The Transportation Minister of Singapore, Khaw Boon Wan, said that there would be a “pause” of construction work on Terminal 5 at Changi Airport for at least two years, reported by Asian Aviation.
“Under normal circumstances, if not for COVID-19, we would have to start calling for a major civil engineering tender quite soon but we have decided to take a pause for two years. Let us complete this study of the future of aviation and it is not just the two years because we need… to see how the development of the pandemic globally will be like. It will affect T5 and in terms of timing, minimum we will push it back by two years,”
Transportation Minister of Singapore Khaw Boon Wan
Terminal 5 was originally slated for completion sometime in the 2030s. At the present moment of the four terminals at Changi Airport, only Terminals 1 and 3 remain open; with the number of passengers passing through the hub falling 99.5 percent in April, compared to the same period last year.
Changi has already shut down its newly built Terminal 4 and has shut down Terminal 2, which it had planned to close for renovations but closed it early due to the pandemic.
Singapore Airlines Experiences Near 100% Drop in May Passenger Traffic
Singapore Airlines saw a near 100% drop in May passenger traffic but cargo load factor improved.
Singapore Airlines said on 15th June that its May passenger traffic, measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs), recorded a 99.6 percent year-on-year decline as travel demand was severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall passenger capacity was cut by 96.2 percent in response. Passenger load factor fell to just 8.6 percent.
Cargo load factor was 14.4 percentage points higher as the capacity contraction of 61.9 percent outpaced the 52.8 percent decline in cargo traffic.
Feature Image: Changi Airport, Article Source: Asian Aviation, Singapore Airlines