Many of us who travelled through Changi Airport Terminal 2 (T2) before 2020 would remember the analogue flip boards, or Solari boards, that displayed all the important flight information for passengers.
Source: Changi Airport on Facebook
Sadly, the boards were taken down as the terminal closed for extensive renovations, with one of them joining the Heritage Conservation Centre.
As for the other, it has recently found a new home in the National Museum of Singapore, where it will be part of an upcoming exhibition on the country’s history of travellers.
In response to queries from MS News, a spokesperson shared that the National Museum is holding an exhibition called ‘Now Boarding: Experiencing Singapore through Travel’ from 27 May to 19 Nov.
The museum first hinted at the Solari board’s arrival via a Facebook post in March 2020. Over three years later, it looks like the move has finally come to pass.
Photos show workers installing the iconic board in the museum’s rotunda, where it will be on public display.
Source: Changi Airport on Facebook
According to the museum, the exhibition traces Singapore’s identity between the 1800s and 2000s from the perspective of travellers who arrived at our shores through those years.
It will also explore “the visual language that has shaped our unique identity”.
The flip boards first started operating at T2 in 1999.
Comprising more than 2,000 individual modules, motors powering the board provided speedy rotations of five flaps a second.
This is what produced the distinct — and now nostalgia-inducing — clacking sound that signalled the appearance of new flight information.
Source: Changi Airport Group
In 2016, the Solari boards even welcomed Joseph Schooling home by displaying his historic Olympic gold medal-winning time.
However, the BBC notes that these traditional boards were getting more and more difficult to update and upkeep.
In fact, Changi Airport Group had said that it was removing the boards as maintaining and sourcing parts for them was a challenge.
The T2 Solari boards were officially decommissioned at 11.30pm on 6 Feb 2020.
With its addition to the National Museum, at least Singaporeans can relive all the good memories they had jetting off on long-awaited getaways from T2.
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Featured image adapted from Changi Airport Group and Changi Airport on Facebook.
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