When Changi Airport Terminal 2 shut down in 2020 for renovations, Singaporeans may have wondered when they’d be able to fly off from there again.
Now that passenger traffic has picked up again, a newly refurbished T2 will reopen their Southern Wing for departing passengers.
Source: Changi Airport on Facebook
It will come with automated check-in kiosks and immigration gates, among other features.
In a press release on Monday (5 Sep), Changi Airport Group (CAG) said T2’s Southern Wing will reopen on 11 Oct.
It will handle departure operations, bringing them back to the terminal for the first time since its closure in May 2020.
This will bump up airport capacity and spread out passenger operations more evenly across terminals, CAG said.
This comes just in time for the year-end travel peak, even as travel demand continues to grow in the lead-up.
Fittingly, passengers of national carrier Singapore Airlines (SIA) will be the first to use T2 to check-in to their flights.
On 11 Oct, those flying SIA to Malaysia and Thailand will be the inaugural batch of travellers to depart from the new T2.
SIA flights to other cities in South-east Asia will then depart from T2 from 13 Oct.
After a week, two more airlines will move over to T2 — Air India (AI) and Air India Express (IX).
They’ll start departure operations at T2 on 18 Oct.
CAG will announce the rest of the airlines using T2 later.
Those who haven’t visited the new T2 yet will be pleased to know that it has been refreshed to a contemporary, yet “welcoming” and “more spacious” design.
CAG described the natural materials used for wall cladding and flooring and green-coloured columns as “inspired by elements of nature” that will calm and relax people.
Another significant feature are the automated lanes for check-in and immigration.
After self-service check-in and baggage drop-off at automated kiosks, passengers can clear immigration at automated immigration clearance gates.
Source: Courtesy of Changi Airport Group
These automated lanes are some of the features meant to “enhance the check-in and wayfinding experience”, CAG said.
Source: Changi Airport on Facebook
Singaporeans who’re more interested in eating and shopping at T2 will be glad to know that the Southern Wing will also have F&B and retail offerings.
Better yet, some familiar outlets will be returning in their original locations.
Two of those are Starbucks and SingPost, CAG said.
Source: Google Maps
Departing and transit passengers can also make use of the transit hotel and pay-per-use lounge, while the SilverKris Lounge will be available to eligible SIA passengers.
While the Southern Wing will open soon, T2’s Northern Wing will be fully completed only by 2024, CAG said.
However, when it’s finally in operation, it will have more F&B and retail options and new attractions, they added.
More operational readiness trials will be conducted in the weeks ahead to make sure the Southern Wing will have a smooth opening.
The opening of the Southern Wing for departures comes more than three months after T2 reopened for arriving passengers in May.
In that first phase, areas such as arrival immigration, baggage claim belts and contact gates resumed operations.
Source: Changi Airport on Facebook
Since then, T2 has hosted peak-hour arrival flights of airlines operating in T3. SIA flights arriving in Changi have also been assigned gates at Terminals 1, 2 or 3.
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Featured image courtesy of Changi Airport Group.
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