Airport charges will be progressively raised to finance this investment, recover costs for investments during Covid-19, and cater for higher operating costs
Changi Airport Group (CAG) will invest S$3bn over the next six years in Singapore Changi Airport Terminals 1 to 4, to improve services such as baggage handling, check-in, immigration and Skytrain connections between terminals. CAG will also replace end-of-life systems. The investments will help Changi Airport stay competitive and meet rising demand for air travel before Terminal 5 is operational in the mid-2030s.
Airport charges will be progressively raised between 2025 and 2030, to fund these investments and cater for higher operating costs such as manpower. This also enables the recovery of significant investments made during the Covid-19 pandemic, such as the expansion of Terminal 2 and check-in counter capacity in Terminal 3, when passenger fees and airlines charges were frozen and planned increases were suspended. To help airlines with the transition, they will receive a 50% rebate on increases in landing, parking and aerobridge (LPA) charges for the first six months.
Nature of the upgrade
Improvements at the airport will include rejuvenation of several Skytrain subsystems, among them signalling and communications. New cars will also be added to provide additional capacity.
The Terminal 3 baggage handling system and the new Terminal 1 to 3 inter-terminal baggage conveyance system will be upgraded, with a revamp of the early bag storage subsystem that will boost capacity by 65%.
A new rooftop inter-terminal baggage conveyance system connecting Terminal 1 to Terminal 3 will also be constructed, creating a second pathway for passenger baggage to be transferred between the two terminals. This will ease the demand on the current underground system and reduces manpower needed for the towing of baggage, according to Changi.
A new check-in row is being constructed at Terminal 4’s departure level. It will integrate fast and seamless travel facilities consisting of self-service check-in kiosks and automated bag drops. The new facilities will increase the terminal’s check-in capacity by about 15% and allow it to accommodate up to 2,500 passengers per hour.
The capacity of Terminal 1’s East and West Arrival Immigration Halls will be expanded by almost 60%, while some taxiways will need to be reinforced and contact stands upgraded to accommodate Boeing’s new B779 family of planes into their fleets when the aircraft is ready for operations by 2026.
CAG also plans to construct more remote aircraft parking stands that can be used for both passenger and cargo aircraft, and to rejuvenate the systems and terminal facilities at Terminal 3, which opened in 2008 and will be more than 20 years old by 2030.
Staff-driven improvements
To enhance the safety and well-being of airport workers, CAG will invest in more staff facilities. These include refresh pods to mitigate heat stress, enhancements to lightning shelters to protect staff during inclement weather, and improved staff lounges and rest areas.
Initiatives have also been introduced to improve manpower productivity and create opportunities for upskilling among ground staff so that they can take on higher value roles.
