Singapore Changi Airport doesn’t have much faith in travel demand returning to normal anytime soon.
In this post:
Changi Terminal 2 closing for 18 months
It has been announced today that Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2 will be closing as of May 1, 2020, for a period of 18 months.
This is in view of the steep decline in passenger traffic, and the likelihood that air travel demand will not return to pre-COVID-19 levels in the near term.
Therefore operations will be consolidated, enabling the airport and partners to save on operating costs, such as utilities and cleaning, as well as to optimize resources across the airport’s terminals to better match the low travel demand.
Airlines operating from Terminal 2 will be moved to the other three terminals, with Singapore Airlines consolidating all operations at Changi Terminal 3.
Singapore Airlines will consolidate operations at SIN T3
Terminal 2 expansion work will be accelerated
Expansion work is currently being done on Changi Terminal 2, and that was scheduled to be completed by 2024. With the terminal being closed for 18 months, it’s expected that the completion date could be “brought forward possibly by up to one year.”
Rendering of the new Changi Terminal 2
Terminal 4 shutdown also under consideration
Terminal 4 is the only terminal at the airport that isn’t connected to the other three terminals. The terminal continues to be open, though operations have been scaled down considerably, with a small number of boarding gates kept in use.
If the remaining airlines at T4 choose to suspend or reduce flight schedules, the airport will consider suspending operations at the terminal temporarily, with the objective of restarting operations quickly when demand rebounds.
Singapore Changi Terminal 4
Bottom line
Changi Terminal 2 will be closing for a period of 18 months, which reflects the extent to which they’re not expecting demand to rebound anytime soon.
On the plus side, this terminal was in the process of being expanded, so this will allow the airport to expedite work on the terminal. The airport is in a good position if they can afford to expedite this work while demand is low, since a lot of other companies would love to do that (including many hotels and airlines), but don’t have the money.
(Tip of the hat to Curtis)
@EK - I believe that I addition to the prompt measures in Singapore and Hong Kong put in place by the government , it is the willingness of the population in these 2 cities to follow the government recommendations . To wear masks from end January, to practice social distancing , to disinfect buildings ,lifts,door handles everywhere , to take temperatures upon entry to office buildings, government offices and restaurants , to close many entertainment...
@EK - I believe that I addition to the prompt measures in Singapore and Hong Kong put in place by the government , it is the willingness of the population in these 2 cities to follow the government recommendations . To wear masks from end January, to practice social distancing , to disinfect buildings ,lifts,door handles everywhere , to take temperatures upon entry to office buildings, government offices and restaurants , to close many entertainment places like karaoke, pool halls, cinemas ,gyms ,bars and not to argue like people have done in Europe and USA . I am in Hong Kong now and the self discipline is quite incredible .
@Pauline -- Well, you are dead wrong. My qualifications are not in question on this board, as the forum hosts and a few posters know for sure. So, now that you are wrong, I am more credible?
G'day.
@DCS
A Ph.D in physics! AND a double Ivy League college appointment too!!
We've seen posters claiming to be 'lawyers', 'physicists', 'aerospace engineers', 'materials and design engineers', 'mathematicians', aplenty in this forum. The standard procedure is to state their dubious qualification when their equally dubious claims/statements get scrutinized by other skeptical posters. I see you fit into this pattern quite well. Ciao!
Singapore's ruling People's Action Party explicitly modeled its flag after that of Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists.
https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-history-behind-Singapores-Peoples-Action-Party-logo
Enlightened despotism is perhaps the most effective form of government, but what is one to do when an unenlightened despot comes along? (Not that democracy is a good remedy.)
Debunking the idea that something specific to East Asian culture is responsible for the relative success we see in the South Korean response to the pandemic:
https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/04/02/confucianism-south-korea-coronavirus-testing-cultural-trope-orientalism/
Singapore's ruling People's Action Party explicitly modeled its flag after that of Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists.
https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-history-behind-Singapores-Peoples-Action-Party-logo
Enlightened despotism is perhaps the most effective form of government, but what is one to do when an unenlightened despot comes along? (Not that democracy is a good remedy.)
