Singapore has unveiled Changi International Airport (SIN) Terminal 5 project preview for the first time during the country’s Prime Minister’s National Day Rally 2022.
The new terminal is expected to serve 50 million passengers, which is a greater number of passengers than Terminals 1 and 3 combined. Having halted works on the new terminal as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, construction is now expected to begin in about two years. The T5 is expected to be operational around the mid-2030s.
While news that Singapore will resume work on the new Terminal 5 at Changi Airport was announced in May 2022, the Ministry of Transport (MoT), the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and Changi Airport Group (CAG) reassessed the T5 project to “make it more modular, resilient and sustainable”.
“Drawing on lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic, T5 will be designed with the flexibility to operate as smaller sub-terminals when needed, with space that could be converted for use during contingencies, such as for testing operations or the segregation of high-risk passengers,” Changi Airport Group outlined in a statement.
Additionally, the airport will feature infrastructure ready for the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) as well as other viable alternative sustainable fuels.
Singapore Changi Airport has been nominated as the world’s best airport for a number of years, making it one of the most popular attractions in the city-state. It is worth noting that Changi Airport has been trying to position itself as a premier air hub for Asia-Pacific and beyond for years.
According to the latest data, Changi Airport has emerged as the busiest airport in terms of international passenger traffic across Asia-Pacific since April 2022, beating rival Hong Kong International Airport (HKG). According to a report by South China Morning Post, Hong Kong Airport, which used to be the region’s busiest airport pre-pandemic, is not among the top 10 Asian airports.