After waiting in line for take off for over an hour at Singapore Changi, I finally made it to take off and cruise altitude. I understand that the airport was super busy with inbound and outbound traffic, but ATC need to pay better attention to the length of time we’re waiting in line and the order in which flights are given take off clearance.
There were flights that hadn’t even been waiting in sequence for 10 minutes being given take off clearance.
We had at least 3 different Tower controllers during that time so I understand that logging into a crowded airport can be a little daunting but the over an hour wait was a joke.
Hey there! Welcome to the Community!
I’m sorry to hear you had a frustrating experience. As for takeoff queue order, it’s more about what’s the most efficient order. If there is an aircraft that maybe only has been waiting a few minutes but is in a position that we can get them out quickly between two close arrivals, we will do so. Yes we will take “takeoff request order” into account as well on top of that, but our goal is to get as many aircraft in/out in as short a time as we can.
This is not that unusual for the main hub of the day at the weekend, particularly at an airport as popular as Singapore, and with several large-ish airports within a short flying time that people can come in from.
Adding to this, for example if there’s a tight gap and I have a heavy and a narrowbody holding short, I will often prioritize the narrowbody knowing they can takeoff quicker, disregarding time holding short.
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