Latest news with #ChangiEast
CNA
15-05-2025
- Business
- CNA
SATS to invest S$250m to upgrade, expand capabilities
Singapore will soon be able to process more cargo, and more efficiently, as the country strives to become a global supply chain hub. This is as ground handling firm SATS is pumping in S$250 million to increase capacity and upgrade its fleet over the next five years. These upgrades are set to support growing cargo volumes at Changi Airport through the mid-2030s, when the new Terminal 5 and Changi East Industrial Zone are projected to start operations. Claudia Lim with more.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Singapore's Changi Airport starts building fifth terminal after pandemic pause
SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Singapore's Changi Airport on Wednesday started construction of a fifth terminal, as the world's fourth-busiest airport by international passengers expands to capitalise on growing air travel in Asia after the pandemic. The airport will also integrate a third runway, which is currently used by the military, by 2030. Flag carrier Singapore Airlines will eventually consolidate its operations at the new terminal, which will open in the mid-2030s and will be able to handle 50 million passengers per year in its initial phase. At the groundbreaking, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said the airport aims to connect Singapore to more than 200 cities by the mid-2030s from around 170 cities now. The government paused work on the terminal in 2020 for two years as air travel collapsed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and subsequently amended design features to meet the needs of post-pandemic travel. Changi Airport has a current capacity of 90 million passengers annually and handled 67.7 million passengers last year. Asia's post-pandemic air travel recovery has lagged in places due to China being slower than the rest of the world to return to international flying. However passenger numbers in Asia-Pacific are projected to double by 2043, with an annual growth rate of 5.1% outpacing expected growth in Europe and North America, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The terminal is part of a 1,080-hectare Changi East development, which will also contain cargo and other aviation facilities. Airport operator Changi Airport Group this month said it had awarded contracts for substructure and airside infrastructure works worth S$4.75 billion ($3.6 billion) on May 5. Other air hubs in Asia are also expanding capacity to meet future demand. In November, Hong Kong International, the world's busiest cargo airport, began operating three runways to increase the number of flights it can handle. ($1=S$1.30)
Reuters
14-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Singapore's Changi Airport starts building fifth terminal after pandemic pause
SINGAPORE, May 14 (Reuters) - Singapore's Changi Airport on Wednesday started construction of a fifth terminal, as the world's fourth-busiest airport by international passengers expands to capitalise on growing air travel in Asia after the pandemic. The airport will also integrate a third runway, which is currently used by the military, by 2030. Flag carrier Singapore Airlines ( opens new tab will eventually consolidate its operations at the new terminal, which will open in the mid-2030s and will be able to handle 50 million passengers per year in its initial phase. At the groundbreaking, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said the airport aims to connect Singapore to more than 200 cities by the mid-2030s from around 170 cities now. The government paused work on the terminal in 2020 for two years as air travel collapsed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and subsequently amended design features to meet the needs of post-pandemic travel. Changi Airport has a current capacity of 90 million passengers annually and handled 67.7 million passengers last year. Asia's post-pandemic air travel recovery has lagged in places due to China being slower than the rest of the world to return to international flying. However passenger numbers in Asia-Pacific are projected to double by 2043, with an annual growth rate of 5.1% outpacing expected growth in Europe and North America, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The terminal is part of a 1,080-hectare Changi East development, which will also contain cargo and other aviation facilities. Airport operator Changi Airport Group this month said it had awarded contracts for substructure and airside infrastructure works worth S$4.75 billion ($3.6 billion) on May 5. Other air hubs in Asia are also expanding capacity to meet future demand. In November, Hong Kong International, the world's busiest cargo airport, began operating three runways to increase the number of flights it can handle. ($1=S$1.30)
CNA
14-05-2025
- Business
- CNA
Changi Airport's T5 to create jobs, business opportunities for Singaporeans, says PM Wong at groundbreaking
SINGAPORE: Changi Airport's Terminal 5 (T5) is a "significant engineering undertaking" that will benefit both local businesses and jobseekers, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong during the groundbreaking ceremony of the mega project on Wednesday (May 14). T5 will bring many more opportunities for Singaporeans, said Mr Wong, who is also Finance Minister. The construction of the terminal itself will be "significant' and "complex", he said in a speech at the ceremony, which is held at the Changi East Site where T5 will be built. "Our local businesses will have the opportunity to participate in this process, some already are involved in some of the ongoing work," he said. The terminal - built on a plot of land about 20 per cent bigger than Toa Payoh - will have three different parts connected by automated people movers akin to the existing sky trains, while its location could pave the way for air-sea transfers via Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal. The Singapore Airlines (SIA) Group will consolidate SIA and Scoot operations under one roof at T5 for better 'operational synergies', the group said separately on Wednesday. The terminal will also be able to withstand extreme weather and climate change effects, and will be designed to deploy technology at scale. Mr Wong said that when T5 is operational, there will also be more demand for services and workers, both in the airport and in other industries that will grow together with it. 