Heavy security a distraction from the real battle at Changi

DISEMBARK AT SINGAPORE'S Changi International Airport these days and you are likely to see squads of troops patrolling the check-in desks and duty-free counters with automatic weapons tucked under their arms.

The uniformed guards are a feature of the post-September 11 world, there to keep the peace in what is commonly regarded as one of the world's finest aviation facilities.

But these days, the threats to the smooth-running Singapore air-hub do not come just from terrorists bent on destruction. The city-state's flagship airport - the region's largest when it first opened its doors at the eastern end of the island in 1981 - is also facing a growing challenge from regional rivals.

'Remaining No 1 is not easy. As you are all aware, competition in the region is heating up,' Singapore Transport Minister Yeo Cheow Tong said last year in a comment typical of many that he has made. 'A number of new airports have already been opened, or are under construction, equipped with state-of-the-art facilities.'

Perhaps the most potent threat to Changi's long-standing commercial supremacy comes from Malaysia, home to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). Built at a reported cost of M$9 billion (about HK$18 billion), the new terminals and runways to the south of the capital are capable of handling 25 million passengers a year.

Last year, KLIA saw about 15 million, and to boost that figure its operator, Malaysia Airports Holdings, is going after Singapore, which handled about 29 million passengers last year. In May, Malaysia's Transport Minister Ling Liong Sik said landing and parking fees for new airlines using KLIA would be waived for five years. The same bonus would be available for existing airlines that added extra flights, he said.