Work on Changi Airport T5 will resume, with terminal expected to open in mid-2030s

Singapore will resume construction on Changi Airport Terminal 5 following a two-year hiatus, as the aviation sector recovers quicker than predicted from the Covid-19 outbreak.

Transport Minister S Iswaran stated on Tuesday (May 17) that construction will begin in two to three years and that T5 will be ready to function in the mid-2030s, just in time for the expected rise in passenger traffic.

As the virus destroyed air traffic and threw doubt on growth estimates, the government suspended the project in May 2020 to evaluate its design.

“Given the current and projected recovery in air travel demand, we have a renewed impetus to secure our infrastructural capacity for growth,” said Mr. Iswaran in a speech at the inaugural Changi Aviation Summit.

T5’s design has been changed to make it more modular and versatile, and it will be developed further, he says.

More than 300 aviation professionals convened at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre for a two-day aviation conference to explore the sector’s future.

Willie Walsh, director-general of the International Aviation Transport Association (Iata), has stated that international air travel is likely to return to pre-Covid-19 levels by 2023, one year sooner than projected.