Fresh from the temporary closure of Terminal 2, Singapore’s Changi International Airport has now announced it will be further consolidating its operations by closing Terminal 4 as a result of declining air traffic.
The measure will help Changi Airport Group (CAG) to “keep the lights on” in other terminals by saving on running costs including cleaning and utility bills.
Terminal 4 will be temporarily closed from May 16 onwards as Changi deals with a decline in the number of flights arriving at and leaving the terminal.
Changing places
The airlines which are currently based out of Terminal 4 will switch operations to Terminals 1 or 3. This means that among those airlines to move will be Cathay Pacific and Korean Air, who will be switched to T1. Announcements on other airline locations will be made as they begin to operate flights out of Changi once more.
Meanwhile, all stores and restaurants in T4 will be shut. At the moment, restaurants in T4 have been allowed to remain open for takeaways only, so long as social distancing measures are implemented.
As it stands, no date for re-opening has been given. CAG will be monitoring the situation and will take a decision based on how well, and how fast, the aviation industry shows signs of recovery.
In a statement, CAG said: “Changi Airport’s terminal operations will be consolidated further to optimise resources in tandem with the sharp decline in flight movements because of the global Covid-19 pandemic.”
The decision comes as traffic statistics released for the airport for the month of March showed a 70% decline in passenger numbers.
It added that even though it was scaling down terminal operations in response to the current coronavirus situation, it was continuing to work hand-in-hand with its airline and airport partners to ensure readiness to reopen T4 as soon as enough flights resume from the airport.
