Singapore Changi Airport has opened the southern wing of its newly upgraded Terminal 2 (T2) after more than two years of closure.
It marks the first time that the airport has operated with all terminals running in over two years.
The first flight to depart from the terminal was Singapore Airlines flight SQ104 en route to Kuala Lumpur, which saw a Boeing 737 MAX 8 depart from T2 at 7:22am.
A total of 17 flights to Malaysia and Thailand took off from T2 on day one of the terminal’s reopening.
Mr Tan Lye Teck, Changi Airport Group’s executive vice president of airport management commented on the reopening of the terminal.
“It marks the airport’s progressive return to four-terminal operations. Changi has been through a lot over the past two-plus years, and we are happy to welcome more passengers back. We wish to thank travellers for their patience and understanding.”
Singapore Airlines will operate all of its South East Asian destinations from Terminal 2 going forward.
Air India and Air India Express will also move operations to T2 in the following weeks, with a list of other airlines to follow in the future.
The new design on T2 was inspired by nature, incorporating natural materials for the walls and flooring. Customers are greeted by huge green columns as they enter. Greenery enhances the check-in area and the sunflower garden has been reopened to passengers.
The aim is to create a calm and relaxed area for passengers before boarding their flights.
Check-in rows have also been spaced wider apart, while seating areas have been fitted with lounge seats. Automatic check-in kiosks have been made available to passengers with slanted lanes towards departure immigration to avoid confusion. Self-bag drop units and automatic immigration clearance gates give passengers the opportunity for a contactless journey.
Work behind the scenes included 3000 people testing the terminal’s operational readiness to ensure their systems and processes were operating smoothly from day one.
A number of new retail outlets and restaurants have also been revamped in the new design.
“The reopening of T2 for departure operations is another important chapter in Changi Airports reopening story… we would also like to take the opportunity to thank the whole airport community for working together with us on this journey and for their resilience and contributions to Changi,” said Mr Tan Lye Teck.
T4 reopened in September and the airport has reportedly restored its capacity to that of 70 million passengers — the same number as before the pandemic.
The full transformation of Terminal 2 will be completed by 2024.
