Requirements for Foreign Air Operators

If you are a foreign air operator or flying a foreign-registered aircraft into and out of Singapore for the purpose of providing public transport (hire and reward) or aerial works, you must do the following:

  1. Open an account in flightSG;
  2. Apply for a Foreign Operator Operations Permit through flightSG;
  3. Do either of the following through flightSG:
    a)   For scheduled air services: File flight schedules; or
    b)   For non-scheduled air services: Apply for Air Transport Permit
  4. Apply for slots approval from the Changi Airport Group (CAG):
    a)   Changi Slots Coordinator (CSC) for flights to/from Changi Airport; or
    b)   Seletar Schedules Facilitator for flights to/from Seletar Airport.

flightSG

Foreign air operators are required to register for a flightSG account using Corppass. 

More details about flightSG and the user guides for the various modules can be found at https://flightsg.caas.gov.sg/cms/c706c8b2-67c8-4976-bdd9-a51cb844293b

Foreign Operator Operations Permit

Before granting a Foreign Operator Operations Permit, an evaluation is conducted based on a risk-based methodology, which takes into account the following factors:

  1. Safety Oversight of the State of Registry and / or State of Operator;
  2. Operational Capability of the Foreign Air Operator;
  3. Safety record of the aircraft type to be deployed for operations; and
  4. Safety record of the individual aircraft to be deployed for operations.

Important to know:

Scheduled Air Services for Hire or Reward

Foreign air operators operating scheduled air services to/from Singapore are subject to the various bilateral/multilateral air services agreements (ASAs). Before applying to CAAS, foreign air operators are advised to check with your respective aviation authorities to:

1.   Apply to be a designated carrier under the relevant ASA; and
2.   Check that you have been accorded the necessary traffic rights for the route that you intend to operate.

You are then required to file your proposed flight schedules through the Schedules module in flightSG at least 4 weeks before each IATA schedule season for CAAS’ review in relation to the exercise of traffic rights.

You are also required to apply for CAAS’ approval for any revisions to your schedule filings for the season, ad-hoc changes to flight schedules and flight cancellations. Such applications should be filed through flightSG. Processing time usually takes 3-5 working days.

New airlines operating to Changi Airport may contact Changi Airport Group for important information that can help you plan your operations at:

Non-Scheduled Air Services for Hire or Reward

Foreign air operators operating non-scheduled air services to/from Singapore are required to apply for an Air Transport Permit (AT Permit) through flightSG. Some examples of non-scheduled air services requiring a valid AT Permit include charter flights for business, cargo, medevac and aerial works. Some ad-hoc flights operated on top of scheduled services may be regarded as non-scheduled air services, and require a valid AT Permit.

  • Please refer to the flightSG user manual on “Application for Permit for Non-scheduled Air Services”  for the step-by-step guide on how to apply for AT Permit: https://flightsg.caas.gov.sg/cms/c706c8b2-67c8-4976-bdd9-a51cb844293b
  • For urgent non-scheduled air services that are less than 24 hours from the proposed date of operation, foreign air operators are to submit the application for AT Permit on flightSG and inform the CAAS duty officer at +65 9833 1775. 

Slot Approval

Regardless of whether you are operating to Changi Airport or Seletar Airport, a slots approval is required before you operate to Singapore:

Changi Airport

To apply for slots at Changi Airport, all foreign air operators or their agents (for non-scheduled, scheduled and private flights) must submit their applications to the Changi Slot Coordinator via either:

a.   A Slot Clearance Request (SCR) to the Changi Slot Coordinator (CSC) minimally 72 hours prior to the operation of the flight, for which the slot will be utilized, at:

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

b.   For operators without a 2-letter IATA airline code, a General (Aviation) Clearance Request (GCR) to the Changi Slot Coordinator (CSC) at:

Email: csc@changiairport.com

For urgent non-scheduled, scheduled and private flight operations that are less than 24 hours from the proposed date of operation, in addition to submitting the SCR/GCR, operators/agents must also inform the Airside Operations Section of CAG (Airside Management Centre) at +65 6603 4906 / +65 6541 2275 / +65 6541 2273.

Seletar Airport

All foreign air operators of non-scheduled or private flights intending to operate to Seletar Airport must submit flight details of their planned operations to the Seletar Schedules Facilitator prior to these operations. Details of your planned operations shall be submitted by operators or their agents to seletar.airside@changiairport.com during the flights submission window. The flights submission window is defined as no earlier than 7 calendar days but no later than 1400 UTC / 2200 LT on the day prior to the planned operations.

For urgent non-scheduled or private flight operations of which details were not submitted during the flights submission window, operators or agents must submit the details to Seletar.airside@changiairport.com and call to inform the Airside Operations Section of Seletar Airport at +65 6481 5077.

Operators shall be prepared to make adjustments to their operations when necessary as advised by the Seletar Schedules Facilitator.

  • Please refer to the Singapore Aeronautical Information Publication (SIN AIP) at https://aim-sg.caas.gov.sg/eaip.html, “GEN 1.2 Entry, Transit and Departure of Aircraft”, for more details on slots approvals