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Changi Airport eases safety measures as borders reopen, Terminal 2 to be 'progressively opened' in 2022: S Iswaran

SINGAPORE — The experience travellers once enjoyed at Changi Airport before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, such as shopping and dining at the transit halls before their departure or after their arrival, is set to inch closer to normalcy, now that border measures have been eased, the Changi Airport Group said on Wednesday (March 30).

People posing for pictures in front a giant lollipop candy display in the departure hall of Changi Airport on March 11, 2022.

People posing for pictures in front a giant lollipop candy display in the departure hall of Changi Airport on March 11, 2022.

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SINGAPORE — The experience travellers once enjoyed at Changi Airport before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, such as shopping and dining at the transit halls before their departure or after their arrival, is set to inch closer to normalcy, now that border measures have been eased, the Changi Airport Group said on Wednesday (March 30).

The group said in a statement that this also means that incoming passengers may now “reunite with their friends and families once they step into the arrival hall”.

Before the easing of restrictions, access to the arrival halls had been limited to professional meet-and-greet services such as hotel representatives and company agents.

This meant that relatives, friends or family members had to wait only at the public areas within the airport.

And since there is no longer a need for fully vaccinated passengers to undergo on-arrival tests at the airport, CAG said that they will be allowed to shop and dine at the public areas either at the airport or its Jewel retail complex before they leave the premises.

“Changi Airport looks forward to welcoming more passengers and flights as Singapore moves into the endemic phase of Covid-19,” it added.

The move to ease both border and infection controls was announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong last Thursday.

Transport Minister S Iswaran said at a press conference by the national Covid-19 task force that day that Singapore aims to “restore the traveller experience that Changi is renowned for”.

Speaking to the media at the airport on Wednesday, Mr Iswaran said that having met with both the ground and airport staff members, it was clear that their “excitement and optimism is palpable”.

He also said that employees' morale is high and that they “all want to see Changi buzzing again”.

The restoration of the “Changi experience”, Mr Iswaran added, is not just for Singaporeans, but global travellers, too, because they have become accustomed to it.

“And that means (that it should start) from the arrival experience, the immigration processes and also what happens in the airport itself.”

Mr Iswaran said that Terminal 2 will be “progressively opened” in the course of this year.

“I think that will help add to the capacity. And Terminal 4 is, I think, if we need to activate it, Changi is able to do so at relatively short notice.

“I think as we ramp up volume… this is a decision that must be a function of the broader circumstances, because opening up a terminal incurs significant overheads and in terms of manpower. So it's not something where you can just open one gate or two gates at a time,” he added.

Related topics

border control travel Changi Airport Jewel shopping dining transit CAG Covid-19

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