Changi Airport in Singapore will shutter its Terminal 2 and downscaling Terminal 4 due to falling traveller numbers caused by the global Covid-19 epidemic.
With the expectation that air travel demand will not return to pre-Covid-19 levels in the near term, terminal operations at Changi Airport will be consolidated, with Terminal 2 closed for 18 months and the airlines that call it home relocated to the airport’s other terminals.
This suspension of operations will 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, according to Changi Airport Group (CAG).
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In view of the very small number of flights at Terminal 4 (T4), operations at the terminal have 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.
If the remaining airlines at Terminal 4 choose to suspend or adjust their flight schedule, CAG will also consider suspending operations temporarily but with the objective of restarting operations quickly when airlines confirm the resumption of flights.
The stores and restaurants at Changi Airport have been significantly impacted by the reduced air passenger traffic and weakened consumer demand, leading CAG to waive all rentals for concessions operating in Terminal 4 for two months from March 24.
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“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,” says Tan Lye Teck, CAG’s executive vice president of Airport Management.
“While the scale of our operations will be reduced in the near term, Changi Airport remains open to serve the airfreight and passenger flights that continue to operate. Even as our airport capacity is being optimised for the current situation, we will have the flexibility and we stand ready to ramp up operations quickly once the recovery takes place.”
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