Singapore's airport goes for retail high with billion-dollar mall

A sprawling retail complex with the world's tallest indoor waterfall is what Singapore hopes will bring more travellers and visitors to the airport to shop and dine.

As global competition for travellers heats up in the aviation industry, Singapore's Changi Airport is set to open its S$1.7 billion ($1.3 billion) Jewel complex on Apr 17.

"(We want to) provide a wide range of amenities that allows the passenger to make the best use of their time as they transit through us," Jayson Goh, managing director, airport operations management at Changi, told a news conference. The airport also aims to attract domestic visitors and tourists to its shops, cinemas and food and beverage outlets.

The 40-metre high Rain Vortex, which is the world's tallest indoor waterfall, is seen from inside Jewel Changi Airport in Singapore, April 11, 2019. Reuters

Housed under a dome of glass and steel, the building spread over 135,700 square metres is designed by Moshe Safdie, the architect known for the Marina Bay Sands resort, a boat-shaped landmark that has become synonymous with Singapore's skyline.

Changi Airport, recently voted in a Skytrax survey as the world's best for the seventh year running, reported a record 65.6 million passenger movements in 2018.

The Changi Airport control tower is pictured next to Jewel in Singapore, April 11, 2019. Reuters

Sharon Ng, who teaches marketing at Nanyang Technological University's business school, said the concept was unique as other airports mainly target travellers and don't have the scale of retail that Jewel does.

A joint venture between Changi Airport and Singapore developer CapitaLand, Jewel adds 53,600 square meters of retail space in the wealthy city-state.

An escalator from a shopping floor leading up to the Canopy Park of Jewel Changi Airport is pictured in Singapore, April 11, 2019. Reuters

Scores of visitors lined up on Thursday at the pre-opening for a glimpse of the Rain Vortex, a 40-metre tall waterfall that pours rainwater from the centre of the glass and steel dome.