Debunking the idea that something specific to East Asian culture is responsible for the relative success we see in the South Korean response to the pandemic:
https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/04/02/confucianism-south-korea-coronavirus-testing-cultural-trope-orientalism/
@John: "You don’t even know the elementary fact that Australians say ‘G’day’ only at the start of a sentence, not at the end."
You'll have to do better than, mate. I have been Down Under more times than I can count, and would be headed there again in a couple of weeks were it not for the pandemic.
BTW, when is one supposed to say "Ciao!"
G'day! ;-)
@Chris sez: "Oh, and just for kicks, Trump started shutting down travel from China on Jan. 31.
Just to give @DCS an idea of who is trying to rewrite history here. lol"
Where do you live, in the "Twilight Zone" aka "Faux News" universe?
BTW, it is a rhetorical question...
@EBWaa, agree with you fully.
Regardless of left or right, from this comments section, we can see that Americans are idiots.
Lol those complaining about china, the fact is they’re open and we’re not. All the governors and trump could’ve done something early on but did not. Sure blame it on china but you lose! No matter whether china lies or not, a nation can be prepared.. Complaining doesn’t do anything.
People forget about this but Singaporean is also an authoritarian single party state... PAP is no different than ccp just smaller. Fast and efficient....
Lol those complaining about china, the fact is they’re open and we’re not. All the governors and trump could’ve done something early on but did not. Sure blame it on china but you lose! No matter whether china lies or not, a nation can be prepared.. Complaining doesn’t do anything.
People forget about this but Singaporean is also an authoritarian single party state... PAP is no different than ccp just smaller. Fast and efficient. Just like this renovation. US can’t even renovate their airport let alone during pandemic and congress goes awol.
21st century is asian century with many cities in east asia and even SEA more advanced than the west. You want proof? Just go through every blog entries about flight or hotel in apac and compare it to hotel in the west.
@DCS
I'm calling bulls*** on your on your 'Ph.D' and college 'appointments'. You don't even know the elementary fact that Australians say 'G'day' only at the start of a sentence, not at the end.
But please, do regale us further with your exquisite pearls of wisdom. We do find you an amusing little fellow...
OMG I'm so excited but I can't say.
Okay, a clue.
SkyTeam goes to "Bintan Resorts International AIrport/ Singapore"
Someone's going to "Batam-Hang Nadim International Airport/ Singapore East"
Last one at "Singapore Tuas Bay International or Singapore-Tengah or Senai AIrport"
It occurred to the geniuses at Malaysia Airlines and Garuda Indonesia that since they were largely carrying Singaporean customers, why not hub there?
Changi will be rebuilt in Changi East, as a...
OMG I'm so excited but I can't say.
Okay, a clue.
SkyTeam goes to "Bintan Resorts International AIrport/ Singapore"
Someone's going to "Batam-Hang Nadim International Airport/ Singapore East"
Last one at "Singapore Tuas Bay International or Singapore-Tengah or Senai AIrport"
It occurred to the geniuses at Malaysia Airlines and Garuda Indonesia that since they were largely carrying Singaporean customers, why not hub there?
Changi will be rebuilt in Changi East, as a smaller version of Daxing T2 ADP initial proposal.
Cross Region Line overseas, to connect the airports.
This is how we counter the self destructing vacuum of Brexit and the rising nazism in Europe. Germany will be absolved the guilt of anti Semittism, because every single European nation with the exception of Russia is infested with neo Nazism. SIlence or non action even though privy, means they are complicit.
It was completely political, that British royal families who marry out, are notably to people of Jew descent. Diana, Kate... Even Victoria Beckham.
THere's very little time left, to do the right thing before it'll be gone.
Europe post 2024 suddenly has a majority Muslim population forecast. ANd they aren't converts.
