Armed air marshals will be deployed on Singapore Airlines (SIA) and SilkAir flights next year. The air marshals, selected from a unit set up within the Home Affairs Ministry, are likely to be used only on selected flights. Together, SIA and SilkAir operate over 100 aircraft that fly to more than 90 destinations. (Straits Times 21 Dec 2002) (6)

  Armed sky marshals will soon patrol flights between Singapore and Australia, following the signing of an in-principle agreement designed to guard against terrorist hijackings. Qantas will be the first regional airline to launch the security programme, announced by Australian Justice Minister Chris Ellison. Qantas and Singapore Airlines (SIA) operate 12,000 flights a year between the two countries. (Straits Times 18 Dec 2002) (1)

  Tough new rules to crack down on limousine-taxi touts at Changi Airport start this month. The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) bans drivers at Terminal 1 from waiting near the limousine counter. They must now wait for business at the west end of the arrival hall near the Delifrance outlet. (Straits Times 7 Dec 2002)

  Singapore Airlines (SIA) has just put its staff on notice for a possible airline-industry shake-up involving budget carriers. SIA's regional airline SilkAir could be turned into a discount carrier to compete with such "no-frills" airlines should they set up shop here. (Straits Times 12 Nov 2002) (1)

  A new US$45 million (S$80 million) baggage screening system is being installed at Changi Airpot to detect explosives. The scanners use x-ray techniques, such as computer tomography, widely used in hospitals for diagnostics,  to scan bags. Changi Airport, which serves about 28 million international passengers and hosts 180,000 flights annually, was voted the safest airport in a poll by the International Air Transport Association in 2001. (Straits Times 31 Oct 2002)(1)

  The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CIAS) yesterday told the three men in the cockpit of the 747-400 which crashed and killed 83 people on 31 Oct 2000 that they had cleared the first phase of the re-licensing process. They need to undergo medical and psychological assessments as well as extensive flight re-training and flying tests before they can fly again. In a statement yesterday, CIAS said that the decision to go ahead with the medical and flying tests was based on the recommendations of a five-member panel, including two pilot licensing experts from the United Kingdom and France, who studied the crash investigation reports. (Straits Times 16 Oct 2002) (H4)

  Aircraft are now being allowed to fly just 305 m apart in altitude in the air space over Singapore. The new Reduced vertical Separation Minimum system, in use since the beginning of the year, halves the minimum distance separating flights at 8,840 m (29,000 ft) and above from 610 m (2,000 ft) to 305 m (1,000 ft). (Straits Times 8 Oct 2002) (H5)

  The director of Changi International Airport Serices' (Cias) auxiliary police force was charged yesterday with two cheating and immigration offences. WONG Tiew Yong, 54, who has worked at Cias for more than 20 years and was suspended in January, allegedly committed the offences in 1998 and 1999. (Straits Times 2 Oct 2002) (H6)

  Changi Airport and Tanah Merah were covered in a blanket of fog at noon yesterday, causing visibility in the area to drop sharply to between 6 km and 8km from its usual more than 10 km. (Straits Times 29 Aug 2002) (3)

  Singapore Airlines (SIA) and its pilots resolved their dispute over in-flight breaks yesterday, ending the threat of industrial action against the airline. The compromise agreement will see one business-class seat set aside for pilots and if they have to sit in economy class, they will receive S$200 in compensation. Pilots will also be given priority to upgrade to business class, ahead of passengers and staff. And if business class is full, they may occupy an empty first-class seat. (Straits Times 24 Aug 2002) (1)

  Flight information can now be retrieved via SMS by SingTel mobile customers. All they need to do is dial *111. They will then be able to track information such as the flight's arrival or departure time. The service, which now costs 10 cents per request, will cost 20 cents from Sept 19. (Straits Times 15 Jul 2002) (H2)

  Taiwan's judicial authorities yesterday decided not to prosecute the three pilots of SQ006, although finding them in part negligent in the crash that killed 83 people two years ago. Instead, prosecution against them has been suspended for three years, said Mr CHIANG Kuei-chang, chief of the review department of the Taoyuan Prosecutors' Office. If they commit any crimes in Taiwanese jurisdiction in that time, the authorities can still prosecute them. (Straits Times 15 Jun 2002) (4)

  Changi Airport has bagged the Eagle Award, given out by the International Air Transport Association (Iata). The award recognises airports which give airlines the best return on their dollar. Changi is the only airport honoured twice in the award's history. (Straits Times 4 Jun 2002) (H4)

