Qantas is set to open a new First Lounge at Singapore’s Changi Airport towards the end of next year, which along with a planned expansion of its existing Business Lounge will give the Australian carrier seating capacity for more than 800 customers across the two lounges at the airport.
Construction of the new First Lounge is expected to begin in April and when completed the facility will provide seating for about 240 people. Together with chef Neil Perry, industrial designer David Caon and Akin Atelier, Qantas will design a space that “will embody a clear focus on sustainability” in its materials, lighting interior, layouts and amenities.
Chef Perry has been behind a number of Qantas’s recent revamps to its culinary offerings, and the First Lounge looks set to have a strong focus on F&B with a cocktail bar, an open kitchen with a la carte dining and a Singapore-inspired menu.
Further features have yet to be announced, though Qantas has confirmed the facility will also offer shower facilities.
“With the return of our [Airbus] A380 service to Singapore we’ve got more passengers transiting through our existing lounge and strong demand for travel in premium cabins,” said Qantas CEO, Alan Joyce.
“Our top-tier Frequent Flyers tell us their pre-flight lounge ritual is one of their trip highlights and the Singapore First Lounge will be no exception. For people taking an onward flight it will be a place to refresh, dine, make calls and catch up on emails before continuing their journey.”
The airline’s existing Business Lounge, meanwhile, will expand in size by about 60 per cent.
The lounge enhancement at Changi Airport follows the airline’s announcement in August that it will also be giving its facilities at Sydney, Auckland, Brisbane and Tokyo an upgrade.
Only Sydney, Melbourne and Los Angeles currently offer dedicated Qantas First Lounges.
Qantas flies more than 50 return services per week to and from Singapore, and accounts for more than 20 per cent of its wide-body fleet, making it the airline’s largest hub outside of Australia.