@EK - Singapore and Hong Kong shows how prompt measures are needed to halt the spread of Wuhan Virus.This is how they saved themselves despite their proximity to China.
It probably because we have experienced SARS and not totally trust China figures and transparency. Also some HK newspaper always find the hiding news that Propganda news thats never report the truth.
@DCS,
WaPo Health section on Feb. 2:
"Get a grippe, America. The flu is a much bigger threat than coronavirus, for now." https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/time-for-a-reality-check-america-the-flu-is-a-much-bigger-threat-than-coronavirus-for-now/2020/01/31/46a15166-4444-11ea-b5fc-eefa848cde99_story.html
Oh, and just for kicks, Trump started shutting down travel from China on Jan. 31.
Just to give @DCS an idea of who is trying to rewrite history here. lol
The funny thing is that even when America knew how bad Covid was they did nothing. Knowing earlier wouldn't have changed anything since the leadership was already incompetent. I mean even during the full blown lockdown of Wuhan Trump was still saying everything is okay haha.
@Bill -- You have a bigger problem than China lying, which, by the way, as totalitarian regime, they do all the time and you cannot do much about it.
On the other hand, your president minimizing the threat and doing nothing about it for months, while constantly lying to your face, has arguably inflicted more harm than China's initial lie. The problem is closer to home than Wuhan. As the saying goes, I have seen the enemy and he is us...
G'day.
@JW true but just because Trump is a moron that doesn't somehow minimize or excuse China's actions and the harm they inflicted upon the world by lying.
DCS is probably the sort of PhD who insists on being called "Doctor." It doesn't surprise me that he is a credentialist and completely unaware that argument from authority is a logical fallacy. A while ago I stayed at an Airbnb that was the home of a McKinseyite. He kept his United Million Miler Lucite proudly displayed on a shelf by his front door. I wonder if DCS keeps his next to his (non-Ivy) PhD....
DCS is probably the sort of PhD who insists on being called "Doctor." It doesn't surprise me that he is a credentialist and completely unaware that argument from authority is a logical fallacy. A while ago I stayed at an Airbnb that was the home of a McKinseyite. He kept his United Million Miler Lucite proudly displayed on a shelf by his front door. I wonder if DCS keeps his next to his (non-Ivy) PhD. And who really considers Cornell an Ivy?
@Siv, VT-CIE noted that many of the European airlines he mentioned were codesharers.
https://en.about.aegeanair.com/media-center/press-releases/2012/singapore-airlines-and-aegean-airlines-sign-codeshare-agreement/
@ VT-CIE
- Thai Airways does not fly out of T2, they use T1
- Aegean dont even fly to Singapore
- A lot of airlines you mentioned did not even have presence in Singapore
@cargocult -- What you call "bias" is hard, verifiable news that you do not agree with. You are wasting money subscribing to the Times or WSJ if, again, you cannot tell the different between hard news and oipnion. Times' *opinions* lean left. The WaPo's are mixed but more left leaning than they used to be, which seems to the problem. The WSJ's lean right. The *newsrooms* at all three publications have the highest journalistic standards...
@cargocult -- What you call "bias" is hard, verifiable news that you do not agree with. You are wasting money subscribing to the Times or WSJ if, again, you cannot tell the different between hard news and oipnion. Times' *opinions* lean left. The WaPo's are mixed but more left leaning than they used to be, which seems to the problem. The WSJ's lean right. The *newsrooms* at all three publications have the highest journalistic standards that you'll find anywhere.
That's for you too @Brandon.
I have a Ph.D. in physics and dual Ivy League university appointments. I know bias when I see it.
G'day.
Makes sense for CAG and the government to do this. In reality it is a great opportunity to close it and expedite the renovations whilst times are quiet. I do wonder how they will complete the renovations though. Typically they would use FDW (Foreign Domestic workers, ie low income). Currently there are 20,000 FDWs in quarantine at their dormitories as contract tracing showed that an outbreak occurred at dormitories. Given no one other than citizens...
