The reopening of this key air hub for Asia Pacific travel follows those of other countries in the region which have also removed mandatory quarantines and other restrictions.
Previously, only nationals of a handful of countries with agreements with Singapore could enter the Southeast Asian city-state without undergoing quarantine, but from Friday travelers only need to show a test negative.
Changi Airport saw its activity resume with floods of arriving passengers while hundreds of travelers crowded the departures area to exit the island.
"It's wonderful," observed Aldo Pizzini, a 63-year-old Italian businessman from Milan.
"I took the first opportunity to fly today, now that the restrictions are lifted (...) we are back to normal," he told AFP.
Diana Mathias, originally from Guyana and living in Abu Dhabi, came to Singapore on vacation for a week with her mother.
"I'm really happy because it's been a long time since I've flown."
The 38-year-old admitted she was "a little stressed" about having to go through a lot of paperwork to travel, but in the end she found the process "really easy".
Neighboring Malaysia also fully reopened its borders on Friday, allowing thousands of cars and motorbikes to rush over the bridge that separates the Malay Peninsula from Singapore.
This border crossing, one of the busiest in the world, had already been partially reopened last year.
Kuala Lumpur airport has also seen foreign tourist arrivals resume after being closed for nearly two years.
Bo Lingam, CEO of regional airline AirAsia predicted a "jump" in air travel in the region.
This reopening of the borders is "a joy for me and for our staff who had to face a lot of difficulties during the pandemic", he told AFP.
"From today, we will no longer see our planes stay on the tarmac but they will fly in the blue sky".
© 2022 AFP