  Sri Lanka's national airline, the Emirates-managed SriLankan Airlines, briefly "lost" its Singapore-bound CEO after he was put on the wrong plane by his own airline staff, embarrassed officials said on Monday. Mr Peter Hill was taken by an airline bus to a plane bound for Bangkok. Red-faced, Mr Hill came down the gangway and eventually boarded the correct flight. (Straits Times 29 May 2002) (15)

  Taipei: Taiwan's China Airlines (CAL) Boeing 747-200 with 225 people on board, including one Singaporean, crashed into the sea off Taiwan on what was to be its last flight before being sold to a Thai carrier. An airline official identified the Singaporean on the Hongkong-bound Flight CI 611 as Mr SIM Yong Joo. (Straits Times 26 May 2002) (1)

  The Court of Appeal has thrown out the suit of the families of six people who perished in the SilkAir crash in Palembang in 1997. It said there was nothing suspicious about the background or behaviour of the pilots of MI 185 that suggested they may have crashed the plane intentionally. (Straits Times 16 May 2002) (H6)

  The three SQ006 pilots were back home in Singapore yesterday, a day after testifying before Taiwanese prosecutors. (Straits Times 10 May 2002) (6)

  The three pilots of Singapore Airlines SQ006 have agreed to return to Taipei to attend a hearing tomorrow that could decide if they will be prosecuted for their part in the crash that killed 83 people 18 months ago. Taiwan's Aviation Safety Council pinned the blame for the crash mainly on the pilots - Captain FOONG Chee Kong, 43, and first officers Latiff Cyrano, 38, and NG Kheng Leng, 40. (Straits Times 7 May 2002) (1)

  Washington: US airline pilots are demanding that they be allowed to carry handguns aboard passenger planes in order to prevent a repeat of the devastating suicide attacks that killed some 3,000 people on Sept 11 last year. (Straits Times 4 May 2002) (11)

  The pilots involved in the Singapore Airlines SQ006 crash will not be indicted immediately after the questioning and will be free to leave Taiwan after their interview next week, Taiwanese prosecutors said yesterday. (Straits Times 4 May 2002) (8)

  Taiwan's prosecutors have summoned the three pilots of Singapore Airlines SQ006 to appear at a hearing in Taipei next Wednesday over a crash that killed 83 people on 31 Oct 2000. News that the prosecutors want to see the pilots has been accompanied by speculation in Taipei that they may be detained right after their testimony in Taiwan next week. (Straits Times 2 May 2002) (1)

  Singapore's ties with Taiwan will not be affected by the dispute over what caused the crash of SQ006, said Deputy Prime Minister LEE Hsien Loong yesterday. He said the two countries had many bilateral ties which would remain. Singapore, he said, had "put the facts out". People who read its report could come to their own conclusions. He noted that the Singapore team had included foreign aviation experts who had their reputations to protect and would not give wrong information. (Straits Times 29 Apr 2002) (3)

  Business tycoons and executives who travel in personal or corporate jets now have their own arrival cum departure area at Changi Airport, enabling them to go through the normal clearance procedures faster and in a more luxurious setting. The S$650,000 lounge, located near Terminal 1, comes with its own customs, immigration and security facilities, so these bigwigs do not have to queue at the regular counters like passengers on commercial flights. Last year, 2,500 company chairmen, chief executive officers and other top executives came through Singapore on private or corporate planes. More than 90 per cent landed and took off at Seletar Airport, a private airport. (Straits Times 2 Mar 2002) (4)

  By the end of next year, every MRT station will have one fare gate that is wide enough for commuters with luggage to pass through easily. This will make it convenient for travellers to ride the train to Changi Airport MRT station which opened yesterday. At the new underground station between Terminal  2 and the future Terminal 3, all the fare gates are 90cm wide, instead of the normal 50cm wide. Those who have trouble getting through the gates of other MRT stations with their bags can approach the station staff for help, said SMRT. (Straits Times 9 Feb 2002) (3)

  As the travel industry shows more signs of recovering, Singapore Airlines announced yesterday that it will reinstate five services it had cut last year when demand fell after Sept 11. It will also add more flights to China and increase the number of seats to the United States and destinations in South-east Asia from next month. (Straits Times 6 Feb 2002)(4)

