Becoming a Singapore air operator

Learn about the requirements and processes to become a Singapore air operator.

Last updated 14 May 2026

Air services for hire or reward

Operators who plan to provide public transport (e.g. transport passengers or cargo for hire or reward) with their principal place of business in Singapore must go through this process.

What are the requirements

How to qualify

Operators must first obtain and hold a valid Singapore Air Operator Certificate (AOC). For details, refer to Air Operator Certificate.

Scheduled air services

Operators intending to operate scheduled air services must:

meet the requirements and obtain a licence under the Air Navigation (Licensing of Air Services) Regulations
be designated as a Singapore carrier under the relevant bilateral/multilateral Air Services Agreements (ASAs).

Non-scheduled air services

Non-scheduled air services include:

charter flights for business, cargo or medical evacuation
ad-hoc flights operated in addition to scheduled air services

Operators intending to operate non-scheduled air services must:

meet the requirements and comply with the Air Navigation (Licensing of Air Services) Regulations

obtain an Air Transport (AT) permit for each flight

When to start the process

Becoming a Singapore air operator is a multi-step process that involves detailed reviews and approvals.

Start the process well ahead of your intended start of operations.

Application process

The table below summarises the main steps for both scheduled and non-scheduled air services.

Steps	Scheduled	Non-scheduled
Obtain an Air Operator Certificate (AOC)	✅	✅
Open an account in flightSG	✅	✅
Obtain a Traffic Rights Application Certificate and traffic rights licence	✅
Submit flight schedules	✅
Obtain Air Transport (AT) permit		✅
Obtain slots approval	✅	✅

Obtain an Air Operator Certificate (AOC)

To apply for an AOC, you will need to meet the requirements in Air Navigation Regulations (ANR) Part 119, Regulations 4 and 5.

For details and step-by-step instructions, refer to Air Operator Certificate.

Open an account in flightSG

After you have obtained your AOC, register for a flightSG account using your Corppass. For step-by-step instructions, use the flightSG User Guides.

Obtain a Traffic Rights Application Certificate and traffic rights licence

To apply for a Traffic Rights Application Certificate and traffic rights licence, you must meet the requirements in Air Navigation (Licensing of Air Services) Regulations, 2H.

Submit flight schedules

For scheduled air services, submit your proposed flight schedules to CAAS at least 4 weeks before each IATA season on flightSG.

You must also submit the following through flightSG:

any revisions to your schedule filings for the season

ad-hoc changes to flight schedules

flight cancellations

For step-by-step instructions, use the flightSG User Guides.

Obtain Air Transport (AT) permit

For non-scheduled air services, apply for your AT permit for each flight on flightSG.

For step-by-step instructions, use the flightSG User Guides.

Note: For urgent non-scheduled air services that are operating within 24 hours and outside office hours, inform the CAAS duty officer at +65 9833 1775 after submitting your AT permit application on flightSG.

Obtain slots approval

All flights operating to Changi Airport or Seletar Airport require slots approval before operating to Singapore.

Changi Airport

Slot Clearance Request (SCR)
Submit your SCR at least 72 hours before the flight for which the slot will be used at:

csc@changiairport.com
Tel: +65 6541 2378 or +65 6541 3064

General (Aviation) Clearance Request (GCR)
For operators without a 2-letter IATA airline code, submit your GCR to csc@changiairport.com.

For urgent flights (non-scheduled, scheduled, or private) less than 24 hours from the proposed operation, you must do all of the following:

submit the SCR or GCR
inform the Airside Operations Section at:
Changi Airport Group (Airside Management Centre)
+65 6603 4906 / +65 6541 2275 / +65 6541 2273

Seletar Airport

To apply for slots at the Seletar Airport for non-scheduled and private flights, submit your flight details to the Seletar Schedules Facilitator at seletar.airside@changiairport.com.

You must do so within the submission window, defined as:

no earlier than 7 calendar days before the planned operation
no later than 1400 UTC (2200 local time) on the day before the planned operation

For urgent non-scheduled flights not submitted during the submission window, you must do all of the following:

send your flight details to seletar.airside@changiairport.com
inform the Airside Operations Section at:
Seletar Airport
+65 6481 5077

Note: You should be prepared to adjust your flight as advised by the Seletar Schedules Facilitator.

For more details on slots approval at Changi Airport and Seletar Airport, refer to the Singapore Aeronautical Information Publication (SIN AIP) GEN 1.2 Entry, Transit and Departure of Aircraft.

Air operations other than public transport

To operate a Singapore-registered aircraft for purposes other than public transport, you must obtain approval from CAAS.

For example, when you want to operate your aircraft for:

private flying
flight training
aerial surveying or mapping
aerial filming or photography

These operations are governed by specific Air Navigation Regulations (ANR) to ensure safety:

To obtain approval, contact us. An officer will be assigned to guide you through the application process.

Application for approval of flight schedules, AT Permit

To submit an application for AT Permit or your flight schedule for approval, apply on flightSG. To obtain approval from CAAS for operations that do not involve public transport, contact CAAS.

Apply on flightSG Contact CAAS

Legislation, regulations and resources

Resources

Aeronautical Information Management Singapore (AIM-SG) for Singapore Aeronautical Information Publication (SIN AIP) GEN 1.2 Entry, Transit and Departure of Aircraft

Contact information

AOC, licences, permits, approvals and submission of flight schedules

For AOC and Traffic Rights Application Certificate
Contact us using the Enquiries & Feedback Form.

For licences, permits, and submission of flight schedules
Contact us using the flightSG Enquiry Form.

Changi Airport slot applications

Changi Slot Coordinator (CSC), Changi Airport Group
csc@changiairport.com
+65 6541 2378 / +65 6541 3064

For urgent flights, also inform:
Airside Operations Section, Changi Airport Group
+65 6603 4906 / +65 6541 2275 / +65 6541 2273

Seletar Airport slot applications

Seletar Schedules Facilitator
seletar.airside@changiairport.com

For urgent non-scheduled flights, also inform:
Airside Operations Section, Seletar Airport
+65 6481 5077

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