Alvin and I didn’t go to the Singapore Airshow 2026. We went to a sunbaked, aviation-themed queue festival. It was 15 years of hype, 12 hours of heat, and enough queueing to qualify for a medal. ✈️ 🥵
We went on Saturday, 7 Feb 2026, at Changi Exhibition Centre. It’s the show’s 10th edition (a 20-year milestone), so we thought, alright, this one should be special. I could’ve applied as media, but I wanted the full “regular civilian” experience. I’d been wanting to go, and finally got to strike it off my bucket list. So, mission accomplished. And every segment had a queue like it was McDonald’s Hello Kitty plush toy season. #iykyk
The day in a nutshell
• Getting there: even with Grab, we got stuck in traffic for half an hour. Ticketing and security were actually smooth though.
• First flying display at 11:00 AM: great start with the Republic of Singapore Air Force and PLAAF Bayi Aerobatic Team, except we picked a spot where the tree line joined in.
• Also, surprise: the coloured smoke trails drop powder. We wore white to survive the heat and left looking like we got baptised by confetti. The yellow dots did not wash out easily. So yes, my shirt is now a limited-edition souvenir.
After the first show segment, we did the Singapore Shuffle and tiptoed 20 minutes to move 50 metres into the indoor exhibition hall. Once inside, it was packed with booths and big toys. I was keen to see the Changi Airport Terminal 5 concepts, and also check out China's COMAC because it’s impossible not to think “ABC = Airbus, Boeing, Comac”.
We poked around, played with some hardware (including a SAAB RBS 70 NG), then braved the 31.2°C heat for the outdoor static displays.
Outdoors: theme park energy, zero fastpass!
Static aircraft displays were awesome: VIP jets, fighter jets, transport aircraft, medevac. But if you wanted to go up close, every aircraft came with its own queue side quests. The longest-looking one felt like the RSAF F-15SG, because single-seater COE tax is real. Cold drinks were priced like we were at Universal Studios plus 9% GST +15% service tax... except the “ride” is standing still in the sun.
We committed to one proper queue: the RSAF A330 multi-role tanker. About 50 minutes of waiting for a highly informative 5-minute walk-through. Worth it? Debateable. Educational? Yes. Legs? Gone. We also spotted an RSAF AH-64D Apache and some of the munitions it can carry, which was fascinating and mildly terrifying.
We went back indoors and did a 15-minute floor-sit in front of the ST Engineering booth area like we’d just completed an Amazing Race Asia episode.
Back outside for the later aerial display at 3:30 PM, we found a spot without trees this time… but the view was now partially sponsored by umbrellas, because Singapore sun is not a suggestion. The Royal Australian Air Force segments were impressive, Indonesia’s Jupiter team was seriously good, and the show ending with the COMAC C919 flying around felt like a proper “new era” moment.
As the show ended, everyone had the same idea at the same time: leave.
Grab prices were wild (S$60 to go to Jewel Changi), so like basically everyone else, we took the free SBS/SMRT shuttle buses to Singapore Expo Hall 5. And here came the Final Boss fight: even with buses constantly coming, we queued from 4:12pm and only got on at 5:13pm.
Oh, and we were dropped off at Hall 5. That’s still a 15-minute walk to the MRT, then another 5-minute walk to Changi City Point. Running on fumes (no breakfast, 12 hours of walking), we ended up at Saizeriya because free-flow soda is a modern miracle.
Tickets were S$42.20 per person (including booking fees). It’s been 3 days and I’m still rocking lobster-red arms. Would I come back? Be honest: worth it, or once every 15 years is enough? Comment and convince me.
#SingaporeAirshow #SingaporeAirshow2026 #WeekendAtAirshow #ChangiExhibitionCentre #Aviation #Airshow #RSAF #BayiAerobaticTeam #COMACC919 #PlaneSpotting #SingaporeEvents #ChangiAirport #STEngineering #ChangiCityPoint #saizeriya
Shot on iPhone 15 Pro Max using BeastGrip Pro #beastgripnation.
00:00 Preview & Intro
00:30 On the way to Changi Exhibition Centre
01:10 Flying Display #1 - Republic of Singapore Air Force
02:00 Flying Display #2 - People’s Liberation Army Air Force Bayi Aerobatic Team
03:30 Entering the Exhibition Hall
03:57 Checking out Changi Airport Terminal 5 Concept Model
06:25 Played with the SAAB RBS 70 NG Man-Portable Air Defence System
06:56 Checking out China’s COMAC C919 Airliner
09:10 Heading out to the Static Aircraft Displays
10:38 Queued up for the RSAF A330 Multi-Role Tanker
11:47 Check out that RSAF AH-64D Apache munitions!
12:44 Flying Display #3 - Royal Australian Air Force F-35A solo show
13:22 Flying Display #4 - Indonesian Air Force Jupiter Aerobatic Team
14:12 Flying Display #5 - China’s COMAC C919 Demonstration
14:28 Slow queue for free shuttle bus
15:48 Arrived at Singapore Expo Hall 5
15:57 Went for Saizeria dinner at Changi City Point
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