SINGAPORE. A multi-year programme of expansion and renovation will begin at Changi Airport’s Terminal 2 next month (February), with new retail stores and food & beverage options to be added.
Operator Changi Airport Group (CAG) said the aim of the project was to increase capacity and enhance the passenger experience by replacing facilities and amenities which were “near the end of their shelf lives”.
Some 15,500sq m of space will be added to the terminal building, and the airport’s capacity will increase by five million passengers per annum – bringing total capacity to 90 million when works are completed around 2024.
Additional retail and F&B outlets will be introduced in both the public and transit areas, CAG said. Among them, a duplex F&B concept will be introduced at the north end of T2’s landside leading to Jewel Changi Airport.
To cater for the new openings, the commercial spaces within the departure transit hall will be increased. The food street areas along the length of the hall and overlooking the tarmac will undergo the most dramatic refurbishment. CAG said its goal was to offer a “garden dining experience”, with green walls, hanging plants and soft lighting among the features to be installed.
A newly curated tenant mix will be implemented with more F&B options opening, while additional seating will be provided.
To facilitate the revamp, McDonald’s in arrivals will close on 31 January 2020, while Starbucks in departures will cease operations in April 2020. The remaining F&B outlets in T2’s public areas will remain open for passengers and visitors until the later phases of the expansion works, CAG said. A new cluster of F&B kiosks will offer additional quick bites options at the south end of the arrival hall.
CAG also pledged to introduce refreshed waiting areas with more comfortable seating in the terminal, along with relaxation zones and a new play area for children. New experiential zones will be introduced at various locations within the departure hall.
More greenery and natural elements will be added across the terminal, CAG said. The Orchid Garden in departures, which was installed in 1997, will close to make way for a new garden featuring a “revolutionary” landscape design. It will incorporate a variety of plant species. A garden-like lounge will also be created in arrivals.
Among other new additions, the refurbished T2 departure hall will feature a spacious common-use central Fast And Seamless Travel (FAST) zone, with more automated check-in kiosks and bag drop machines, while existing check-in counters will be renovated. In all, CAG expects the hall’s passenger handling capacity to increase by as much as +20%.
“The expansion and renovation works will rejuvenate T2, while upgrades in key operating infrastructure such as the baggage handling systems will enhance the terminal’s capacity and efficiency, allowing us to serve more airlines and passengers when the works are completed,” said CAG Executive Vice President of Airport Management Tan Lye Teck.
“T2 will continue to operate and welcome passengers, even as we work to minimise disruption to operations and inconvenience to passengers and visitors.”
T2 was last refurbished in 2006. Takenaka Corporation is the main contractor for the expansion works, with the project designed by JH Boiffils and a panel of multi-disciplinary consultants. RSP Architects Planners & Engineers is the lead architect.
