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Community-youth, Heritage, Singapore

The Development of Seletar: 1971 and Beyond (Part II)

  • 27 Jun 2023
  • Written by: Mr Goh Yong Kiat

In 1968, Seletar Airport was handed over to the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA), the predecessor of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS). Due to its low intensity air traffic, the airport was deemed suitable for flying club activities and flight training schools. The renamed Republic of Singapore Flying Club moved back to Seletar from Paya Lebar in 1974. In 1981, the government-sponsored Junior Flying Club moved to East Camp. Renamed as the Singapore Youth Flying Club (SYFC) in 2001, it later shifted to a new facility in West Camp in 2003 and remained as the most active tenant of Seletar in flying operations. In 1988, the Singapore Flying College, a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore Airlines (SIA), was set up and called Seletar its home.

On the MRO front, the Singapore Aerospace Maintenance Company (SAMCO) was set up in 1975 by the government to perform MRO services for the RSAF. SAMCO grew from strength to strength and was later reorganized under the umbrella of Singapore Aircraft Industries, which is today ST Engineering Aerospace, the aerospace arm of ST Engineering.

Seletar also saw the birth of a new Singapore airline. Tradewinds, the forerunner of SilkAir, inaugurated its scheduled flight on 8 June 1984 from Seletar Airport to Pulau Tioman using a Skyvan leased from the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF- formerly SADC). A subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, Tradewinds provided 10 scheduled flights a week. This service was discontinued in 1991 when it was replaced by a MD-87 twinjet operating from Changi Airport.

With the growth in business aviation, Seletar saw the entry of business aviation FBO and MRO, Jet Aviation in 1995. To support the development of regional airlines, Fokker Services Asia (FSA) was established in Seletar in 1997.

In 1984, an RSAF Skyvan was leased to Tradewinds, an SIA subsidiary. The aircraft operated between Seletar and Pulau Tioman as "9V-BNJ". Photo: Goh Yong Kiat

By this time, the ageing facilities in Seletar were in dire need of renewal and modernisation. All the major MROs were being housed in ex-RAF hangars and workshops, and the airfield services needed to be updated to the latest technological standards. At the same time, the other aerospace industrial estates in Singapore – in Loyang and Changi North – were also running out of space for further growth.

Old ATC Tower with SFC Cessna 172R
The old Seletar Air Traffic Control tower in the background, with a Singapore Flying Club Cessna 172R in the foreground. Photo: Goh Yong Kiat

Then, came the announcement of the Seletar Aerospace Park (SAP) Masterplan in 2006. This was timely in addressing the above concerns and signaled a clear aim of attracting new investments for the Singapore aerospace industry.

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