Changi Airport’s new Terminal 4 opened its doors on Monday (Aug 7) to the public for a limited time before operations begin.
Until Aug 20, registered guests can visit the terminal from 9am to 6pm daily. Visitors will be let in to the terminal at 10-minute intervals, with 1,500 people entering the terminal every hour, said Changi Airport Group (CAG).
They will tour the terminal using a route on a mobile app specially created for the open house, with the software also providing visitors with information and trivia on the terminal’s features, functions and artworks, it added.
The Changi Airport operator said its decision to let visitors in for a glimpse of the terminal ahead of its opening was a chance to let future travellers familiarise themselves with the facilities that the new terminal has to offer. The airport added that it expects 15,000 registered visitors on the first day of the open house.
Minister for Transport Khaw Boon Wan was at the open house on Monday. He said he received positive feedback from visitors, many of whom were excited to use the new terminal when it opens this year.
He also said that while the aviation industry remained a “bright spark”, “Singapore must keep picking up the pace” in order to compete with other regional aviation hubs.
Terminal 4 will be the airport’s smallest, at 225,000 sqm. The double-storey terminal will only be about half the size of Terminal 3, but once fully operational, it will be expected to handle 16 million passengers a year – about 70 per cent of Terminal 3’s handling capacity.
The airport will also feature start-to-end self-service systems, allowing travellers to check in, deposit their baggage and even go through immigration via automated systems.
Leveraging on technology and innovation will make possible more convenient passenger processes and improved staff productivity, CAG said.
The vice president of the terminal’s Programme Management Office, Ms Poh Li San, projected that once the terminal is fully operational and stable, it will be able to operate with 10 per cent fewer staff than T3.
CAG said airport system and flight trials will continue until the terminal opens later this year.
Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com
