The Ministry of Transport (MOT), the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and Changi Airport Group (CAG) will break ground on the construction of Changi Airport’s Terminal 5 (T5) in the first half of 2025.
Lawrence Wong, the Prime Minister of Singapore, made the announcement at the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) 40th Anniversary Dinner. He said, “The International Air Transport Association projects that post-Covid air passenger volume will double by 2040. Countries in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond are making significant investments to expand and improve their airport infrastructure, to capture more of this traffic. Some have announced plans for mega airports that can handle more than 100 million passengers a year. They are narrowing the gap with Singapore. So we must continue to sharpen our competitive edge and develop new advantages to set us apart. The most important thing we are doing for the next leg of our aviation journey is our investment in T5. We will break ground for the construction of T5 in the first half of next year.”
Changi Airport’s Terminal 5
The terminal will be located within the 1,080ha Changi East development, which has a similar land area to the current Changi Airport. T5 will be designed to handle about 50 million passengers per year and have the flexibility to be built in two phases, in line with traffic growth.
Wong added, “Besides additional capacity, the government is also working closely with our international partners to further liberalize our air services agreements, so that airlines can mount more flights, and expand Changi’s network. We are already well connected, with almost 150 city links today. But we aim to grow this further, to over 200 links in the mid-2030s.”
To connect T5 to the rest of Singapore, the terminal will have a dedicated ground transportation center where passengers can access rail, bus and other point-to-point transportation services. The industrial area Changi East Urban District (CEUD) will also be on its doorstep; planning for the CEUD will be done in consultation with the Ministry of National Development, the Urban Redevelopment Authority and other agencies.
The terminal is intended to be a Green Mark Platinum Super Low Energy Building as certified by the Building and Construction Authority. To reduce the carbon footprint of T5, solar panels, smart building management systems and district cooling combined with thermal energy storage will be deployed in the terminal building. T5 will also be ready for viable alternative fuels including the use of sustainable aviation fuel, and for the provision of fixed ground power and cooling for aircraft parked at the gates.
To grow sustainably, CAAS has also adopted the Sustainable Air Hub Blueprint, which “sets out clear and pragmatic strategies to decarbonize the sector, while keeping our air hub competitive”, Wong said.
Technology-powered growth
T5 will use technology to automate and digitalize airport operations, to improve the passenger experience and increase manpower productivity. For example, T5 could see the deployment of autonomous vehicles to support baggage and cargo transportation on the airside and robotics for baggage handling. The terminal will be designed to accommodate and facilitate the deployment of such technology at scale. These efforts will provide the airport’s local enterprises with an opportunity to build capabilities in new areas such as robotics and artificial intelligence, and ultimately create jobs for Singaporeans within the airport ecosystem.
In his speech, Wong highlighted the importance of harnessing technology to create value for the passenger and prepare the airport for the future of aviation. He said, “How can we stay ahead of the curve? First, we need to step up innovation. For example, CAAS has worked with air navigation service providers from several countries to allow their airlines to plan routes freely within a defined airspace, without having to stick to predefined highways in the skies. So this reduces flight time and fuel consumption, and it is good for passengers, airlines, and also the environment! On the ground, CAG, with the support of CAAS, has been working with the industry to trial the use of autonomous baggage-handling vehicles. This is to help to overcome manpower shortages and shorten aircraft turnaround time.”
On September 6, 2024, CAAS also signed an MoU to establish the International Aviation Lab. “This is in partnership with the International Centre for Aviation Innovation, SUTD – one of our universities, Airbus, Boeing, CAG, SATS, SIA, and the International Airlines Group. The Lab will work on more efficient ways to handle aircraft, passengers, and baggage,” Wong said.
“This is the first time that an aviation authority, airport operator, airline, aircraft manufacturers are all coming together. It is a good example of how Singapore can convene partners and stakeholders and serve as a pathfinder for the global aviation industry.”
Covid-19 pandemic
First announced in 2013, Changi Airport’s Terminal 5 (T5) project was paused for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. During this time, MOT, CAAS and CAG re-assessed the trajectory of aviation growth, and reviewed T5’s design to make it more modular, and to enhance its resilience and sustainability. T5 now is expected to be operational around the mid-2030s.
“[The Covid years] all feel like a bad dream now. Flights were canceled, planes were grounded and our terminals were completely empty. We were all genuinely worried about the future of Changi and SIA. However, despite the severe disruptions from the Covid-19 pandemic, Changi never shut down completely. In the end, we got through the Covid-19 pandemic together. In the first half of 2024, Changi’s passenger traffic has returned to almost 100% of pre-pandemic levels. Our aviation workforce has exceeded pre-Covid levels. We have welcomed new airlines and added new links to cities. We are not only on track to full recovery, but we have also bounced back stronger, and we are doing better than before. While we celebrate these achievements, we cannot rest on our laurels.”
For more of the top insights into the future of Changi Airport, read Passenger Terminal Today’s exclusive interview with Koh Ming Sue, executive vice president of engineering and development at Changi Airport Group, here.