'This will provide more quality jobs for Singaporeans, requiring new skillsets in areas like data science, robotics, and sustainability,' he added. Mr Wong said that over the longer term, air travel is on a growth trajectory, and the bulk of the growth will take place in the Asia-Pacific. He noted that Changi currently has around 170 city links, and the number is growing. Mr Wong added that T5 will support the goal of reaching more than 200 city links by the mid-2030s. When the first phase of the T5 project is completed in the mid-2030s, the terminal will be able to handle about 50 million passengers annually. Changi Airport's existing four terminals now have a 90 million passenger capacity, and they handled 68.4 million passengers in the past financial year. The opening of T5 will expand Changi Airport's capacity by over 50 per cent to 140 million, and place it among the world's mega airports, defined as those that handle more than 100 million passengers a year. Timeline of Terminal 5 The mega project was first announced in 2013 by then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in his National Day Rally speech. Land preparation works for Changi East - which the terminal will be on - and the planning for T5 began in 2014, including the functional design studies and concept development for the terminal. There was a two-year pause to the T5 project in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Its design was reviewed to meet the needs of post-pandemic travel. In 2022, work on the T5 project resumed, with its design altered to be more modular, resilient and sustainable. On May 14, 2025, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong broke ground for T5, with works on the terminal to start thereafter. Construction is projected to span over a decade, with the first phase opening in the mid-2030s. WHAT T5 WILL LOOK LIKE Built on a plot almost as big as the land area of the existing airport, the first phase of T5 will consist of three different parts, T5A, T5B and T5C. T5A will be where facilities such as the immigration halls, baggage claim halls and boarding gates will be. Connected to this will be T5B, which will be where more boarding gates will be located. In total, T5A and T5B will have 49 contact stands, or parking areas for aircraft that connect to the boarding gates. T5C will have more boarding gates, but it will be in a separate building from T5A and T5B. This is to allow for a taxiway between the buildings, so planes can taxi to gates on the opposite side of T5 without having to make a detour. T5C will have 22 contact stands, about the same number as Terminal 4. The different parts of T5 will be connected via a train system dubbed the 'automated people mover system'. The trains will primarily travel above ground, but with T5C being in a separate building from the other T5 parts, the train will go underground under the taxiway when travelling to T5C. The distance between T5A and T5C is about 2km. The distance that passengers have to walk, however, will still be comparable to what they would cover in the current terminals, given the network of travellators and trains. Most passengers arriving in Singapore will be able to hop onto a taxi or MRT within 30 minutes after leaving their aircraft, said CAG chief executive officer Yam Kum Weng during his speech at the groundbreaking ceremony. He added that transfer passengers in T5 can connect to another flight in under an hour, faster than the current transfer times. There will be a separate train service from Terminal 5 to Terminal 2 via a 2.5km underground link between the terminals, which began construction in 2024. The roof of T5 will feature overlapping 'roof leaves' with varying heights, which will create 'a variety of spaces that are more human scale', said CAG in material provided to the media. The baggage claim hall will feature 'vertical gardens', while the departure pick-up point will feature a roof that allows natural light to filter through. 'Combined with natural light and landscaping at appropriate spaces, the terminal will have the familiar cosy, yet uplifting feel that Changi is known for,' said CAG. The Changi East development that T5 is located in will also feature the future Changi East Urban District, which will serve as a 'vibrant business and lifestyle destination' and the future Changi East Industrial Zone, said CAG. The entire Changi East development, which includes T5, is expected to run into 'tens of billions', it was reported in 2018. The Changi Airport Development Fund will be topped up by S$5 billion to support this. AIR-SEA LINK, CLIMATE RESILIENCE, HARNESSING TECHNOLOGY T5's proximity to Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal also allows for the possibility of facilitating seamless air-sea transfers to neighbouring destinations, said CAG. One airport that currently has air-sea transfers is Hong Kong International Airport, which has a SkyPier Terminal that facilitates direct flight-to-ferry connections New roads will also be built to connect T5 to Tanah Merah Coast Road, East Coast Parkway and the Pan Island Expressway. T5 will also be connected to the rest of Singapore through a ground transportation centre at the terminal where passengers can access train, bus, taxi and other transportation services. There are plans for the Thomson-East Coast Line and the future Cross Island Line to be connected to T5. The terminal will also be designed to withstand extreme weather and climate change effects, with an airfield that is 5.5m above sea level, and taxiways that are sloped to allow rainwater to drain off. The terminal will also be designed to deploy automation at scale, with technology currently being trialled at the existing terminals. For instance, video analytics and artificial intelligence used to actively track flight activity can predict potential delays for ground handlers to better deploy resources at the terminal.
Forbes
06-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Singapore's Mega Airport Project Pushes Forward With $3.7 Billion Contracts Awarded
The Changi Airport tower and Jewel facade. The Changi Airport Group has awarded two contracts worth S$4.8 billion ($3.7 billion) for the construction of its biggest passenger terminal as Singapore seeks to tap into the travel boom. Dubbed Terminal 5, it will have an annual passenger capacity of 50 million when completed, according to a company statement. Changi Airport is among the world's busiest aviation hubs, handling almost 68 million passengers last year. A joint venture between China Communications Construction Co. and the Singapore unit Japan's Obayashi Corp. was awarded the S$3.8 billion substructure contract while the S$950 million contract for airside infrastructure works was bagged by local contractor Hwa Seng Builder. 'The appointments of the contractors for substructure construction and airfield works bring us closer to the start of T5's construction,' Ong Chee Chiau, managing director of Changi Airport's Changi East said in the statement. T5's construction will start in the first half of 2025, and is expected to be completed in the mid-2030s, he said. T5 represents one of the most complex construction projects in Singapore, according to Ong. It is part of the larger Changi East development that includes Changi Airport's third runway, cargo logistics facilities and other supporting aviation and ground transport infrastructure. The substructure contract comprises the construction of the foundation and basements of the T5 main passenger terminal and ground transportation center, including a portion of the tunnels that would link it to the existing Terminal 2, the statement said. The substructure covers 140 hectares with a basement depth of up to 28 metres, equivalent to about 5,200 Olympic-sized swimming pools put together. The airside infrastructure works covers the development of remote aircraft stands, connecting taxi lanes and ancillary support buildings, according to the statement. 'Together with our partners, we will ensure that the high standards which define Changi Airport can be replicated or even surpassed in the development works of T5,' Ong said. Changi Airport was named last month as the world's best airport at London-based aviation consultancy Skytrax's World Airport Awards, reclaiming the title from Qatar's Hamad International Airport, which took the coveted accolade in 2024.
