A New Terminal At Changi Airport To Be Green And Pandemic-Ready

After postponing Terminal 5 preparations for two years owing to Covid-19, Changi Airport’s next terminal is currently being planned with pandemic experiences in mind and is expected to be finished by the mid-2030s. The design of Terminal 5 has been changed to make it more robust, allowing it to function more safely and flexibly during a pandemic. Such considerations include the ability to function as smaller sub-terminals as necessary, such as transforming airport spaces into testing facilities or isolating high-risk passengers. Terminal 5 is expected to open in the mid-2030s.

Special precautions, such as contactless technologies at passenger touchpoints and increased ventilation systems that may be engaged during a pandemic to boost the usage of fresh air and prevent air mixing, will be introduced within Singapore’s new terminal to reduce the transmission of disease. Terminal 5 will feature solar panels, smart building management systems, and district cooling paired with thermal energy storage to be energy-efficient and lower its carbon impact. Once finished, the new terminal will be accredited by the Building and Construction Authority as a Green Mark Platinum Super Low Energy Building.

The structure will also be prepared for feasible alternative fuels, such as the use of sustainable aviation fuel, as well as permanent ground power and cooling for aircraft parked at the gates. In addition, a new commercial and lifestyle destination dubbed Changi East Urban District will be created near to the new terminal. It will contain offices, smart work centers, adaptable meeting rooms and halls, hotels, and serviced residences set amid landscaped public areas.