The Paya Lebar Air Base is a military airbase of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) located at Airport Road in Paya Lebar, in the eastern region of Singapore. The airbase goes by the motto of Strength Through Readiness. It was originally built in 1954 as Singapore International Airport to replace Kallang Airport; control of the airport was transferred to RSAF in 1980 when it was renamed Paya Lebar Air Base, following the relocation of the civilian airport to Changi. Under the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA)'s Master Plan, Paya Lebar Air Base is scheduled to be decommissioned by around 2030 to make way for residential and commercial developments as a new town, with the RSAF relocating to other airbases throughout the country such as at Changi and Tengah, which will be expanded throughout the 2020s. History The airport was built from 1952 to 1955, and opened on 20 August that year by the Secretary of State for the Colonies, Alan Lennox-Boyd. The architect for the project was J. J. Bryan, a public works engineer with experience constructing airports in other parts of Asia. It was one of the two hubs for Malayan Airways at this time, and the airline had its first flight outside Southeast Asia in 1958, using a DC-4 plane leased from Qantas, flying to Hong Kong. Turboprops were introduced over the next few years, and the name was changed to Malaysian Airways. In 1962, a joint RAF/Singapore civil Air Traffic Control service was formed to provide Military cover for Air Defence. During that time Britannia aircraft of British Eagle provided transport for the British military. Comet 4C's were common traffic and the new VC10 arrived reducing flight time, rather than the 24hrs-with stops- of the Britannia. In 1966, the company focused more on Singapore, buying Boeing 707s, headquartering itself in that country, and renaming itself Malaysia-Singapore Airlines – with a notable fluorescent yellow livery. Its primary hub became Paya Lebar, and services began to reach out further into North Asia. From 1979 to 1980, British Airways, in conjunction with Singapore Airlines, began supersonic Concorde services from London's Heathrow Airport, to Paya Lebar Singapore. Malaysia-Singapore Airlines was dissolved in 1972, with the airline splitting into two; Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines were formed – the latter keeping all the 707s; and Singapore Airlines remaining at Paya Lebar. Passenger numbers rose from 1.7 million to 4 million between