PM Wong breaks ground on Changi Airport T5; all SIA, Scoot flights to move there when it opens

With the May 14 ground-breaking, work on the mega terminal has begun, following delays owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.

National carrier Singapore Airlines (SIA) and its budget arm Scoot will consolidate their operations under one roof at T5 when the terminal opens in the mid-2030s, said operator Changi Airport Group (CAG).

The airlines now operate across Terminals 1, 2 and 3, and SIA Group said the consolidation at T5 will provide space for its future growth and improve “operational synergies”.

There will be room at T5 and other terminals for other carriers to expand their operations, CAG added.

When asked about the other airlines that could operate from T5, CAG said it was too early to tell, as flight operations are dynamic and can change over the next decade.

Designed to handle about 50 million passengers a year, T5 will effectively double the size of Changi Airport and allow it to handle 140 million passengers yearly – boosting its current capacity of 90 million by more than 55 %.

Passenger traffic in the Asia-Pacific – already the world’s largest air travel market, taking about a third of the global share – is projected to double in the 2040s.

CAG said the extra capacity at T5 will enable Singapore to take advantage of this growth.

While prize-winning Changi Airport is a source of pride for many Singaporeans, PM Wong said Singapore can never be complacent about its achievements and “cannot presume that our success can continue just on its own”.

Amid sharpening competition from other airports and an uncertain global economy, the Prime Minister said Singapore must continue to work hard and remain connected to the world.

Hence, it is making a “bold move” with T5’s development to ensure Singapore’s air hub stays competitive.

At present, Changi Airport is linked to more than 170 cities. With T5, the airport will be able to reach its target of more than 200 city links by the mid-2030s, said PM Wong.

Construction on T5 will intensify in the next few years and peak around 2029, said Ong Chee Chiau, CAG’s managing director for Changi East.

Works completed so far include a new runway, the airport’s third; an underpass for vehicular traffic; and tunnels for baggage and automated people-mover systems similar to the Skytrain.

With three runways operational by the time T5 opens, a second control tower will be built to manage air traffic, Ong said.

T5 is located within the 1,080ha Changi East development, which is almost as big as the land area of today’s Changi Airport, he added.

In a first for the airport, T5 will house a ground transport centre, bringing together the Thomson-East Coast and Cross Island MRT lines, buses, taxis and other transport services.

State-of-the-art systems

T5 will have overlapping curved roofs with varying heights, in a nod to “Singapore’s unique blend of nature and city”, said CAG.

It will also have natural light and landscaping, giving the terminal “the familiar cosy yet uplifting feel that Changi is known for”.

Besides its facade and interior, the mega terminal will have state-of-the-art systems and will leverage technology and automation to improve efficiency and passenger experience.

Plans include baggage robots that can operate in poor weather conditions, as well as video analytics and artificial intelligence tools that can track aircraft turnarounds to predict potential delays. A turnaround refers to the time between the arrival of an aircraft and its next departure.

These technologies are being tested now to prepare for their roll-out when T5 opens, said CAG.

To make it easier for passengers to move around, three automated people-mover systems as well as travelators will reduce walking distances.

There will be two people-mover systems within T5 that can connect departing passengers to their gates and arriving passengers to two arrival immigration halls. A third people-mover system will link T5 to T2, facilitating passenger transfers to other terminals.

“Most passengers arriving in Singapore will still be able to hop onto a taxi or the MRT within 30 minutes after leaving the aircraft,” said CAG chief executive Yam Kum Weng.

Meanwhile, transfer passengers at T5 can expect to connect to another flight in less than an hour. “Faster than Changi today,” Yam added.

Passengers departing from T5 will undergo security checks near their boarding gates at the multiple security screening points for each cluster of gates.

This means more flexibility for the airport operator, as it can choose to open or close a particular cluster of gates according to demand, Ong said.

T5 will be powered by more clean energy to reduce the airport’s carbon footprint. Its rooftop solar system – one of Singapore’s largest – will have the potential to generate enough energy to power up to 20,000 four-room Housing Board flats for a year.

It will also be ready to support viable alternative jet fuels, including sustainable aviation fuels.

From 2025, all new light vehicles, forklifts and tractors on the airside will be electric, and T5 will be able to support a fully electric airside fleet, CAG said. The airside is the part of the airport beyond passport control, where aircraft operate.

Air-sea transfers

T5 also offers the prospect of sea connectivity, with its proximity to Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal. This could facilitate air-sea transfers to neighbouring destinations, CAG said.

Ong said provisions have been made for possible airside transfers from T5 to the ferry terminal.

This means passengers would not have to go through immigration to exit T5 and travel to the ferry terminal.

While the team has mulled over this, Mr Ong said these plans are at an early stage.

New roads are also being built along the Changi Southern Corridor, which will connect T5 to Tanah Merah Coast Road, the East Coast Parkway and the Pan-Island Expressway.

Built to be resilient

CAG said the Changi East development, where T5 is located, is designed to withstand extreme weather and the effects of climate change, such as rising sea levels. The airfield is elevated at 5.5m above sea level, and aircraft taxiways will be sloped to allow rainwater to drain off.

The airfield drainage system is designed to manage stormwater during high tide and handle intense rainfall from extreme storms.

The operator added that Changi Airport will embark on an airport-wide transformation programme with the aim of “total airport management” through the use of intelligent systems and data.

Ong said a vacant plot of land between T5 and the Changi East Industrial Zone has been set aside for potential future use.

“We have left the land for an additional satellite terminal, if required”, which could be used for people or cargo, Ong said. There are no current plans for the use of the land.

Plans for the development of Changi East, T5 and a three-runway system were announced in 2013, with land preparation works and planning for T5 starting the following year.

The Changi Airport Development Fund was started in 2015 to support the expansion of the airport and the construction of T5. So far, the Government has deposited $11 billion into the fund.

Ong did not comment on the projected cost of T5, saying only that CAG had worked out “a viable funding model” with the Government, and that the total bill of the project would be “in the tens of billions”.

The pandemic forced a two-year pause on the T5 project from 2020 to 2022, when the terminal’s design was unveiled as one allowing it to be run as smaller sub-terminals when needed. This means there will be spaces that can be converted into quarantine or testing facilities during pandemics.

The airport’s third runway is expected to be operational by the end of this decade, before T5 opens, said Mr Ong. The Straits Times reported in April that the runway is estimated to start operations in the fourth quarter of 2027.

The Changi East development will include the Changi East Urban District, a business and lifestyle hub next to T5. The Government is helming the concept planning for the district.

Changi East will also house the Changi East Industrial Zone, which will almost double the airport’s annual cargo handling capacity from three million tonnes to 5.4 million tonnes.

CAG said passenger traffic post-Covid-19 has rebounded strongly.

Changi Airport handled a record 68.4 million passengers for the year ended March 31, 2025. Nearly 100 airlines operate more than 7,200 flights weekly at the airport.

It is the fourth-busiest international air hub in the world. In 2024, three of the 10 busiest international flight routes originated or ended in Singapore, and six of the 10 busiest international routes in South-east Asia took off or landed in Singapore.

Vanessa Paige Chelvan

Additional reporting by Esther Loi

The Straits Times

Asia News Network

Vanessa Paige Chelvan is a correspondent at The Straits Times. She writes about all things transport and pens the occasional commentary.