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Tag: Changi Airport

  • Changi Airport’s New Terminal 4 Open House Starts Today Until August 20

    Changi Airport’s New Terminal 4 Open House Starts Today Until August 20

    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

     

  • Shops Re-Open, Flights Resume At Changi Airport Terminal 2 After Fire Yesterday

    Shops Re-Open, Flights Resume At Changi Airport Terminal 2 After Fire Yesterday

    Changi Airport resumed normal operations at 3am on Wednesday (May 17) after a fire at Terminal 2 disrupted flights and operations.

    Indigo Air flight 6E54 to Chennai left from T2 at 5.40am, the airport said in an update on Facebook.

    It apologised for the inconvenience caused and thanked its passengers for their patience.

    Mr Avneesh Mehta, 21, was among passengers who checked in for IndiGo flight 6E54 at about 4am. The flight, which departed Singapore for Chennai at 5.40am, was the first flight departing from T2 since operations resumed.

    The Indian national,  who had been in Singapore for a five-day holiday, said: “I’m glad that everything is now in order. I didn’t even know there was a fire that caused such a huge impact.”

    Some shops in T2 were affected by the fire. Indian fast food restaurant Chutney Mary and restaurant Nando’s on level 3 appeared to have been hit by a blackout caused by the fire.

    Chutney Mary’s manager Mohan Hase, 33, said the sprinklers on the fifth floor were activated and water leaked through the false ceiling into the 24-hour restaurant.

    There was also a power outage. So even though staff were allowed back into the restaurant at 10.30pm last night, the restaurant has not re-opened.

    The 24-hour Starbucks cafe at T2, which closed at 4pm on Tuesday, re-opened at 3am.

     

    The cafe staff were back into the shop around midnight.

    Starbucks barista Siti Umairah, 21, said her colleagues were unable to complete their duties due to the sudden closure, so their team cleaned the equipment and completed the sales report before re-opening the outlet.

    “It smelled quite smoky when I entered the shop around midnight, but it’s okay now” she said.

    Mr Wilfred Tan, 30, who works at the Times bookstore said nothing was amiss at the store, which closed early on Tuesday. The store opened at 6am, its usual opening time.

    “The airport conducts fire drills quite often so we know what to do in the event of an emergency,” said Mr Tan, who has worked for Times for four years.

    Passenger Carol Pantoja, 41, a sales manager at a pharmaceutical firm, could not even tell there had been a fire when she landed in the wee hours of the morning at about 5.40am.

    “When I arrived here I couldn’t tell that there was a fire. I walked around for 20 minutes and didn’t smell anything,” she said.

    The fire on Tuesday broke out in a room holding air-conditioning equipment at the terminal, which triggered a fire alarm at 5.40pm.

    Terminal 2 was evacuated and closed, while all flights were moved to Terminal 3.

    The Singapore Civil Defence Force gave the all-clear for T2 at 10pm on Tuesday. Flight operations then progressively resumed.

    A total of about 40 flights were affected, Changi Airport Group (CAG) said. Six people required medical assistance.

    Two people in the terminal were sent to hospital for observation after approaching Changi staff for medical assistance, and another four were brought to the Terminal 3 clinic, CAG said.

    Changi Airport said it will work with authorities to investigate the incident.

    Passengers departing or arriving on Wednesday are advised to check the Changi Airport website, app or social media channels for the latest information, it added.

     

    Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/

  • Syakir Hashim: Singaporean Elders Deserve Rest, Not More Work

    Syakir Hashim: Singaporean Elders Deserve Rest, Not More Work

    As I walk into Changi Airport today at about 7 a.m, I saw many workers of old age either cleaning or moving the trolleys around.

    I was reminded of an incident back when I was in year one in NUS. I went for lunch with my project groupmates in Utown. Three of them to be exact. All of them are foreign students.

    We all went to get our meals separately. I was the first to be back at the table followed by two others. We asked each other where the 4th person went. We waited for a few minutes and she was still nowhere in sight.

    Soon I walked around and I saw her helping an old lady clearing up tables. She was trying to help the lady pick up cups and rubbish from some of the tables, making the old cleaner lady discomforted.

    I asked my friend what she was doing and she said that she felt bad seeing the old lady working so hard. Where she came from, no elderly has to work that hard.

    That moment hit me hard. The fact that elderly workers are so common in foodcourts, malls and our airport, we sometimes forget to ask if its right to keep them working till that ripe old age.

    Can’t we as a developed country think of ways to give our elderly the peace of mind and rest they deserve after serving the country and its economy over four or five decades? I’m sure if our leaders put their mind to it, innovative policies can be formulated to help our elderly, here in singapore.

    Can you imagine your parents at the age of 70 having to work 8 hours a day clearing and cleaning at a foodcourt?

    Just food for thought.

     

    Source: Syakir Hashim

  • Pekerja Lapangan Terbang Changi Jujur, Pulangkan $10,000

    Pekerja Lapangan Terbang Changi Jujur, Pulangkan $10,000

    TUGAS beliau sebagai pegawai perkhidmatan troli di Lapangan Terbang Changi memerlukan Encik Wahid Said mengumpul dan meletakan semula troli bagasi ke tempat asal setelah digunakan penumpang.

    Jarang sekali perkara luar biasa yang berlaku dalam beliau menjalankan tugas sehari-hari.

    Namun, sedang beliau melakukan kerjanya pada suatu hari Januari tahun lalu, Encik Wahid, 71 tahun, terkejut melihat sebuah dompet di atas sebuah troli di luar ruang ketibaan di Terminal 1.

    “Saya terkejut, gementar pun ada,” katanya.

