Left: Hung Jean, Managing Director of Airside Concessions, Changi Airport Group. Right: The ‘Find It First, Only at Changi’ event.

From a vibrant pipeline of exclusives to a new duty-free robot and upgrades to T3 on the horizon that will be utilised as test cases for T5 concepts, the power of partnerships is fundamental for CAG. Managing Director of Airside Concessions Hung Jean gives TRBusiness the inside story… 

With an average of 120-150 leasing opportunities being processed each year by Changi Airport Group (CAG), there is no shortage of newness for travelling shoppers passing through Singapore Changi Airport and Jewel. The results speak for themselves: Changi Airport Group’s (CAG’s) airport concession and rental income improved by 12% in 2024/25 to reach S$1,167 million (approx. US$877.7m).

CAG’s financial year spans April to March, meaning that (at the time of writing late April) the latest results, for 2025/26, have not yet been released. However, in an exclusive interview with TRBusiness, Hung Jean, Managing Director of Airside Concessions, Changi Airport Group was able to share that CAG closed the period with passengers (pax) exceeding 70 million.

Indeed, pax traffic for the 12 months ended March 2026 rose 2.9% year-on-year (yoy) to 70.4 million, the highest recorded traffic at Changi over a 12-month period. Between January and March 2026, the flow was driven by strong demand to and from North Asia and Europe, underpinning this growth despite the impact from the Middle East geopolitical situation.

“It’s safe to say that Changi is also not insulated from some of the ongoings globally – throughout the year all of our businesses have been affected by some of the external pressures we currently face,” she said, noting the knock-on impact of the Middle East conflict on rising costs and travel. Pax traffic between Singapore and the Middle East fell 80% year-on-year in March 2026, yet this did not stunt the overall growth for the quarter.

Blackpink inpired activations have taken place at Changi and Jewel.

Changi Airport’s top five markets during this period were China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia and India. Vietnam and China posted the strongest growth among Changi’s top 10 markets, rising 26.5% and 17.7% yoy respectively. The top five city links for the quarter were Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Jakarta, Tokyo and Hong Kong, while Shanghai, Taipei and Tokyo registered the strongest growth among the 10 busiest routes.

The retail mix is constantly evolving to keep shoppers on their toes. In 2025 the Group welcomed 24 new ‘first to Changi airport brands’.

“For us, this is important as we want to have new concepts at Changi Airport so they can test their products and concepts,” said Jean. Among the new additions is the viral chocolate sensation FIX Dessert Chocolatier, which created an exclusive ‘Time to Mango’ flavour for the hub. This is in addition to a new wall of popular homegrown lager Tiger Beer – a bar and restaurant concept that’s the first of its kind in the world. An Asia Pacific-first stand-alone boutique for Lindt also made its debut.

“One of the major renovations that’s been happening in the past year is The Shilla, CAG’s beauty operator, which has been progressively renovating its outlets so passengers are being treated to a new look in the beauty shops with new brands and new products.”

The Glenfiddich x Aston Martin F1 campaign.

The upgrades, said Jean, are helping to ensure the diverse needs and desires of today’s passengers are satisfied. One of the fastest growing pax segments is Indian travellers, so CAG, together with Shilla and Lotte, have funnelled efforts into sourcing products that cater to this group.

Terminal 3 upgrades

In terms of bigger picture moves, CAG will be investing in upgrades to Terminal 3.

“At Changi, we take investing in the future very seriously so by the time we have upgraded one terminal, it will be time to upgrade another,” said Jean.

Though T3 is the relative new ‘kid on the block’ (opening in 2008), Jean says the time is right for a revamp, with plans to introduce more spaces, including expanding some of the floor space for selected retail projects with a view to developing bigger stores where the brands can express themselves with “multi-dimensional” experiences.

In Terminal 2, there will be a food court revamp to more richly reflect the vibrant food court culture of Singapore. Far from a ‘regular’ food court, it will be a chance for CAG to showcase the city’s authentic local flavours.

Bringing Changi exclusives to market is a key part of the strategy.

On the brand partnerships side, bringing Changi exclusives to market is a key part of the strategy.

“As our passengers are well travelled they can find most of the brands [we sell] in their home countries as well,” explained Jean. “So we have to ask what is unique about the product they are buying in Singapore. And we take that very seriously in this new age of shopping.”

In addition to the FIX example mentioned above, Lululemon launched a water bottle featuring the Changi Airport skyline, which “flew off the shelves”, according to Jean.

“We want to make it special so that when you come to Changi you can always find something different,” she elaborated. “It might be like the same store [you may find domestically], but the experiences and the products are different.”

The recent ‘Find It First, Only at Changi’ event, which took place from 8 January to 20 February 2026, exemplifies this. The specially curated activation comprised outposts and events that showcased various Changi-exclusive products, complete with a golden tote as a gift with purchase.

