SINGAPORE: Singapore Changi Airport is set to undergo a £7.7 billion (S$13.16 billion) expansion that will allow it to welcome 50 million more passengers each year, Daily Express reported.
This ambitious project is part of a long-term plan that has seen the airport grow from its opening in 1981.
Originally built at a cost of £1.1 billion (S$1.88 billion), about £4 billion (S$6.83 billion) today, Changi has continually upgraded its facilities to maintain its good reputation.
By the time the latest phase is completed in 2030, the total investment in the airport will reach around £16 billion (S$27.34 billion).
The new Terminal 5, scheduled to start construction next year, will increase the airport’s capacity by 50 million passengers annually, bringing the current capacity from 90 million to 140 million.
This expansion follows earlier developments, including Terminal 3, which opened in 2008 after a £1.3 billion (S$2.22 billion) investment, and Terminal 4, which launched in 2017 at a cost of just under £1 billion (S$1.71 billion).
Another notable addition was Jewel Changi, a retail and entertainment complex featuring the world’s tallest indoor waterfall, which opened in 2019 at a cost of £1.3 billion (S$2.22 billion).
Adjusted for inflation, a major refurbishment in 1995 cost £250 million (S$427.17 million), and a project adding 14 aerobridges between 1996 and 1999 added another £580 million (S$991.05 million).
By the time Terminal 5 is completed in 2030, the airport’s total cost will have reached £16 billion. However, Daily Express described this as “money well spent.”
On Oct 1, Conde Nast Traveller readers voted Changi the best airport in the world—even before its new £7.7 billion expansion started. /TISG
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