Terminals 1 and 3 of Changi Airport to reopen on Sept 1 with enhanced split zones, aircon and ventilation systems

SINGAPORE — Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 of Changi Airport will reopen to the public on Sept 1 with more safeguards against Covid-19 transmission, after they were closed in May.

Changi Airport Group (CAG) and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said in a joint statement on Friday (Aug 27) that these safeguards include restricting the use of the arrival halls to arriving passengers and professional meet-and-greet services, in order to minimise interaction between arriving passengers and residents here. 

A new dedicated dining area has also been set up at basement level two of Terminal 3 next to the Kopitiam food court just for airport staff members, to minimise their interaction with the public. 

The air-conditioning and mechanical ventilation systems at the terminals have also been enhanced. 

The airport was closed after an 88-year-old cleaner working there was reported by the Ministry of Health on May 5 to be infected by the coronavirus. The airport quickly became a large active cluster within weeks. 

Mr Ong Ye Kung, who was Transport Minister then, said that the initial cluster was found to have “congregated” around a zone that was receiving travellers from higher-risk countries.

From that zone, workers would go have their meals at the commercial areas and the food court at the level-two basement of Terminal 3 and that possibly spread the disease to members of the public who were also there.

ARRIVAL HALLS

Segregation zones in the transit areas had been put in place at the airport since May and the new health safety measures complement them.

Only professional meet-and-greet services, such as those from hotels, transport services and company agents, will be able to meet and greet arriving passengers from low-risk countries in the arrival halls. 

These representatives are required to present the passenger’s flight itinerary to gain entry into the meeting area when the flight has landed. 

Only one representative is allowed to pick up each arriving passenger group. 

Other passengers from low-risk countries may pre-arrange their own transport or be picked up by family and friends at the terminal’s arrival pick-up kerbside.

Taxi services will also be available for passengers.

NEW REST AND DINING AREA FOR WORKERS

A part of the arrival hall in Terminal 3 has been converted into a rest area for airport workers.  

The dining and retail outlets located at the terminal’s arrival hall will be temporarily closed to the public as a result of this segregation zone. 

This reserved area will give airport workers the convenience of not having to hunt for a table at the food court, especially during busy meal times, CAG and CAAS said.

ENHANCED AIR QUALITY

The two terminals’ air-conditioning and mechanical ventilation systems have also been enhanced given the threat from the more transmissible coronavirus variants, CAG and CAAS said. 

These include the use of hospital-grade MERV-14 filters and installation of Ultraviolet-C sanitisation in the air-conditioning systems, as well as portable air purifiers with Hepa filters in the main dining area at the Kopitiam food court. 

MERV-14 shows how small the holes in the filters are and the smaller the number, less substances may pass through the filters. Hepa filters are high efficiency filters that capture almost 99 per cent of particulate pollution.