The Skytrax world’s best airport for 2025 has broken ground on an upgrade that will see it gain a fifth terminal described by its head designer as “a vibrant microcity that is distinctly Singaporean — lush, layered, and deeply human.”
Changi International Airport is the fourth busiest globally and has the USP that every flight in and out is international. From Changi, travellers can fly direct to 170 cities but the award-winning hub acts almost as a tourist attraction in its own right, boasting a cinema, a rooftop swimming pool, and a range of gardens and amenities, such as a wellness area and a 10-storey luxury retail space with the world’s largest indoor waterfall, added in 2019 and accessible even to non-flyers.
“Personalized and stress-free”
Announced in 2013 but delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Changi’s Terminal 5 is now finally underway and by the mid-2030s will add what Yam Kum Weng, CEO of the Changi Group, has called a “mega yet cozy” facility. Destined to be the primary terminal for Singapore Airlines as well as its low-cost subsidiary Scoot, it is set to offer “a personalized, stress-free and positively surprising airport experience,” Yam Kum Weng said.
With an initial target to handle up to 50,000 million passengers a year, that “stress-free” feel will be achieved partly by the contactless system to be installed in the new terminal, allowing passengers to go document-free and instead use biometrics to pass through checkpoints.
Changi Airport’s story mirrors Singapore’s — bold, visionary, and undaunted by challenges. Two years ago, I stood on the site where Terminal 5 would one day rise. Today, we break ground and begin building this next chapter in our aviation journey. pic.twitter.com/KkWjdEiFSg
— Lawrence Wong (@LawrenceWongST) May 14, 2025
Super low energy
The climate and future-proofing for potential crises are also part of the architect’s thinking. Designated a Green Mark Platinum Super Low Energy building, Terminal 5 will need to deal with Singapore’s southeast Asian tropical weather patterns, which include high temperatures, heavy rains, and high humidity. One of the largest rooftop solar installations in the island city-state will provide enough energy to run the airport as well as up to 20,000 four-room dwellings, while a ventilation system and layered roof design enable parts of the terminal to be isolated into “mini-terminals” in case of emergencies or disease-control measures.
Attending the ground-breaking ceremony on 14 May 2025, Singapore’s Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong said the new infrastructure would increase Changi’s capacity by over 50%, with an ambition to take the airport’s connections to over 200 city destinations around the world. It will also complete Changi’s ground transportation connectivity with mobility options including train, bus, taxi and other transport services boosting the airport’s accessibility from around Singapore.
