Changi Airport’s T4 to be closed from May 16, second terminal shut in a month

SINGAPORE — Changi Airport will be suspending its Terminal 4 operations from Saturday (May 16) owing to a sharp fall in air travel caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

This is the second terminal at Changi Airport to be shut in a month, after Terminal 2 closed on May 1 to bring down running costs and speed upgrading works there.

In a statement on Tuesday, Changi Airport Group (CAG) said the latest move would enable it to continue saving on running costs, such as utilities and cleaning.

Only a small number of flights are still operating from Terminal 4, CAG said, and the airlines based there will be moved to Terminal 1 or Terminal 3.

Terminal 4’s reopening will depend on when the demand for air travel picks up, and on the requirements of airlines seeking to resume flights at the airport, CAG added.

In the meantime, its stores and restaurants will be closed, and the shuttle bus service connecting it to Terminal 3 will be suspended.

Skytrain services between terminals have also been reduced. Visitors to the airport can use the MRT link bridge to go between Terminals 3 and 2, as well as the link bridge leading to Jewel Changi Airport. 

CAG said it would continue to work closely with airlines and partners during this period and “stands ready to restart operations at Terminal 4 as soon as a sufficient number of flights return to the terminal”.

In April, Changi Airport recorded 25,200 passenger movements, a 99.5 per cent drop from April 2019’s figure of 5.58 million. Aircraft movements fell to 3,870, an 87.7 per cent drop from a year ago.

The airport also handled 96,500 tonnes of airfreight in April, more than a third less than the 160,000 tonnes recorded a year ago.