Northern wing at Changi Airport Terminal 2 opens
THE northern wing at Changi Airport’s Terminal 2 opened on Thursday (Sep 28), following three-and-a-half years of upgrading and expansion works.
Several airlines also began operating from the northern wing. These include Lufthansa, Swiss and Singapore Airlines (SIA) flights to South-east Asia, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
The opening of the northern wing boosts Terminal 2’s handling capacity from 23 million passengers per annum to 28 million passengers. (*See amendment note)
The upgrading works, which include extending the life of critical systems, takes Changi Airport’s overall capacity from 85 million passengers per annum to 90 million passengers. (**See amendment note)
“This boost in capacity is timely as air travel in Changi Airport continues to recover,” said Changi Airport Group, noting that passenger traffic at the airport had returned to 87 per cent of pre-Covid levels.
The southern wing of Terminal 2 opened progressively in May and October last year to serve more passengers as international border restrictions eased.
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The group said the project to expand Terminal 2 has added 15,500 square metres to the building, which supports additional infrastructure, new systems and more retail offerings.
Critical systems and building equipment in Terminal 2 were upgraded to more efficient models, such as a new chiller plant which delivers cooling at 30 per cent lower energy consumption.
At the baggage claim hall, two existing baggage belts have been lengthened to handle a higher volume of bags to cater to wide body aircraft, said the group.
From next month, Air Japan, All Nippon Airways, Etihad, Indigo and SIA flights to the Maldives and Nepal will move to Terminal 2.
The move will bring the total number of airlines operating at Terminal 2 from 12 to 16.
SIA’s first class check-in reception and the Sats premier check-in lounge have also opened in the terminal.
Sats said in a separate press release on Thursday that its premier check-in lounge, which has a maximum capacity of 20 passengers, will serve more airlines from Oct 5. These include Air India, Lufthansa and Malaysia Airlines.
More attractions, stores and restaurants in Terminal 2 will open progressively in the coming weeks. These are in addition to shops, dining options, as well as facilities and amenities that are already open.
The group said it will celebrate the full reopening of Terminal 2 in November this year.
*Amendment note: An earlier version of this story had incorrectly stated that Terminal 2’s handling capacity prior to the opening of the northern wing was five million passengers per annum. This article has been amended to correctly reflect the terminal’s handling capacity before the opening.
**Amendment note: An earlier version of this story had incorrectly stated that Changi Airport’s overall capacity prior to the opening of the northern wing was 20 million passengers per annum. This article has been amended to correctly reflect Changi Airport’s overall capacity before the opening.
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