[SINGAPORE] Changi Airport’s upcoming Terminal 5 (T5) will host the operations of Singapore Airlines (SIA) group, with the terminal’s first phase designed to handle about 50 million passengers annually.
When the mega terminal opens in the mid-2030s, it will see a consolidation of operations for Singapore Airlines and Scoot, which are now spread across three terminals.
At T5’s groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday, (May 14), Prime Minister Lawrence Wong warned that Singapore cannot presume that Changi’s success will continue “on its own”.
Though there have been recent positive steps between the US and China, uncertainties remain and a global slowdown cannot be ruled out, he noted. Meanwhile, competition is sharpening as other countries invest in modernising their airports and in adjacent infrastructure.
Singapore must stay connected to the world and ensure that its air hub remains competitive, he said. “That’s why today, we are making another bold move in Changi, with T5.”
T5 is expected to take around a decade to complete and will boost Changi’s total annual capacity to around 140 million passengers, up from 90 million now.
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It will support Changi Airport’s goal of having air links with 200 cities, up from around 170 today.
In a separate statement, SIA Group said: “The SIA Group will consolidate SIA and Scoot operations under one roof at the new Terminal 5 when it opens, providing space for our future growth and enhancing operational synergies.”
“We are committed to working closely with Changi Airport Group to ensure that Terminal 5 provides a world-class ground experience for customers when they arrive, depart, or transit through our home base.”
Jobs in a smart, sustainable terminal
PM Wong noted that T5 will bring opportunities for Singaporean companies and workers, with quality jobs in areas such as data science, robotics and sustainability.
With construction beginning, local businesses already have a chance to participate. When T5 opens, this will further boost demand for services and workers, both in the airport as well as in other industries, he added.
PM Wong also highlighted smart and sustainable aspects of the new terminal. Automation will improve efficiency and reduce reliance on manpower, with robotic baggage handling and automated aerobridges.
T5 will use cleaner energy, with a potential rooftop solar array that could be one of Singapore’s largest and supply up to a fifth of the terminal’s energy needs. Separately, it will be able to support a fully electric fleet of airport vehicles.
Making connections
Drawing on lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic, T5 is designed for flexibility, allowing for capacity to be scaled quickly.
Spanning some 2 kilometres from the main entrance to its furthest point, T5 will have its own internal train system, linking three sub-terminals that are each about 700 metres wide: T5A, T5B and T5C.
With two internal train lines running down the middle, either half of the airport can be closed if needed. The smaller sub-terminals can also operate separately, which facilitates the management of high-risk passengers.
With travellators and the internal train, walking distances in T5 will be comparable to Changi’s current terminals, said Changi Airport Group in a media release.
A separate inter-terminal train system will connect T5 to the existing Terminal 2.
To reach the rest of the island, a ground transportation centre at T5 will bring together train, bus, taxi and other transport services, with plans for MRT connections to the Thomson-East Coast Line and the Cross Island Line.
As T5 will be closer to the existing Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal, Singapore can explore seamless air-sea transfers to neighbouring countries, added PM Wong. The ferry terminal serves destinations such as Desaru and Bintan.
West and east
The current Changi Airport and related facilities occupy about 12.4 square kilometres (sq km) in Changi West.
The new Changi East area will almost double that, by adding 10.8 sq km. This includes not just T5 and a third runway, but the ground transportation centre, Changi East Industrial Zone and the Changi East Urban District.
Between sub-terminal T5C and the Changi East Industrial Zone, there is space for a future additional sub-terminal or cargo terminal, if needed.
The Changi East Industrial Zone will expand Changi’s annual cargo handling capacity to around 5.4 million tonnes, up from 3 million tonnes now.
It will house facilities for air freight and express services, as well as aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul. A new Aviation Park MRT station on the Cross Island Line is planned to serve the Industrial Zone and existing Changi Airfreight Centre.
Meanwhile, the Changi East Urban District could house a business park, hotels and convention centre and lifestyle facilities.
