A Spectacular New Terminal Has Been Unveiled At The World’s Best Airport
Kristen Amiet is a previous AWOL editor, bona fide travel…
Having been named the world’s best airport five times in a row, Singapore’s Changi Airport doesn’t need to do much to compete. But, not ones to rest on their laurels, bosses over at the Changi Airport Group unveiled the soon-to-be-opened Terminal 4 overnight.
The design-focused and tech-heavy terminal sprawls over 225,000 square metres (if you can believe it, that’s only half the size of the existing Terminal 3) and will have capacity for 16 million passengers per year.
It’s taken three years to build, and boasts a cavernous central galleria intended to separate public zones and the transit area. In some cases, travellers will be able to wave goodbye to their loved ones all the way to the gate thanks to the open, spacious design.
Changi is famous for its green spaces, and Terminal 4 will be no different, with over 2000 square metres allocated to landscaping. And, in a cute addition, heritage-themed facades adorn many of the 80 boutiques and stores inside the terminal.
“For the passenger, we wanted to delight them with ‘wow’ features and showcase our local culture and architectural history at the Heritage Zone,” Changi Airport Group Vice President Poh Li San said in a media release.
Terminal 4 will also be the first at Changi Airport to offer Fast and Seamless Travel (FAST) – a system that uses facial-recognition technology and unrestricted check-in times, among other things, to improve operational efficiency.
While no opening date for the new terminal has been announced at this stage, the company says it’s currently in the final stages of operational readiness trials, with an open house event to run from August 7 to 20.
(All images: Changi Airport Group)
[qantas_widget code=SIN]Check out Qantas flights to Singapore.[/qantas_widget]Kristen Amiet is a previous AWOL editor, bona fide travel addict, sometimes whisky drinker and full-time breakfast food enthusiast.