Singapore's Changi Airport To Expand With New Terminal Project

Singapore's Changi International Airport, which won the title of world's best airport for 2025, is now set to get even bigger and better. Last week, Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong broke ground on Terminal 5, which is due to open in the mid-2030s. The new terminal, which spans 1,080 hectares, would nearly double the size of Changi Airport's current space once it starts to operate. It will be able to handle about 50 million passengers annually, thereby increasing the airport's present capacity from 90 million to 140 million passengers per year. Notably, Changi received a total of 67.7 million passengers in 2024.

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The new terminal will have some additional measures, such as a ventilation system that may be activated during a pandemic. All passengers will also use contactless entry points, which were already a part of Changi's plan to do away with all documents. In addition to providing a place for air to flow, layered roof leaves allow the terminal to be divided into many mini-terminals in case one of them has to be promptly closed off in order to separate people or conduct disease testing. Transit passengers in T5 will be able to connect to another flight in under an hour, faster than the current transfer times. Additionally, there will be a separate train service from Terminal 5 to Terminal 2 via a 2.5-km underground link between the terminals.

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Speaking at the groundbreaking, Mr Wong said that the choice to construct Terminal 5 was made because "over the longer term, air travel is on a rising trajectory, and the bulk of the growth will take place here in the Asia-Pacific region." He added that Changi plans to increase its present network of 170 city links to 200 with Terminal 5."[Changi] has connected our small island nation to the world, and brought the world to Singapore. And this connectivity has powered our growth as an air hub, driving industries like tourism, aerospace and logistics," Mr Wong said.

Meanwhile, Yam Kum Weng, CEO of the Changi Group, described the terminal as a "mega yet cosy" facility. Destined to be the primary terminal for Singapore Airlines, Terminal 5 is set to offer "a personalised, stress-free and positively surprising airport experience," Mr Weng added.