Changi Airport Group has unveiled its concept plans for a new complex, which it hopes will double the Singapore airport's capacity by the mid-2020s.
The initiative is part of a joint venture with Capita Malls Asia, one of the largest shopping mall developers, owners and managers in Asia.
Codenamed "Project Jewel", and described as "an iconic mixed-used complex", the structure will be constructed on the car park site fronting Terminal 1. It will feature aviation and travel-related facilities, as well as new retail offerings and other leisure attractions.
As part of the redevelopment, Singapore's old T1 will be expanded as well, so as to allow more space for the arrival hall, baggage claim areas and taxi bays. The enhancements will help to increase the terminal's passenger handling capacity to 24 million per annum.
Speaking in his National Day Rally speech, Singapore's prime minister Lee Hsien Loong commented on the importance of Changi Airport and the role it played as a significant regional hub in Asia.
He said: "The airport is how the world comes to Singapore and Singaporeans connect to the world... [and is] why we thrive as an international hub for business, for trade, for tourism."
The new project will also improve inter-terminal connectivity with Changi Airport Terminals 1, 2 and 3 through an indoor garden as the central hub of the complex.
Along with the upcoming Terminal 4, Project Jewel will help boost Changi Airport's handling capacity to 85 million passenger movements a year, and cater for its growth over the next decade.
Visit www.changiairport.com
Clement Huang
