In addition to its ongoing reopening, Singapore will look to further expand its travel capacity with plans to launch a new terminal that will rely heavily on automation and be resilient to future pandemics.
Singapore will commence work on developing a fifth terminal at Changi Airport with a focus on automation and the ability to adjust capacity during a pandemic as a means of maintaining resilience in times of crisis.
«We redesigned T5 to be more resilient, in particular, to operate more safely and flexibly during a pandemic, to scale operations up and down more easily, and to isolate passengers from different flights to limit cross-infection,» said Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in his National Day Rally address over the weekend.
The plans are based on a revised design that took into consideration new post-pandemic factors. «Terminal 5» is scheduled to begin construction in about two years and finish in the middle of the next decade with cost in the «tens of billions of dollars».
50 Million Travellers
According to Singapore authorities, the giant Terminal 5 is expected to handle 50 million travellers a year with cameras and technology that bypass traditional flight control towers, a laser-guided bridge that positions itself for disembarking and automated vehicles to unload baggage.
In the event of a pandemic, the terminal is designed to operate smaller sub-terminals with spaces that can be converted to alternative use like testing or the segregation of high risk passengers, according to a separate statement from the Ministry of Transport. Other features include contactless systems at passenger touch points and enhanced ventilation.
«T5 will show the world what sort of place Singapore is,» Lee said.
Versus Hong Kong
In contrast, rival hub Hong Kong continues to enforce relatively strict travel curbs that have limited flight activity, though the city did cut hotel quarantine from seven to three days earlier this month.
In June, Singapore announced plans to reopen two terminals that were closed during the pandemic as travel demand in the city-state surged. In addition to the new terminal, Changi Airport also opened fresh lounges in May that feature private day rooms, showers and cocktail bars overlooking the runway, following a S$50 million ($36 million) upgrade.
