Changi Airports International unveils Airport Pavement Centre of Excellence to drive airport pavement innovation

Changi Airports International Pte. Ltd. (CAI) today announced the establishment of the Airport Pavement Centre of Excellence (APEX), a platform aimed at helping airports address growing infrastructure challenges arising from climate change, increasing air traffic demand, and heavier aircraft operations.

Bringing together airport practitioners, academia, and pavement specialists, APEX will accelerate the translation of research, innovation and operational experience into practical solutions that improve the safety, reliability and sustainability of airport pavements.

Addressing a pressing industry challenge

Airport pavements are among the most critical assets in aviation infrastructure. Every aircraft take-off, landing and turnaround relies on the safe and reliable performance of runways, taxiways and aircraft stands.

Yet, airports face mounting pressure as rising traffic volumes, heavier aircraft and more extreme weather place greater stress on pavement infrastructure. Unplanned runway and taxiway closures caused by pavement deterioration can disrupt operations, constrain airport capacity and result in significant economic impact.

While many airports face similar challenges, industry knowledge remains fragmented, and no single pavement solution can be applied universally across different climates, materials and operating environments. APEX is thus established to address these gaps.

APEX: Bringing together academia and airport practitioners to address airport pavement challenges

APEX is set up as a centre of excellence to address airport pavement challenges. Through research collaboration, technical exchange and industry engagement, APEX will help airport operators translate emerging research into practical solutions for pavement planning, construction, maintenance and rehabilitation. 

APEX’s inaugural steering committee comprises five distinguished industry leaders, who will drive the centre’s direction:

1)    Emeritus Professor Fwa Tien Fang, National University of Singapore (NUS) and Distinguished Professor, Chang’An University, China; 
2)    Associate Professor Raymond Ong, Dean’s Chair and Deputy Head (Research and Enterprise), Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, NUS; 
3)    Associate Professor Wong Yiik Diew, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University (NTU); 
4)    Mr. Koh Ming Sue, Executive Vice President, Engineering & Development, Changi Airport Group (CAG); and 
5)    Mr. How Choon Onn, Senior Engineering Director, International Projects, CAI. 

The committee will advance airport pavement innovation through research, industry partnership and technology development. This includes conducting research and presenting key findings at industry forums, partnering industry stakeholders such as the Pavement Engineering Society (Singapore) to organise airport pavement technology related conferences, and deriving new Polymer Modified Bitumen (PMB) formulations with superior specifications for selected geographical areas to enhance airport pavement durability and performance. In the near term, APEX will work with established authorities, such as the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), to uplift regional airport pavement standards.

“As airports around the world contend with increasing intensity of traffic demand and harsher weather conditions, building resilience into airfield infrastructure has become more important than ever. At Changi Airport, leveraging our past 40 over years of aircraft pavement design and operating experience plus our strong partnerships with both the academia and practising industry experts, we have been taking proactive steps to strengthen performance while optimising resources in this field. Through the setup of APEX, we hope to continue to experiment, learn more and to share our knowledge and innovations to benefit the wider airport community and to meet evolving challenges,” said Mr. Koh Ming Sue, Executive Vice President, Engineering & Development, CAG.

Launching APEX at the 2nd International Conference on Sustainable Airport Pavement Management reflects the centre’s purpose: to spark dialogue, deepen collaboration and build momentum around a shared ambition for better-performing, more sustainable airport infrastructure. As 200 delegates across Asia-Pacific and Europe gathered in Singapore to exchange ideas and practical insights at the event, APEX invites the industry to help shape the next chapter of airport pavement excellence.