Makes sense for CAG and the government to do this. In reality it is a great opportunity to close it and expedite the renovations whilst times are quiet. I do wonder how they will complete the renovations though. Typically they would use FDW (Foreign Domestic workers, ie low income). Currently there are 20,000 FDWs in quarantine at their dormitories as contract tracing showed that an outbreak occurred at dormitories. Given no one other than citizens and health care workers are allowed in the country (I have friends on EPs/DPs that can't get back in), it will be interesting to see who does the rennovations.
As an aside, I was listening to the Transport Ministers speech - he stated that "partial" recovery NEXT YEAR is probable!
Sad but predictable that yet another site seems to be being overrun by conspiracy theorists and rabid (overwhelmingly American) ideologues. Clicks are clicks, I suppose, but it means wading through an enormous amount of US-centric BS to read any interesting opinions about issues and stories that don’t actually involve America.
@DCS
I'm no Trump fan, but if you cite WaPo as your credible souce then you do not understand that this rag is now held in little regard by serious news consumers. The WaPo of today is not the voice of authority it used to be. You might as well cite National Enquirer.
@DCS
I have been a paid subscriber to both the Times and the Journal for many, many years. I know very well (what should be) the difference between the news and opinion sections. That you cannot identify the patent bias in what pretends to be impartial news reporting only demonstrates how blinkered you are. I am not surprised, given how you swallow the Hilton Kool-Aid. Even a Harvard Kennedy School (hardly a bastion of conservatism)...
@DCS
I have been a paid subscriber to both the Times and the Journal for many, many years. I know very well (what should be) the difference between the news and opinion sections. That you cannot identify the patent bias in what pretends to be impartial news reporting only demonstrates how blinkered you are. I am not surprised, given how you swallow the Hilton Kool-Aid. Even a Harvard Kennedy School (hardly a bastion of conservatism) report issued by a professor whose chair was endowed by Ben Bradlee determined that Fox (of which I am no fan) was the most "fair and balanced" in its coverage of Trump. Don't be so smugly confident in the impartiality of your favored news sources.
https://shorensteincenter.org/news-coverage-donald-trumps-first-100-days/
Says Prof. Patterson: "[T]he sheer level of negative coverage gives weight to Trump’s contention, one shared by his core constituency, that the media are hell bent on
destroying his presidency."
It would be nice if the construction at LaGuardia could be sped up. It has a most user-unfriendly experience in its current state.
I last flew through SIN in mid-February. One could sense then that things were already starting to go pear-shaped. At least there were hand sanitizer dispensers everywhere.
For all those who love Singapore:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8rPofi-AUw
Lee Hsien Loong was Senior Wrangler at Cambridge. Imagine Trump taking the Mathematical Tripos...
That is so sad to hear. I passed through Changi 6 times this year and 3 times through T2. Sad to see workers losing their jobs. The Jewel was completely empty during my visits.
@JJ
It is not just about geographic proximity, but actual connections between the two. Before the outbreak, WUH did not have too many international flights, but TPE and SIN are some of the few with multiple daily flights outside mainland. Scoot shuttles several hundreds of people directly to SIN every day right until the day of lockdown, in comparison to the 3X weekly flight to LAX, for example. Chinese citizens love Singapore for its language...
@JJ
It is not just about geographic proximity, but actual connections between the two. Before the outbreak, WUH did not have too many international flights, but TPE and SIN are some of the few with multiple daily flights outside mainland. Scoot shuttles several hundreds of people directly to SIN every day right until the day of lockdown, in comparison to the 3X weekly flight to LAX, for example. Chinese citizens love Singapore for its language advantage and ease of access, compared to places closer that may present bigger challenges such as Cambodia.
