Singapore has begun construction on Changi Airport’s Terminal 5, which was delayed two years ago because to the Covid-19 epidemic.
Transport Minister S Iswaran stated at the Changi Aviation Summit in the city-state that the government will begin to re-mobilize design and engineering consultants to refine the terminal’s development. He anticipates that actual construction will begin in two to three years.
Air travel in Asia is showing signs of recovery, with nations such as Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and South Korea allowing fully vaccinated persons to enter without quarantine. Airlines and airports in the region are growing capacity and recruiting additional staff to satisfy demand.
“Given the present and predicted rebound in air travel demand,” Iswaran explained, “we have a fresh drive to ensure our infrastructure capacity for expansion.”
“Many airports had expansion plans in place before to the epidemic.” These plans would now have to be reassessed in order to enable a return to pre-pandemic rates of increase in air travel in a safe, smooth, and sustainable manner.”
Passenger traffic at Changi Airport reached more over 40% of pre-Covid levels in May, up from less than 20% in mid-March, according to Iswaran.
The administration expects the airport to handle at least half of the passengers it handled before the epidemic by the end of the year, and it aims to gradually restore one of the two terminals that remain closed.
The fifth terminal at Changi Airport was suspended in June 2020 while studies were conducted to examine how the aviation sector would grow following the pandemic. A third runway was also being constructed to fulfill rising demand. During Covid, Terminals 1 and 3 were open, but Terminals 2 and 4 were closed.
Iswaran, on the other hand, stated that Singapore will invest in areas such as air traffic control systems and sustainability.