Changi Airport Group (CAG), Singapore has unveiled plans to consolidate terminal operations because of “the steep decline in passenger traffic and the likelihood that air travel demand will not return to pre-Covid-19 levels in the near term”.
The move will enable CAG and its airport partners to save on running costs such as utilities and cleaning as well as to optimise resources across the airport’s terminals. From May 1, 2020, operations at T2 will be suspended for 18 months with airlines to be relocated to the remaining terminals. Exact details of the relocation are expected to be announced closer to May 1, 2020. The suspension of operations will also allow for the current T2 expansion works to be accelerated with expected completion, currently scheduled for 2024, brought forward possibly by up to one year.
Operations at T4 have also been scaled down considerably with a small number of aircraft boarding gates kept in use and shops allowed to close early after the last flight for the day. CAG has stated that if the remaining airlines at T4 choose to suspend or adjust their flight schedules, they will also consider suspending operations at T4 temporarily but with the objective of restarting operations quickly when airlines confirm the resumption of flights.
Tan Lye Teck, Executive Vice President of Airport Management, CAG, said, “With airlines suspending flights in response to the sharply reduced travel demand, the consolidation efforts seek to help our airport partners during this difficult time. While the scale of our operations will be reduced in the near term, Changi Airport remains open to serve the air freight and passenger flights that continue to operate. Even as our airport capacity is being optimized for the current situation, we will have the flexibility and we stand ready to ramp up operations quickly once the recovery takes place.”