@cargocult -- The fool is the one who cannot tell the difference between the bent of the editorial board and that of the news room. The WaPo, Times and WSJ did not rise to be the most read and *trusted* news publications around the globe being 'biased' in their delivery of *hard* news. In fact, and ironically, when Faux News wishes to substantiate a point for which there is hard evidence, guess which publications they...
@cargocult -- The fool is the one who cannot tell the difference between the bent of the editorial board and that of the news room. The WaPo, Times and WSJ did not rise to be the most read and *trusted* news publications around the globe being 'biased' in their delivery of *hard* news. In fact, and ironically, when Faux News wishes to substantiate a point for which there is hard evidence, guess which publications they quote. You got it!
The WSJ editorial board is extreme, and I mean extreme, right-wing, and yet, when it comes to *hard* news I find WSJ to be highly credible, despite being a left leaner.
Opine of matters that you know something about...
@EK,
Singapore is probably further away from China than any other countries in East Asia with the exception of Indonesia.
It seems out of context to put it with HK in terms of proximity to China.
Of course, we know not everyone is strong in geography at high school. ;-)
Just a quick question - if you can moderate them, WHY do you leave the completely off-topic political bullshit (from BOTH sides!) in the comments?!?
Sorry, but I am interested in Changi Airport and how the Terminal 2 changes may impact future travel; not a bunch of self-proclaimed experts' views as to who is/is not to blame for this pandemic and/or which publications are/are not credible.
Thanks @VT-CIE for actually posting an informative, helpful comment!
If anyone thinks the New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal are not biased, he is a fool. The staff of the Times don't even try to disguise the liberal slant of their "articles" anymore and the lunacy of the opinion columnists is frightening. I've given far more of my money to the Times than the Journal over the years; I wonder how wise I was to do so. The writers and editors...
If anyone thinks the New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal are not biased, he is a fool. The staff of the Times don't even try to disguise the liberal slant of their "articles" anymore and the lunacy of the opinion columnists is frightening. I've given far more of my money to the Times than the Journal over the years; I wonder how wise I was to do so. The writers and editors don't even know the difference between "reticent" and "reluctant." It seems they prioritize declaring what their pronouns are and pandering to the class and race anxieties of white liberal burghers over having a basic command of the English language.
It's a shame the Priority Pass-accessible restaurant TGM in T2 will be unavailable. Its food was much better than most of the offerings in the various lounges. Even the Private Room in T3 is underwhelming.
Singapore and Hong Kong shows how prompt measures are needed to halt the spread of Wuhan Virus
This is how they saved themselves despite their proximity to China
@Paulz sez "Please do not cite The Washington Post as a reputable news source. They are as biased as CNN and MSNBC on the left as FoxNews is on the right. "
LOL. I guess you'd rather I cite Faux News. What you need to do is prove that what I quoted from the Post was 'fake news'. There is nothing biased about the news sections of the Post, Times, or even the WSJ. By...
@Paulz sez "Please do not cite The Washington Post as a reputable news source. They are as biased as CNN and MSNBC on the left as FoxNews is on the right. "
LOL. I guess you'd rather I cite Faux News. What you need to do is prove that what I quoted from the Post was 'fake news'. There is nothing biased about the news sections of the Post, Times, or even the WSJ. By contrast, Faux News or RNC faxes, which I bet are your main sources of "news", are nothing more than Trump's mouthpieces. You would not know unbiased if it hit you in the face.
G'day.
@VT-CIE
Thanks a lot for the extensive list, really appreciate it.
@ Paulz
Indeed so. And they seemed to accelerate their leftward drift after Bezos bought them.
Did a quick search on the Changi website. For T4, there is only one arrival and one departure on Apr 5 and Apr 7, and there is none on Apr 6. Wouldn't it be cheaper for them to shut down the terminal now and move that one flight pair to T1? Plus they can shut down that T4 shuttle bus service as well.
Here summed up:
China lied causing this to spread.
Trump lied causing it to continue to spread.