Brand partners who take part in the Changi 1st programme, which showcases exclusive launches and concept pop-ups, benefit from being able to take over a special dedicated outpost located in a high-profile position in the main part of the terminal. The likes of Dior, L’Oréal and Moët Hennessy have participated, plus many more, and the opportunities for this are ongoing with the schedule usually booked up years in advance.

Turning to liquor, a traditionally strong category for CAG, the Glenfiddich x Aston Martin F1 campaign, which launched in September 2025, was a standout event, complete with a replica car and the hub securing one of only five bottles of the ultra-rare Glenfiddich 1959 marking its exclusive travel retail allocation.

“Without working closely with the brands, all of these would not be possible, and I am very grateful for the partnerships we have,” said Jean.

Discerning passengers

Keeping pace with the behaviours and preferences of travellers is a continuous effort.

iShopChangi Click & Collect locker.

“Passengers these days are definitely much more discerning. They are well travelled. Shopping across the world can happen at their fingertips – post Covid everyone needed to embrace shopping online. But we see three main areas shoppers are focusing on,” said Jean. “The first is value, as they can compare and shop from so many options. And price competitiveness is a hygiene factor. Gone are days when you can charge a premium just because they have to transit through the airport. They must know that they are getting good value. How do we do that? We must elevate the experience so it’s not just about a transaction.”

This can be as simple as giving shoppers the chance to try touch and feel products, or expressing the brand or products in a different way to how it typically is on the domestic market.

“We are seeing brands investing more in bigger formats, as well as different pockets of space in which to showcase and tell their brand story. There is something behind the brand and the object they are selling and I think passengers and travellers these days really take to that.”

The third factor is exclusivity – products topped off by something special, whether that’s a flavour, engraving or another element of personalisation. All of these play to the increasingly sophisticated tastes of travellers.

As CAG’s source markets have evolved, its marketing has become increasingly deliberate and targeted. Campaigns are delivered in-market, working with the airlines to ensure campaigns are as effective as possible and delivered in the best format – such as social media content on Xiaohongshu (Red Note) for Chinese travellers.

Testing grounds

Moving forward, CAG is going to continue to lean on its fundamental factor, which Jean said is the close relationships between the airport, retailers and brands.

“We want to make sure that between them and us, we continue to invest in the long-term because passengers will travel, especially in APAC, and that will grow, so it’s about building it for the long haul as well,” she said. “While the Chinese economy is affected, we see growth in other economies and strive to make sure there is something for everyone.”

The new wall of popular homegrown lager Tiger Beer – a bar and restaurant concept that’s the first of its kind in the world.

The main categories that are holding well for CAG are luxury, buoyed by an expanded range of products and changes in currency exchange rates meaning passengers in some countries become more affluent (building on an already relatively high-spending traveller mix). Another is deli, as travellers become increasingly lured by F&B.

CAG is also investing in robotics and AI to help streamline operational costs.

“We are using robots to deliver some of the goods between our stores,” said Jean. “Currently you can also pre-order products that you want on iShopChangi before you come to the airport. You can collect them when you arrive at the airport and then spend the rest of your time browsing for other gifts to buy.”

CAG’s e-commerce arm iShopChangi registered double-digit growth last year. Through the online service, passengers can get their hands on products even after they arrive thanks to the home delivery option.

“Another concept robot we will be trialling in our duty-free stores, at The Shilla’s in particular, is one that’s able to give information on any product,” she said. “It’s novel and cool and practically speaking, the robot can speak as many languages as we need it to.”

[Ed – the as yet unnamed ‘duty-free’ robot is designed in a human-like form though is still under development.]

“Manpower will increasingly be a challenge – especially for a small country like us,” said Jean. “So we are heavily investing in this area with trials and innovations.”

In the immediate term, CAG is driving value in collaboration with its partners and is powering forward with exclusivity.

“To always have something fresh requires deliberate ongoing efforts,” said Jean. “And we are getting used to that momentum. Investment in experiential retail, integrated concepts require a long-term view – we need to plan ahead to take this to fruition. We will be testing some of the concepts we have planned for T5 in T3.”

The element of surprise for passengers is important so that even frequent travellers can find something new each time they visit.

When asked for her best piece of advice for brands looking to succeed in airside environments today, she responded: “I would encourage them to tell their brand story, develop exclusive products so the products become relevant to the market and Changi, and take a long-term view of the business because everything takes time. As long as we are proud of the products we are showcasing, and the fact we are offering something different to the passengers, then there are many opportunities for success.

“Travellers will always travel and, as humans, we always look for something new and special. And I think airports and where people travel is the best place to co-create such an environment and these products.”

This feature first appeared in the May 2026 issue of TRBusiness magazine. 

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