  London: Britain's High Court has issued a landmark ruling which will allow over 300 people to bring a class action suit against airlines over vein thrombosis (DVT). All the claimants say they suffered DVT - also known as economy class syndrome - or lost relatives to it. The decision by the court on Thursday means that compensation claims can now proceed against a total of 24 airlines. (Straits Times 2 Feb 2002) (5)

  From March 2002, passengers departing from Singapore will have to pay an additional S$6, on top of the S$15 airport tax levied, to cover higher security costs at the airports here, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said yesterday. Before the Sept 11 attacks in the United States, about S$40 million dollars was spent on security every year. After that the bill rose to an estimated S$61 million. CAAS said that it is absorbing about 20 per cent of the total costs. (Straits Times 1 Feb 2002)(3)

  United Airlines: Tips on baggage checks for entry to the United States

  The construction of Changi Airport's new Terminal 3 may not be cleared for takeoff as quickly as expected. The new terminal was originally planned to open in early 2006, but Transport Minister YEO Cheow Tong told journalists yesterday that its construction must be justified by a sufficient volume of passengers. The new terminal is designed to handle 20 million passengers a year. This would increase the annual capacity of jet-setters at Changi to 64 million. (Straits Times 3 Nov 2001)(1)

  DaimlerChrysler, the distributor for the Mercedez-Benz marque, opened a boutique in Changi Airport yesterday. Over 700 items ranging from model cars to Formula One apparel carrying the German brand are on sale. The store also sells children's toys and stocks a collection of limited-edition items associated with the brand's logo, a three-pointed star. The centrepiece of the 114sqm outlet is a life-sized replica of the first car in the world which was designed by Mr Karl Benz in 1886. (Straits Times 19 Jun 2001)

  A Malaysian salesman bought 18 airline tickets via the telephone from the Singapore Airlines reservation office using a Citibank Visa credit card number which he had copied from a form at a travel agency in Johor Baru, Malaysia. Yesterday, LEE Chee Bing, 35, was jailed for 2½ years after pleading guilty to four charges of cheating and one charge of giving false information. Eight other charges were considered. (Straits Times 12 Jun 2001)

  LONDON: An official report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) of the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions of the British government revealed that an "exceptionally close" encounter took place on 16 Sep 2000 when a BAC 1-11 aircraft bound for Italy was slow in moving out of the runway, cutting the time for other inbound and outbound aircraft. A plucky Singapore Airlines pilot averted a disastrous collision which could have killed over 300 people when he defied an air-traffic controller's erroneous instructions to land at Manchester Airport. The SIA jumbo, SQ 328, flying in from Amsterdam with 219 people on board, came within 400 metres of another aircraft with 100 passengers on the runway. (Straits Times 9 Jun 2001)

  Changi Airport on 28 May 2001 bagged its first Eagle Award from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for being a good port to land in. Last year, Changi Airport served a record 28.6 million passengers, an increase of 9.8% from 1999. Cargo was also at an all-time high of 1.7 million tonnes. The airport serves 64 airlines, which operate more than 3,000 weekly scheduled flights to 147 cities in 50 countries. (Straits Times 29 May 2001)

  A Vietnamese man holding a French passport was arrested for walking naked in the departure lounge of Changi Airport's Terminal 2 on 11 May 2001. The 34-year-old is believed to have been travelling alone and had arrived earlier from Paris, on his way to Vietnam. There were women and children in the area but nobody screamed. Airport police arrived to cover the man and take him away. He was arrested for indecent exposure and sent for psychiatric evaluation. (Straits Times 12 May 2001)

  A Singapore Airlines plane on a direct flight to Frankfurt was forced to land in New Delhi after a drunk Australian teenager caused a mid-air ruckus last month. (Straits Times 5 May 2001)

  Singapore, the United States, Chile, Brunei and New Zealand have jointly signed an "open skies" pact to liberalise international air transport. The pact removes restrictions on when and where airlines from the five countries can fly, as well as the prices charged, on a multilateral basis. (Straits Times 2 May 2001)

  Anastasia GAN, 43, has become SilkAir's first woman pilot. She is also the first woman pilot in the SIngapore Airlines Group. SilkAir, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, has 63 other pilots, all men, while SIA has an all-male staff of 1,600 pilots. Major GAN is now on leave from the Republic of Singapore Airforce (RSAF) which she had joined in 1977 after her A Levels. She will begin training with SilkAir in June 2001 and is likely to be piloting commercial flights by the end of the year. (Straits Times 7 Apr 2001)