CHANGI Airport’s new S$1.75bil (RM3.9bil) Terminal 3 is completed. It will start operations on Jan 9, but before that, rigorous testing and final preparations will take place.
Over the next seven months, airlines, airport agencies, ground handlers and shop tenants will move in to the new terminal, built to handle 22 million passengers a year.
Flight trials will start in July, and the public can look forward to an open house later in the year.
Announcing the Jan 9 opening date after touring the terminal yesterday was Transport Minister Raymond Lim.
“This is an important milestone we have achieved. Terminal 3 will help us to strengthen and consolidate our regional hub position and at the same time enhance customer experience,” said Lim.
At 380,000sq metres, Terminal 3 is Changi’s biggest. Terminal 2 is 358,000sq metres, and Terminal 1, just over 280,000sq metres. Together, all three terminals will allow Changi to handle about 70 million passengers a year.
This will keep it ahead of regional airports like Hong Kong’s Chek Lap Kok, which handles 45 million passengers, and in step with emerging air hubs like Dubai International Airport, which also plans for 70 million passengers by next year.
To outdo the competition, Terminal 3 will offer visitors 100 shops and more than 30 food and beverage outlets, as well as a 350-room airport hotel with a swimming pool, restaurants, conference rooms and a spa, among other facilities.
This is in addition to the combined 160 shops and 80 food outlets in the other two terminals.
The new terminal's anchor tenant will be Singapore Airlines, which plans to move more than half its operations from Terminal 2, where it is currently housed.
Passengers who have to move between terminals to catch connecting flights can transfer via the airport’s new People Mover System.
Source : STAR
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