World Cup fever at Changi Airport

World Cup fever at Changi Airport

World Cup fever has hit Changi Airport. All three terminals at the airport have seen passengers glued to the screens to catch the football action before boarding their flights.

Footballs fans can catch the matches at specially designed "mini stadiums" which have 10 TV screens each.

On average, each match attracts some 400 fans, but a few of the games have exceeded the 1,000 mark.

Since the opening match on 11 June, close to 30,000 passengers from all over the world have caught the World Cup action at Changi's transit areas and another 70,000 have watched the delayed telecasts of these matches.

The service is a winner with the international travellers as it allows them to support their teams while on the go, just like a group of German fans who caught the Germany-Argentina quarter-final match on Saturday night.

"We have been starving for information during the flight from Bali and...here...we saw the perfect game," said a German fan.

"It's a fantastic service that the airport provides," said another.

"I did not think that I will be able to to see this game. So I was very happy that I could have a chance to watch it," said a traveller from Scotland.

The FIFA Official Store at Changi has also benefited from the World Cup fever, with sales surging by 50 percent since the start of the competition.

Changi is confident that by the end of the competition, more than 100,000 passengers would have watched football at the airport.

During the 2006 World Cup, passengers were also able to catch the action at Changi Airport.

-News courtesy of Channel Newsasia-