Singapore to build fifth airport terminal as it seeks regional dominance
Singapore's prime minister announces plans for fifth terminal at Changi, a revamp of healthcare system, and improved housing affordability
Singapore will build a new terminal that will double the capacity of Changi airport in a bid to retain its edge as a regional aviation hub, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday.
The plans were announced in his annual National Day Rally policy address, in which he also vowed to improve housing affordability and revamp the healthcare system.
Construction work at the airport would begin soon and be completed in 12 to 15 years, Lee said.
"T5 [Terminal 5] sounds like a terminal, but it is actually a whole airport by itself, as big as today's Changi airport," he said.
He did not reveal the cost of the new facility, but said it would include a third runway that would double the capacity of Changi, which handled 51.2 million passengers last year.
Changi airport, named the world's best by Britain-based consultancy Skytrax this year, currently has three terminals with a total capacity of 66 million passengers a year.
Lee noted that Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur international airport and Thailand's Suvarnabhumi airport were planning to expand.