Changi Airport Terminal 1 refurbishment completed

Singapore's Changi Airport Group (CAG) stated (12-Jul-2012) it has completed its SGD500 million (USD393 million) refurbishment programme on Terminal 1, its oldest terminal (opened in 1981), with an official unveiling planned for 18-Jul-2012. Started in May-2008, the T1 upgrading project has seen the addition of around 22,000sqm, increasing T1 floor space to around 308,000sqm. Works also focused on rejuvenating the interior (through measures such as making ceiling higher, improving lighting, widening thoroughfares and improving the facade), improving passenger flow at key areas such as the Departure Check-in Hall, Departure Transit Mall, Arrival Hall and Immigration facilities, and expanding the retail and F&B offering in the terminal from around 85 to 110 outlets. The airport noted a major challenge facing the project engineers was to carry out the upgrading even as T1 remained operational. This meant works had to be done in phases during the four-year period to accommodate the different operational requirements of the terminal's users. To enable Changi Airport's continued growth, CAG is embarking on plans to develop the existing open-air car park fronting T1 into an aviation-related mixed-use complex, in a project that will increase T1's handling capacity by 14% to 24 million passengers p/a. As part of this project, some of the public areas of the T1 building will be expanded, allowing for more space for aviation facilities such as the baggage claim hall, arrival hall, car park and taxi bays. Changi Airport has three main terminals: T1, T2 and T3. The Budget Terminal will be closed on 25-Sep-2012, to make way for a brand new Terminal 4, which will be ready by early 2017. [more - original PR]