[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 consolidate the operations of SIA 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 their 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 this groundbreaking for Terminal 5.”
The new terminal 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.
Changi Airport Group chief executive officer Yam Kum Weng noted that the mega terminal will effectively double the size of Changi Airport. “It will give us the capacity to grow as an air hub of the region over many decades to come.”
He added: “With a portfolio of terminals, Changi will be better positioned to serve the growing needs of different airlines.”
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, who is also the finance minister, noted that T5 will bring opportunities for Singaporean companies and workers, with jobs in areas such as data science, robotics and sustainability.
With construction beginning, local businesses already have a chance to participate. The opening of T5 will boost demand for services and workers, both in the airport and in other industries, he added.
PM Wong also highlighted smart and sustainable aspects of the new terminal. Automation in the form of robotic baggage handling and automated aerobridges will improve efficiency and reduce reliance on manpower.
T5 will use cleaner energy, with a potential rooftop solar array; it could be one of Singapore’s largest, supplying 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 km from the main entrance to its furthest point, T5 will have its own internal train system linking three sub-terminals – T5A, T5B and T5C, each about 700 m wide.
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, a feature 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 statement.
Yam said that arriving passengers will be able to get into a taxi or MRT train within half an hour of leaving the aircraft. Transfer passengers will be able to connect to another flight in under an hour – faster than Changi’s current transfer time, he added.
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, the 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 three 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 being planned to serve the industrial zone and existing Changi Airfreight Centre.
Meanwhile, the Changi East Urban District could house a business park, hotels, a convention centre and lifestyle facilities.
