL) began services on 1 May 1947.
 
In the early 1950s, the increasing size of airplanes and the need for longer runways resulted in it being extended beyond [[Mountbatten Road]] in the eastern boundary of the facility into what is now [[Old Airport Road]]. This necessitated the installation of [[traffic light]]s to halt vehicular traffic every time a plane took-off or landed.
 
==Closure==
The success of Malayan Airways and rapid growth again caused congestion at the facility, while advancing technology necessitated extension of the only runway. This was no longer possible because of residential areas in the way, leading to a decision to build a new facility at [[Paya Lebar]] in 1951, 8&nbsp;km further from the city. When the new airport was completed on 20 August 1955, Kallang Airport was closed down, and all associated facilities moved to the new facility. The runway was converted into a road, and the airfield turned into a recreational area with the building of the [[National Stadium, Singapore|National Stadium]] and [[Singapore Indoor Stadium]].
 
==Photo gallery==
<gallery>
File:Kallang Airport runway 1945.jpg|1945 aerial photo of Kallang Airport's runway
File:Kallang Airport and Basin area 1945.jpg|1945 aerial photo of Kallang Airport runway and ramp, as well as Kallang Basin area
File:Kallang Airport aerial photo 1945.jpg|1945 aerial photo of Kallang Airport runway, ramp and terminal building, as well as Kallang Basin area
File:67 Squadron Buffaloes.jpg|[[Brewster F2A Buffalo|Brewster Buffalo Mark Is]] being re-assembled inside a hangar at Kallang in March 1941.
File:Japanese Kawasaki Ki-45 Toryu aircraft at Kallang Airport, Singapore - 194509.jpg|A row of Japanese [[Kawasaki Ki-45]] fighters captured at Kallang airfield during the [[Operation Tiderace|liberation of Singapore]].
File:Evacuation of British POWs, Kallang Airport, Singapore - 19450908.jpg|The first British prisoners of war to be evacuated from Singapore after liberation walk to their aircraft at Kallang airport.
File:RAF Liberator aircraft at Kallang Airport, Singapore - 194509.jpg|Royal Air Force personnel pass in front of a [[Consolidated B-24 Liberator|B-24 Liberator]] aircraft at Kallang airport, Singapore, in 1945-46.
</gallery>
 
==Accidents and incidents==
* On January 10, 1954, [[BOAC Flight 781]], originating from Kallang, took off from [[Rome]] for its final leg to London and broke into pieces in mid-air. This led to an investigation into the airworthiness of the [[de Havilland Comet]] airplanes.
* On 13 March 1954, a [[Qantas]] - [[British Overseas Airways Corporation|BOAC]] [[Lockheed Constellation]], ''Belfast'' carrying [[mail]] crashed while attempting to land at Kallang Airport en route to [[London]] from [[Sydney]]. The accident killed 32 people, including eight crew.<ref>[[The Straits Times]] 14 March 1954.</ref>
* On 29 Jun 1946, one of the Dakota aircraft belonging to the Royal Air Force Police with 20 NCOs on board crashed at the Airport in a storm with no survivors. The nearby road Dakota Crescent and the subway station Dakota Station are named in commemoration of this disaster.<ref>A Concise History of the Royal Air Force Police, http://www.rafpa.com/history.htm)</ref>
 
==Legacy==
Kallang Airport has left several reminders of its existence. The old runway, parallel to Mountbatten Road, is now called Old Airport Road. The surrounding public flats there are named the Old Airport or Kallang Airport Estate. The slipway for seaplanes is now occupied by the [[Oasis Building]], a structure built into the sea and, until recently, housing several restaurants. The terminal building itself was used as the headquarters of the [[People's Association]] until 9 April 2009, when it moved to its new headquarters at King George Avenue. It is not clear what will happen to the terminal building.
 
==See also==
{{Portal box|Singapore|Aviation}}
*[[Battle of Singapore]]
*[[Far East Air Force (Royal Air Force)]]
*[[List of former RAF stations#Former Overseas RAF Stations|Former Overseas RAF bases]]
 
==References==
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
*[http://www.raf.mod.uk/history_old/histories.html History of RAF]
*[http://www.raf.mod.uk/history_old/histories.html History of RAF]
*[http://www.can.com.sg/content/neocan/en/archive/spotlight/national_stadium/singapore_s_first.html Singapore's First Airport]
*[http://www.can.com.sg/content/neocan/en/archive/spotlight/national_stadium/singapore_s_first.html Singapore's First Airport]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kallang_Airport Wikipedia article]


{{Airports in Singapore}}
[[Category:Places in Singapore]] [[Category:Aviation]]
 
[[Category:Community buildings in Singapore]]
[[Category:Airports in Singapore]]
[[Category:Defunct airports]]
[[Category:Kallang]]
[[Category:Military of Singapore under British rule]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force stations in Singapore]]
[[Category:Airports established in 1931]]
[[Category:1937 establishments]]
[[Category:1955 disestablishments]]
 
[[zh:加冷機場]]

Latest revision as of 20:16, 22 May 2024

The Kallang Airport, also known as the Kallang Aerodrome, Kallang Airfield and RAF Kallang, opened in 1937 as Singapore's first purpose-built civil airport, together with an anchorage for seaplanes. Land was reclaimed in the Kallang Basin to turn the swampy area into a circular-shaped airfield and to build a slipway for the seaplanes. The airport was closed in 1955 when the new Singapore International Airport at Paya Lebar was built. Although most of the airport was demolished and put to other use, the distinctive terminal building was used as the headquarters of the People's Association until April 2009. It is currently unoccupied.

External links[edit]

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