SINGAPORE: Construction on Changi Airport’s Terminal 5 (T5) is expected to start in 2025, with the terminal to be operational around the mid-2030s, announced Transport Minister S Iswaran on Friday (Mar 3).
Providing an update on the project, Mr Iswaran said land preparation and drainage works at Changi East have been completed, and the third runway will also be ready towards the later part of this decade.
The project was put on pause for two years due to the pandemic.
To this end, the Government will inject a further S$2 billion into the Changi Airport Development fund, as it is important to set aside some resources whenever it has the means for projects with “large and lumpy expenditure”, he added.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said at the National Day Rally last year that T5 has been redesigned to be pandemic-ready and more energy-efficient.
To anticipate the growth in flights and passengers at Changi Airport in the run-up to T5, Changi Airport Group and airport stakeholders have worked out “operational plans”, said Mr Iswaran.
The aviation workforce currently stands at about 90 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, with a full recovery expected by this year, he shared.
Meanwhile, passenger traffic volumes, flights and city links currently stand at about 80 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. And based on the current trajectory, passenger level at Changi Airport is on track to recover to pre-pandemic levels by 2024 or earlier.
AVIATION SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAMME
To encourage the aviation sector to step up its sustainability efforts, the Government will establish a S$50 million Aviation Sustainability Programme, added Mr Iswaran.
The programme will provide up to 70 per cent funding for sector-wide projects and up to 50 per cent funding for company-level projects, added the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) in a media release.
“Examples of projects which the Aviation Sustainability Programme could support include the adoption of novel or more energy-efficient airport systems and/or equipment; optimisation of airport processes to enhance operational efficiency and sustainability of key processes, such as reducing aircraft turnaround time or improving airside vehicle movements; and transition to cleaner energy sources such as testing of new alternative or low carbon fuels.”
