SINGAPORE Changi Airport is renewing passenger facilities in Terminal 2 to handle some 790 extra weekly flights when its Budget Terminal closes in September.
The Budget Terminal, which caters solely to low-cost carriers, is scheduled to cease operations at 02.00 on September 25, Changi Airport Group (CAG) announced in a statement. The closure would make way for the construction of a fourth terminal.
The six airlines currently operating at the terminal – Berjaya Air, Cebu Pacific, Firefly, Mandala Airlines, South East Asian Airlines and Tiger Airways – will begin operations at Terminal 2 the same day.
CAG is already beefing up infrastructure and manpower in Terminal 2 to accommodate the surge in passengers.
More automated immigration gantries are being added, the taxi waiting area in the arrival hall is slated for expansion, while ground handlers and service staff will undergo training to upkeep standards. Ancillary services will also receive a boost with an increase in the number of trolley retrievers, taxi coordinators and cleaners.
The group is also coordinating efforts with key partners such as the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority of Singapore, Singapore Customs and Certis CISCO to ensure that there is no shortage in manpower, especially during peak hours.
Senior vice-president for airport operations, CAG, Yeo Kia Thye, said: “As with all transitions, there may be initial teething issues and we do ask passengers to be patient with us.”
“We highly recommend that in the initial days following the move to Terminal 2, passengers arrive at the airport early for their flight.”
The Budget Terminal handled about five million passengers last year, while Terminal 2 saw 13 million passing through. Terminal 2 has a maximum capacity of 23 million passengers a year, and managed 21.6 million in 2007, before Terminal 3 opened in January 2008.
