One of the world’s best airports reveals plans for huge new £7.6billion terminal with space for 50million passengers
AN airport that is often named the best in the world is set to build a new £7.6billion new terminal.
Changi Airport, in Singapore, is often lauded as a top airport, although lost it’s no.1 place this year to Doha Hamad International Airport.
Still in second place, the airport has won the Skytrax accolade 12 times including for eight consecutive years from 2013 to 2021.
And Changi Airport has now confirmed that works are to start on its brand new Terminal 5.
First announced back in 2013, the mega terminal will welcome another 50million passengers a year – on top of the airports current 90million.
It will also link Singapore to 200 cities, up from the current 150 today.
Little else is known regarding what to expect at the terminal, although it is expected to have large lounges and self-service facilities.
And learning from the pandemic, the new terminal will be able to operate as smaller “sub terminals” if needed with facilities for testing operations as well as having “enhanced ventilation” to reduce air mixing.
The multi-billion pound project hopes to open by 2030.
Speaking on the project, the country’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said: “Some have announced plans for mega airports that can handle more than 100 million passengers a year – so they are narrowing the gap with Singapore.
“Increasingly, flights that would have passed through Changi may no longer be needed.”
This includes a number of new huge airports being built, including King Salman International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Once built, it will be the world’s biggest airport with six runways and 120million passengers each year.
And Istanbul Airport, which opened in 2018, has revealed plans to also welcome 120million passengers by the end of 2028 under new expansion plans.
Despite this, Changi Airport remains as one of the biggest hub airports in the world for flight connections.
Back in 2019, the airport opened it’s £961million Jewel hub.
Inside are 280 shops and restaurants as well as the world’s tallest indoor waterfall.
The little-known freebies and free-to-access areas at Changi Airport
Travel writer Qin Xie revealed some of the little-known freebies and areas you can find at Changi Airport.
Terminal 1
On level three of the terminal is a viewing area where passengers can look out over the planes at the gate.
And right next to it is a play area with art facilities for kids.
And there is an outdoor cactus and garden, as well as an outdoor water lily garden.
Terminal 2
On level three is the free cinema, which as films 24 hours a day.
There is also a gaming space with free games for an Xbox, Playstation and arcade machines.
Terminal 3
Level one has the world’s tallest slide in an airport, that goes all the way down to level -2 (although you only get a free ride for every S$10 you spend at the airport).
On level two there is ST3PS, a showcase area where you can watch films and live performances.
Head to the DFS Wines and Spirits Duplex store and you can try a free Singapore Sling.
Terminal 4
The main free attraction is the Heritage Zone, with the shore film Peranakan Love Story showcasing life in 1930s Singapore.
The 135,700sqm area also has a four-storey indoor forest, a the lanscaped garden Canopy Park with a glass bottom, as well as a new Imax theatre with midnight screenings.
And in 2023, Changi revealed a huge 3.5 year renovation of Terminal 2, which added another 226,000sqft.
Along with a 45ft digital waterfall, it also added another indoor garden called Dreamscape Garden, along with a robot bartender.
If you want to visit the airport by yourself, you can easily fly there from the UK.
Singapore Airlines launched new London Gatwick to Changi Airport flights earlier this year, joining direct routes from London Heathrow and Manchester.
Other airlines with direct UK flights include British Airways and Qantas.
Or you can fly indirect to Singapore with Finnair – and we tried out the flight in their new business class pods.
We’ve also rounded up five huge new airports set to open in Europe in the next few decades.
What is it like to visit Singapore
The Sun’s Deputy Travel Editor Kara Godfrey visited Singapore, where Changi Airport is found – here’s her top tips on visiting.
Your first port of call should be Raffles Hotel, home to the Singapore Sling invented in 1915 to allow women to drink a more “feminine” alcoholic beverage – and this hotel sells as many as 1,000 a day.
But it isn’t the only great spot you’ll find in Singapore to knock back a cocktail — it’s crawling with brilliant bars, including Jigger and Pony, voted one of the best in Asia.
And the city centre has some of the cheapest Michelin-starred meals on the planet.
At the Chinatown Complex Market is Liao Fan Hawker Chan, the world’s first Hawker stall to win the coveted star.
For £2 (yes, really) I gorged on the tastiest soy-sauce chicken noodles, smothered in a spicy sauce — so delicious that I spent 30 minutes queueing for a second helping.
Near here is the Michelin Guide-recommended Hill Street Tai Hwa — where I paid just £5 for a huge portion of juicy noodles with tender pork liver and crispy pieces of plaice on top.
You can walk it all off in Singapore which has been centre which has been dubbed the City in the Garden for its luscious environment.
The most famous display of flora and fauna is at the Gardens by the Bay, as well as one of it’s many rooftop parks, such as Henderson Waves, the highest pedestrian bridge in the country.