Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has broken ground on Changi Airport Terminal 5 (T5), in a bid to position the airport to benefit from an expected surge in air travel within the Asia-Pacific region, reports The Straits Times. 

Work began on the Changi East Development on May 14, after being paused during the COVID-19 pandemic.

National carrier Singapore Airlines (SIA) and its budget arm Scoot will consolidate their operations under one roof at T5 when the terminal opens in the mid-2030s, according to operator Changi Airport Group (CAG). There will be room at T5 and other terminals for other carriers to expand their operations, CAG added. 

T5 will effectively double the size of Changi Airport, with a planned capacity of about 50 million passengers a year, boosting the airport’s current capacity of 90 million by more than 55 per cent.

There will also be expansion of cargo-handling capacity. Changi’s cargo facilities, currently located at the Changi Airfreight Centre, will be expanded to the Changi East Industrial Zone (CEIZ) as part of the Changi East Development.

The zone will be developed for airfreight, air express and maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) activities. Together with the remodeled Changi Airfreight Centre, Changi’s handling capabilities will increase from 3 million tonnes per annum today, to 5.4 million tonnes per annum in its end-state, when the project is completed, CAG said.