SINGAPORE - A new path connecting Changi Airport and East Coast Park is now open, allowing visitors to cycle or jog to the airport for the first time.

The main attraction along this 3.5km route is a permanent outdoor display of more than 20 dinosaur models - from a towering Tyrannosaurus Rex to a trio of velociraptors.

New facilities are also available at pit stops, bicycle rental, pay-per-use showers, washing bay, and a new cafe.

Changi Airport Group (CAG) said on Sunday (Oct 11) that the new link will offer an alternative route to get to the airport and a new recreational option for Singaporeans.

With the opening of the Changi Airport Connector, the airport is now connected to the larger Park Connector Network in the east, to places like Changi Beach Park and Bedok Reservoir.

Previously, such a route for pedestrians to the airport - running parallel to Airport Boulevard road - was not available.

The project took about three years from conceptualisation to completion, and was done with the support of the National Parks Board and the Singapore Tourism Board.

Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung officiated at the opening of the connector on Sunday at the start of the Changi Jurassic Mile, after he cycled from East Coast Park.

Entry to the 1km-stretch with dinosaur exhibits, is free.

But from Fridays to Sundays, visitors must make a booking before being allowed to enter from 9am to midnight due to safe distancing requirements.

Booking for Changi Jurassic Mile can be done at this website from Sunday.

Bicycles can be rented at $8 per hour for adult bicycles at the pit stop near Terminal 2.

These can be returned to other GoCycling outlets such as the ones at East Coast Park, Changi Beach Park and Punggol Park.

The new cafe, called Hub & Spoke, offers local and western fare, with the option of alfresco dining. It is open from 7.30am to 9.30pm daily.

Mr Jayson Goh, CAG's managing director for airport operations management said the intention was to connect Changi Airport with East Coast Park and the rest of Singapore's Park Connector Network for the benefit of the airport community and local residents.

"The new experiential elements injected along the Changi Jurassic Mile will offer all who visit a sense of adventure and surprise. With the Changi Airport Connector, we hope to give visitors a different experience of the airport," he said.

Mr Jaryl Sim, owner of the Hub & Spoke cafe, said he was not initially attracted to the location last year, but was persuaded after learning of the plans to develop the area.

Currently, about half of the customers to the cafe, which opened on August 12, are airport staff, he said.

"With the opening of the connector and as more airport operations resume, we hope there would be an uptick of customers in the future, including tourists," said Mr Sim.

Events management consultant Chan Kok Meng, 43, was at the Jurassic Mile with his family of four, including two boys, seven and five.

Asked if he would visit again, Mr Chan said: "We have no choice - our boy wants us to bring him here again as he wants to sketch the dinosaurs."