Paya Lebar Airport opened on 20 August 1955, three years after the task to build a civil airport began. Extensions that were completed at a later date included a passenger terminal building, a passenger arrival hall, a freight centre and an engineering hanger. Paya Lebar Airport continued running till 1981, when it handed over its civil operations to the newly-opened Changi Airport, which was built to cater to the increased demand for air transport and travel during the 1970s. Paya Lebar was subsequently converted to a military airbase under the Singapore Air Force, known as Paya Lebar Air Base today.
