Officially opening on October 31, the new Terminal 4 will house nine airlines, including the AirAsia group's four carriers, with first flights to be operated by Cathay Pacific.
So far, approximately 150 trials involving and airport staff have been conducted to test different systems and processes. Such testing is necessary because the terminal will feature several “firsts”, according to the Changi Airport Group, such as the end-to-end automated processes, from check-in to boarding.
Another new feature is the centralised security checks, replacing the traditional checks located at the boarding gates. The new terminal will also include a facial recognition system, for the first time at Changi airport, to ensure that the same traveller moves from the first to last checkpoint.
Today’s final rehearsal involved about 1,500 airport staff and other participants. All systems were tested by airlines, commercial tenants, ground handling firms and other stakeholders, while the airport emergency services and Singapore Civil Defence Force carried out a fire drill - the eighth and final test.
The nine airlines to operate from the new terminal will be progressively shifted over to their new base over the course of a week, to ensure smooth transitions for all. Cathay Pacific and Korean Air will move in on the first day, followed by Cebu Pacific and Spring Airlines on November 2. The AirAsia group and Vietnam Airlines will begin operating out of T4 on November 7.
AirAsia's Singapore CEO, Logan Velaitham, said the move to the new "state-of-the-art, fully-automated Terminal 4" is in line with the airline's vision of becoming a digital carrier. "When you fly out of Changi with us, expect a fully automated service with FAST (fast and seamless travel) from door to gate, which integrates seamlessly into our own innovations on mobile and web," Velaitham commented.
AirAsia will deploy 19 check-in kiosks, 14 auto bag-drop machines, two document check counters and two payment counters at Terminal 4.
Changi Airport will be able to handle up to 16m passengers a year at the new terminal, increasing its overall annual capacity to 82m passengers. In about 10 to 12 year, the new Terminal 5 will provide further injection to the total capacity.
