He signalled a significant change , as Singapore's Prime Minister (PM) Lee Hsien Loong announced the upcoming developments to Singapore's seaport and airport at the National Day Rally 2022 , earlier Today .
He said , With the transition to living with the Covid-19 pandemic , Changi Airport will be getting a boost with a "huge" new terminal.
His words seemed to have taken a lesson from the Pandemic — Speaking during the National Day Rally , Mr Lee said the new terminal will be able to operate more safely and flexibly during a pandemic.
This includes being able to scale operations up and down easily , and isolate passengers from different flights to limit cross infection . Hence resilience towards an epidemic or Pandemic !
PM Lee : Our decisions to press on with Tuas Port & Changi Terminal 5 send a strong & clear signal to the world that Singapore is emerging stronger from the pandemic, & charging full steam ahead.
While speaking at Institute of Technical Education Headquarters at Ang Mo Kio, PM Lee said the Changi Airport Terminal 5 (T5) project has since restarted after a two-year pause due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
During these two years , long-term prospects for air travel and Changi Airport Terminal 5's (T5) design were reassessed , when the T5 project was paused.
Even before we broke ground for T4 & Jewel, we already envisaged Terminal 5. It will be a mega terminal – almost like building a whole new Changi Airport. Next to it, we will develop the Changi East Urban District.#NDR2022 #NDRsg pic.twitter.com/JjUp497Sp7
— leehsienloong (@leehsienloong) August 21, 2022
However , PM Lee said the "future of aviation remains bright" with borders re-opening and air travel picking up, adding that air travel in the region is expected to continue growing in the longer term.
Air travel will keep growing because of a fast-expanding middle class in our region, he says, adding that this is why the Government decided to go ahead and restart the Changi Airport Terminal 5 project, which was paused during the pandemic.
The new terminal - able to serve about 50,000 passengers , more than T1 and T3 put together - will be designed to operate safely and flexibly during a pandemic, he says, adding that it will be completed in the mid-2030s.
T5 has been designed to be "greener and more energy-efficient".
There will be a new district named the Changi East Urban District next to T5 . It is primed to be a new business and lifestyle destination that will create more jobs and opportunities for Singaporeans, says PM Lee.
