Changi Airport to have 5th terminal within the decade

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http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/changi-will-go-ahead-and-build-terminal-5

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With Terminal 4 at Changi Airport in sight, the Government has, after months of studies, decided to build Terminal 5 too.

Singapore’s fifth airport passenger terminal will be ready in the next decade, said Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew.

Plans are also under way to convert Changi’s third runway from military use to one which can be utilised by the airport. This is expected to boost the air hub’s turnaround capabilities at existing terminals.

Future plans are also steadily taking flight, with a Changi 2036 Steering Committee masterminding the air hub’s development.

The addition of a fifth terminal, or T5, will bring Changi’s passenger handling capacity beyond the annual 85 million expected with four terminals.

Flightglobal Asia Managing Editor Siva Govindasamy felt the developments would be “very important” in maintaining Singapore’s competitive edge as a leading aviation hub. He noted how regional rivals, such as Hong Kong, are proceeding with plans for additional capacity.

Aviation consultant Prithpal Singh held a different view. With aircraft, such as the Airbus A-380s and the Boeing 737s, bypassing hubs and plying point-to-point routes, he felt there could be “lesser multi-tier services, which will then negate the need for having a major hub in the region”.

Instead of building more “hardware”, Mr Singh argued that the focus should be on improving efficiency at the current terminals here, allowing passengers to get in and out of them “as quickly as possible”, while upgrading air-traffic control systems so that aircraft are not left waiting for long periods on the ground and in the air.