    Tanpa berlengah, beliau langsung bergegas ke Jabatan Lost and Found atau Hilang dan Tuntut semula.

    Perasaan gementar Encik Wahid itu semakin bertambah apabila menyedari dompet itu mengandung wang tunai AUS$10,000 ($10,300).

    Atas kejujurannya itu, Encik Wahid, yang telah bekerja selama dua tahun di Lapangan Terbang Changi, menerima Anugerah Kakitangan Jagaan Cemerlang (Emas).

    Anugerah tersebut lazimnya diberikan kepada kakitangan lebih mapan, namun Encik Wahid, datuk seorang cucu itu, menerimanya atas kejujuran beliau selain sikap kerjanya yang baik.

    Beliau antara 18 individu yang menerima anugerah dalam satu majlis baru-baru ini.

    Majlis tersebut dihadiri Menteri Pengangkutan Encik Khaw Boon Wan.

    Menurut Encik Wahid, beliau begitu gembira apabila diberitahu bahawa dompet itu dapat dikembalikan kepada pemiliknya, seorang warga Australia.

    Warga Australia itu telah mengirimkan e-mel kepada Lapangan Terbang Changi meminta mereka menyampaikan ucapan terima kasihnya kepada Encik Wahid.

    “Itu bukan barang saya dan memang salah jika saya mengambilnya. Saya memahami keadaan penumpang di sini yang kadangkala kelam kabut ataupun terlalu penat selepas menaiki penerbangan yang berjam-jam lamanya dan disebabkan itu, mereka jadi cuai,” ujar Encik Wahid.

    Ditanya mengenai cabaran pekerjaan yang beliau lakukan, Encik Wahid berkata ia tidak semudah yang dianggap ramai.

    Menurutnya, beliau harus mengumpul dan menolak troli yang berat dengan cepat bagi memenuhi keperluan penumpang di antara lapangan terbang paling sibuk di dunia itu.

    “Dengan usia saya yang lanjut, kadangkala mencabar juga.

    “Tapi saya tidak keberatan bertugas sebagai seorang pegawai khidmat troli dan berasa gembira dan bangga kerana masih boleh berkhidmat dan menyumbang.”

     

    Source: http://beritaharian.sg

  • Know Your Rights! ICA Officer Held Me Without Justifiable Cause, Made Me Late For Business Meeting

    Know Your Rights! ICA Officer Held Me Without Justifiable Cause, Made Me Late For Business Meeting

    Know your rights .

    This afternoon at 3.20pm , after collecting my luggage at Changi , I was asked by Officer Eugene Ng , an Immigration & Custom Authority personnel to scan my belongings . I was curious and jokingly asked him what he saw in my outlook that made him pick me instead of dozens of people also leaving the airport with their belongings . I wasn’t even wearing my shades this time haha . He ignored me and I guess that was his right to do so but I wondered if he actually heard me , so I asked again . I raised my voice this time to make sure I would be heard . Then he demanded me to give him my passport and he took it to record my details . I was truly curious and I asked him why he asked for my passport and what my details were being recorded for . His reason was because I raised the volume of my voice . Shocking ! So for raising my voice the authorities took down my personal details ? I had already gone through immigration before I collected my luggage , and his job was really just to check my luggage at the scanner .

    I was angry because he was holding me without cause . I asked him again for the purpose of taking down my details ; instead of answering me , he ordered me to follow him to the search room . Naturally , I refused . I asked him what he was planning to search and why I was being detained. His response was I should know the answer . Now , why and how would I know ? Nothing illegal showed up in my belongings on the scanner . I needed to know what I was being suspected for ; he refused to answer and again , demanded me to follow him to the search room . I refused again .

    At this point , afraid I would be dragged away against my will , I started taking video of the events that would follow . He leaped forward and tried to snatch my phone but I managed to dodged and reminded him of my rights to take images of public places including airports and that even the police have no rights to take away my phone unless they have a warrant . This officer then told me the area is restricted and I cannot take videos of him . The luggage belt / custom area was a public area . Ten of dozens of people were moving around us . However , respecting his order , I asked where was the sign that says I cannot take videos but he couldn’t show me and said he needed to ask his superiors . All this time he held onto my passport and refused to return it to me and kept wanting to take my phone and demanded me to follow him to the search room . Finally his superior returned and guess what ? ….. his superior let me go within 10 seconds . Now the truth is clear . I did nothing wrong and officer Eugene Ng was just being an ass ! The officer detained me , held my passport , took down my personal details , demanded me to follow him to the search room , and tried to snatch my phone ; his superior let me go within 10 seconds upon his return . So who’s the one really carrying out his duties ?

    What kind of people are we hiring these days as public servants to serve us ? This is clearly an abuse of power and an infringement of my rights . This officer had intimidated me and if I had followed him to the search room I could not imagine what would happen next . I was so afraid for my safety and what this officer and / or his other colleagues would have done to me if I had been dragged to the search room .

    For this and many other similar reasons , I had left my country to live overseas . There are simply too many similar encounters every time I return . This one was indeed too scary and frustrating , thus I am sharing . I am sure there will be strong supporters of the system (a system where we are not to question the authorities and when we do , even if it was an innocent question , we would face the consequence of intimidation and harassment) but we should all be reminded of our rights , the rights and duties of this officer but not to forget my rights either .

    As a result of this injustice , I was late for my business meeting . Note: I have various businesses in Singapore that pay taxes ; I am an original Singaporean who also contributed to nation building by being in uniform for 6 years . Maybe I should be treated slightly better than this when I return to my home . I wish officer Eugene Ng a successful career checking luggages at Changi .

     

    Source: PJ Wong