- Singapore’s Changi Terminal 2 reopens May 29
- Terminal 2 will reopen in phases as Changi Airport girds for an upsurge in passenger traffic in coming months
- T2 will cater mainly for T 3’s peak-hour arrival flights, but some flights may depart from T2 gates
- Upgrading works to be completed by 2024, raising T2’s capacity by 5 million to 28 million passenger movements per year
Singapore’s Changi Terminal 2 will reopen in phases starting on May 29 as Singapore’s air hub girds for a surge in passenger traffic in coming months as an easing of pandemic restrictions in most countries encourages people to travel.
Terminal 2 will host mainly Terminal 3’s peak-hour arrival flights while some flights may use Terminal 2 gates for departure, Changi Airport Group (CAG) twitted on May 22.
CAG said a small number of passengers will continue to check in and clear departure immigration at Terminal 3.
Terminal 2 has been closed for upgrading works since May 2020. The upgrading works will be completed by 2024, raising the terminal’s capacity by 5 million to 28 million passenger movements per year, said CAG.
“In this first phase of Terminal 2’s progressive reopening, key touchpoints such as arrival immigration, baggage claim belts and contact gates at the southern wing of the terminal will be ready for flight operations,” said CAG.
Those heading for Changi to receive passengers are advised to check which terminal an arriving flight has been assigned to park.
The information will be available on the Changi Airport website and the iChangi app at least two hours before the flight’s arrival time.
The expanded T2 will see a larger arrival immigration hall with more automated immigration as well as special assistance lanes.
The automated immigration lanes will serve Singaporeans and residents who have enrolled their iris and facial biometrics with the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, as well as eligible foreign visitors who have done the same upon their arrival in Singapore.
Singapore Transport Minister S Iswaran earlier announced on May 17 construction work on Changi Airport’s Terminal 5 project will resume in two to three years after being put on hold for two years due to the pandemic.
Iswaran made the announcement at his opening address at the Changi Aviation Summit organized by the Ministry of Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore.
“Given the current and projected recovery in air travel demand, we have a renewed impetus to secure our infrastructural capacity for growth,” Iswaran said.
“We have taken the opportunity of the two-year hiatus to comprehensively review the T5 design to make it more modular and flexible and enhance its resilience and sustainability. We will re-mobilize the design and engineering consultants progressively, to update and further refine the T5 design,” he said.
Iswaran said signs of recovery have emerged in Singapore. He said passenger traffic had more than doubled to above 40% of pre-COVID levels in May, compared with just under 20% in mid-March.