To summarize they both always f'g lie, why are we surprised? Now move on to the actual discussion of Singapore T2
LHR is closing T3 & T4 and going to single runway operations
Please do not cite The Washington Post as a reputable news source. They are as biased as CNN and MSNBC on the left as FoxNews is on the right.
They have gone from reporting news to voicing opinion pieces. Sad to see how far that newspaper has fallen.
@John -- Okay then, to make you feel good we blame China for covering up, which is their usual modus operandi as a totalitarian regime. How does that change the consequences and practical impact of months of lies and inaction by our supposedly better and more humane regime?
This timeframe seems about right. Anyone believing that a return to ‘travel as usual’ is imminent is going to be sorely disappointed. It’s likely going to be the northern summer of 2021 before borders are fully reopened. The loosening will have to be staged, and very carefully managed/ monitored.
@JL: I am personally affected, as the airlines I use to fly to India (6E, AI and MI) all use T2. The full list is as follows:
Aer Lingus
Aegean Airlines
Air Canada
Air Europa
Air India
Air India Express
ANA
Air Serbia
Bhutan Airlines
Brussels Airlines
Egypt Air
Ethiopian Airlines
Etihad Airways
Flynas
IndiGo
LOT Polish
Lufthansa
...
@JL: I am personally affected, as the airlines I use to fly to India (6E, AI and MI) all use T2. The full list is as follows:
Aer Lingus
Aegean Airlines
Air Canada
Air Europa
Air India
Air India Express
ANA
Air Serbia
Bhutan Airlines
Brussels Airlines
Egypt Air
Ethiopian Airlines
Etihad Airways
Flynas
IndiGo
LOT Polish
Lufthansa
Malaysia Airlines
Royal Air Maroc
Royal Brunei Airlines
Sichuan Airlines
Singapore Airlines/SilkAir
Swiss
Thai Airways
United
Some of the European airlines are codeshares, namely A3, UX, EI, SN, JU and the like.
@JW and DCS - yes Donald Trump shoulders a ton of blame for this and he is a total scoundrel for waiting so long to act. However, China shoulders a great deal of blame too for covering this up from the world and shaming/intimidating physicians who tried to sound the alarms.
I think the better headline would be "Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2 to be closed during renovations to expedite renovations". I hate hotels and airports during renovations and would much prefer both to be closed during renovations. Singapore was presented with an opportunity. Ultimately, Singapore will be the focus of all of Asia. China and Hong Kong proved to be too risky.
+1 to what JL asked. Further - I am curious as to what flights are happening out of which terminal, given so little is actually flying right now.
Lucky,
just out of curiosity, which airlines used to operate out of terminal 2 at SIN?
@Greta -- A team of Washington Post reporters wrote on Saturday: “The Trump administration received its first formal notification of the outbreak of the coronavirus in China on **Jan. 3.** Within days, U.S. spy agencies were signaling the seriousness of the threat to Trump by including a warning about the coronavirus —the first of many—in the President’s Daily Brief.”
What you should find more disgusting is that Trump did not listen. Instead, he minimized...
@Greta -- A team of Washington Post reporters wrote on Saturday: “The Trump administration received its first formal notification of the outbreak of the coronavirus in China on **Jan. 3.** Within days, U.S. spy agencies were signaling the seriousness of the threat to Trump by including a warning about the coronavirus —the first of many—in the President’s Daily Brief.”
What you should find more disgusting is that Trump did not listen. Instead, he minimized the threat for a couple of months, calling it a "hoax" devised by the Democrats and the press to spook investors and the markets and tank the economy in order to hurt his chances to be reelected. Trump lied to you and you are still going to vote for him. That is far more than disgusting.
G'day.
@Greta smart people do not succumb to lies easily, the same way does a truly first world and advance nation won't need the truth to know what is. They are capable of solving problems others can't. Donald Trump obviously knew the severity of situation but lied to us to make him look strong and astute. He is the real reason why we are in this puddle of s***
Another casualty of the Wuhan Flu. It's disgusting that China lied to the world for so long about it.