Singapore's Changi wondering how many terminals it should add to stay on top of its game

Source: Bloomberg
Author: Ee Chien Chua

Singapore may add two more airport terminals as government officials discuss plans to meet the expected increase in passenger traffic, according to the Ministry of Transport.

Changi Airport occupies 1,350 hectares (3,336 acres), with the government planning to add 1,000 hectares, the ministry said. The airport handled 4.1 million passengers in May, an 8.4 percent increase from a year ago, it said last month. Passengers increased 12 percent to 20.6 million in the first five months of the year, it said.

“They are looking at the possibility of terminal 5, or even 6 if needed,” Rachael Fong, a spokeswoman at the Transport Ministry, said by phone.

Changi Airport was ranked second in Skytrax’s list of the World’s Best Airports after South Korea’s Incheon International Airport. Singapore started the 2036 Changi steering committee to cope with the traffic demand in the next 50 years, according to a fact sheet from the Ministry of Transport in March.

“Leading air hubs worldwide are upping their game, and are taking a long-term perspective to capacity building,” it said in the fact sheet, citing expansion plans in markets including Hong Kong, South Korea and Dubai. “Key decisions on the future development of Changi Airport will have to be taken soon, given the long lead-time needed to plan and build airport infrastructure.”

Editors: Linus Chua, Khalid Qayum. To contact the reporter on this story: Ee Chien Chua in Singapore at echua27@bloomberg.net. To contact the editor responsible for this story: Linus Chua at lchua@bloomberg.net