Images of the Day: Capturing the enduring allure of Changi Airport Terminal 4

“I love the serenity here, the ceiling and store heights, the lush carpet, the greenery and the outstanding retail and food & beverage offer that never feels forced on the consumer. There’s a subtle fusion of local and international and a surprise at every turn,” writes Martin Moodie.

May 28, 2025 - 06:50

Images of the Day: Capturing the enduring allure of Changi Airport Terminal 4

Our regular feature, brought to you in association with Duty Free Global from Ireland, celebrates memorable scenes, moments, launches and campaigns related to the global aviation and travel retail sphere.

SINGAPORE. Today’s images are of Changi Airport Terminal 4, taken on my iPhone before I departed from the city state following this month’s TFWA Asia Pacific show, writes Martin Moodie.

T4 is surely one of the world’s great air terminals and most definitely among the most beautiful, having won the 2018 Prix Versailles Architectural Award for South Asia and the Pacific as a testament to its state-of-the-art design.

Singapore efficiency at its best. The Automated Immigration Gates in Terminal 4 use biometric technology to retrieve passport and boarding pass data to authenticate your identity at immigration. Is this the most stress-free terminal in the airport world?

Once airside, the passenger is straight into the duty-free zone, anchored attractively on either side by the two Korean travel retail giants Lotte Duty Free and The Shilla Duty Free. Who would have predicted that scenario a few years ago?

**A high-profile promotion for Rémy Cointreau-owned Islay single malt Scotch whisky Bruichladdich makes an immediate and unmissable impact on passengers after they clear security**

**Liquid to lips is key to converting browsers to buyers**

I enjoy the serenity here, the ceiling and store heights, the lush carpet, the greenery and the outstanding retail and food & beverage offer that never feels forced on the consumer. There’s a subtle fusion of local and international and a surprise at every turn.

I love the concept of airports as artports (I created a regular column dedicated to the concept) and Changi T4 is a prime example. *Travelling Family,* an aluminium sculpture by renowned Swiss artist Kurt Laurenz Metzler, is a marvellously apposite work for an airport.

**A Flying Kiwi meets a Travelling Family**

**Dining options are not much good if you cannot find them easily (as in certain major airports). Changi Airport Group places a commendable emphasis on clearcut wayfinding.**

**Time to enter heaven. Bacha Coffee heaven, that is. I fell in love with the brand the day I first entered a store and looking at this beautiful T4 outlet, I suspect many others will too.**

**Click here for my interview with the remarkable Taha Bouqdib, serial entrepreneur extraordinaire and President and CEO of V3 Gourmet, the parent company of TWG Tea and Bacha Coffee**

**“We don’t just sell coffee – we share coffee. It feels like a duty, not just a business decision,” says Taha Bouqdib. And what an enthralling way it is served.**

Talking of service, meet the wonderful Brenda (right), who assisted with grace and humour as I took time out for a little shopping. And who else should I meet while doing so but Flora Lee, the dynamic Korean businesswoman and Founder of Blue Chip Group, based like me in Hong Kong? Flora represents Bacha Coffee in selected travel retail markets.

T4 also boasts environmentally friendly design elements with optimal use of natural lighting and energy management systems.

Then there are the services and attractions, art and more, including Chandelier, a 16m-tall play structure, and a vibrant Entertainment Corner.

**Chandelier, a spectacular** **five-storey netted playground** **{Photo: Changi Airport Group}**

The standout for me, though, is the Heritage Zone, a place of such delight that you almost have to pinch yourself to realise you are in an airport. Inspired by Peranakan shophouses nestled around Singapore, the area houses familiar local and traditional brands, while heritage-themed façades and furnishings evoke a poignant sense of nostalgia.

And display a love story. A Peranakan Love Story to be precise. This sublimely beautiful six-minute theatrical performance is screened on the central shophouse façade at intervals, giving travellers a glimpse of life in 1930s Singapore.

And this is all just in T4. The entire Changi Airport estate offers a myriad more wonders. “We are always at your service,” proclaims Changi Airport Group. And you know what? They are.

Footnote: Moodie Davitt STUDIO has launched Airport Wonders of the World, a new film series dedicated, as the name suggests, to the world’s great airports. The first edition, a trio of short films, featured Hamad International Airport and Qatar Duty Free. The second series is being filmed at an Asian airport this July. Details coming soon. If you would like your airport feature please reach out to Martin Moodie at Martin@MoodieDavittReport.com