Changi’s T4 back in action from Sep 13; 16 airlines to relocate there in stages

CHANGI Airport’s Terminal 4 (T4) will resume operations from Sep 13, after a more than 2 year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sixteen airlines, including Cathay Pacific, Korean Air and the AirAsia Group, will relocate to T4 progressively, said the Changi Airport Group (CAG) in a statement on Friday (Jul 22).

Cathay Pacific and Korean Air will move there first on Sep 13, followed by the AirAsia Group on Sep 15.

The next 5 airlines – Cebu Pacific, Juneyao Air, Jeju Air; Bamboo Airways, and HK Express – will move their operations to T4 on Sep 20. (see Amendment note)

Vietnam Airlines, VietJet Air and Thai VietJet Air will move over on Sep 22, and finally, Jetstar Group will relocate to T4 on Oct 25, said CAG.

However, Jetstar Group said in a separate statement that it has “no intention” of moving over to T4 and was disappointed that CAG chose to “unilaterally announce a plan to relocate (it) to T4 before any agreement has been reached”.

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“A joint study was only agreed to be undertaken last week and this announcement completely disregards that agreement and the impact a move would have on our customers, people and operations,” said Jetstar.

“While we remain committed to working with CAG, today’s announcement by the airport ignores our concerns and goes against the spirit of the long-standing partnership we have built over the years,” it added. Jetstar has been operating at Changi Airport’s Terminal 1 since 2004.

T4 shut its doors on May 16, 2020, to consolidate its terminal operations after passenger numbers plummeted due to pandemic-related border closures.

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With a capacity of 16 million passengers, the reopening of T4 will add to Changi Airport’s capacity and ensure that it can meet the increasing demand for air travel, said CAG.

It will also help to support the airlines’ plans to launch more flights as the travel sector recovers.

“CAG will be conducting various operational readiness trials with the airlines and airport partners to ensure the smooth restart of operations in T4,” it said.

Tan Lye Teck, CAG’s executive vice president of airport management, said: “The reopening of T4 will provide Changi Airport with much needed capacity to enable our airline partners to continue to grow and ride the wave of travel recovery, as well as support their business and operational needs”.

“As we gear up to serve more passengers during the peak year-end holiday season, the high degree of automation at T4 will help us overcome the challenge of a tight labour market. We look forward to welcoming passengers again in T4,” he added.

Amendment note: The article had earlier said that Cebu Pacific, Juneyao Air, Jeju Air; Bamboo Airways, and HK Express will move their operations to T4 on Sep 2. The airlines will move to T4 on Sep 20.