More Skytrain cars, Terminal 3 upgrade part of Changi Airport’s S$3 billion enhancement plan
The S$3 billion investment will be funded by an increase in airport charges.
by Charmaine Jacob · CNA · JoinSINGAPORE: The addition of Skytrain cars and the upgrading of Terminal 3 are among Changi Airport’s initiatives to update its infrastructure to meet the rising demand for air travel.
The airport is also set to expand its arrival immigration halls and check-in facilities, and introduce a new rooftop inter-terminal baggage conveyance system.
A total of S$3 billion (US$2.26 billion) will be invested over the next six years in these projects, with funding coming from an increase in airport fees, the airport and Singapore’s aviation authority said at a media briefing on Thursday (Nov 7).
These investments are essential for Changi to stay “strategically ahead of the game”, said Mr Koh Ming Sue, executive vice-president of engineering and development at Changi Airport Group (CAG).
The airport’s traffic has recovered to near pre-pandemic levels, with more than 65 million passengers being handled between October 2023 to September 2024. This is already higher than the 58.9 million passenger movements in 2023, and close to the 68.3 million seen in 2019.
Without upgrading Changi Airport’s infrastructure, local airlines will not be able to grow in the coming years, said CAG CEO Yam Kum Weng. If demand exceeds airlines' capabilities, airfares are likely to increase, he added.
“So that's the reason why we wanted to invest in this infrastructure to create a capacity for airlines to grow so that you got more flights and more frequencies and to also more destinations,” Mr Yam said.
MORE SKYTRAIN CARS
Changi Airport will add seven new cars to its Skytrain system to minimise waiting times and carry more passengers travelling between Terminals 1, 2 and 3.
The airport currently has 22 Skytrain cars, each with a 50-passenger capacity. The new cars will be added by 2026 and will operate until the late 2030s before the entire system is overhauled.
“Singapore is an international airhouse, and transfer and transit passengers (are) a critical component of our air hub. It augments the domestic demand and allows the Singapore air hub to have flight connections to many more cities, and to have these connections a lot more frequently,” said Mr Han Kok Juan, the director-general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS).
Various Skytrain subsystems, including its signalling and communications systems, will also be replaced as they are nearing end-of-life after operating since 2008.
TERMINAL 3 UPGRADES
Opened in 2008, Terminal 3 will see improvements to its systems and terminal facilities to improve the passenger experience there and provide a boost to its retail businesses.
“Over the course of the last 10 years, Changi Airport Group has built Terminal 4, upgraded and expanded Terminals 1 and 2 successively. We are planning to do the same for Terminal 3, which has been operating for nearly 20 years without a major refresh,” said Mr Koh, adding that more details will be provided in the future.
To assist with the growing amount of baggage from an increase in passenger numbers, Terminal 3’s early bag storage subsystem will be revamped to hold 65 per cent more baggage.
This will allow 10,000 bags to be held across all four terminals by 2029, an increase from the 8,000 bags currently, CAG said in a media release, adding that Terminals 1 and 2 will also benefit from Terminal 3’s bigger storage system.
Changi Airport will also construct a new rooftop inter-terminal conveyance system to transfer baggage from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3.
Mr Koh explained that the volume of inter-terminal baggage movement is getting very high, and both systems together will be able to hold 4,000 bags come 2029.
“This will ease the demand on the current underground system and reduce manpower needed for the towing of baggage,” CAG and CAAS said in a media release.
OTHER ENHANCEMENTS
By the end of this year, Terminal 4 will have a new check-in row that will facilitate fast and easy travel through self-service check-in kiosks and automated bag drops.
The new facilities will increase the terminal’s check-in volume by approximately 15 per cent and will accommodate up to 2,500 passengers per hour.
Terminal 1’s east and west arrival immigration halls will also be expanded by almost 60 per cent by 2026.
“The larger space will relieve the key bottlenecks for arrival clearance, especially during peak periods,” CAG and CAAS said.
CAG and CAAS also said that the construction of Terminal 5 will begin in 2025 and it will be operational in the mid-2030s.
When operational, Terminal 5 will serve an additional 50 million passengers annually, on top of Changi Airport’s current capacity of 90 million.
“As a major air hub for the Asia-Pacific region and beyond, Changi Airport is well-poised to serve this rise in demand and provide even better connectivity to travellers,” said Mr Han.
Airside infrastructure will also be improved to accommodate Boeing’s new B779 family of planes.
Known to be the world’s longest twin-engine aircraft, the B779 has a wheel load that will put more stress on aircraft pavements. Hence, some taxiways will have to be reinforced and contact stands upgraded.
The airport currently has 111 contact stands and 78 remote stands. Thirty-seven of the contact stands can currently accommodate the B779, and this will increase to 39 in 2028.
As more planes use the airport to meet the influx of travellers, it will also construct more remote aircraft parking stands for both passengers and cargo. This will bring the total number of aircraft stands to more than 200.
MANPOWER INITIATIVES
Changi Airport will also invest in facilities to improve the safety and well-being of its workers, such as refresh pods to combat heat stress, improved lightning shelters and better staff loungers and rest areas.
Ground staff will also get more opportunities to upskill and take on higher-value roles.
Meanwhile, trials will be conducted where artificial intelligence will be used for security screening and to increase automation in the airport’s ground handling operations.
Such initiatives will be undertaken due to manpower constraints, said Mr Yam.
“We know that manpower constraint is a major challenge for many airports, and all the more so for Singapore because of our ageing population,” he said.
“The deployment of digital systems and automation will enhance our airline partners’ operational efficiency and productivity.”
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