Changi's T5 key to Singapore's aviation hub status: Regional industry chief

It is needed for nation to stay ahead as regional airports have been scaling up

- Vanessa Paige Chelvan

Changi Airport has to start building Terminal 5 soon if it wants to remain competitive against leading airports in the Asia-Pacific region that are scaling up to meet forecast demand, the regional chief of a global airport body has said.

Singapore "cannot waste more time if it wants to keep its position" as the world's best, said Mr Stefano Baronci, director-general of Airports Council International (ACI) Asia-Pacific and Middle East.

He was speaking to reporters at Jewel Changi Airport on May 13 in an interview on the state of the aviation industry in the region.

Changi would have to maintain a high quality of service and cooperate with the Government and other parties to promote inbound travel and expand airline connectivity to keep T5 ahead of the competition, said Mr Baronci, who is based in Bangkok.

ACI's Asia-Pacific and Middle East arm has 127 airport members that operate 604 airports.

Construction on T5 is set to start in mid-May after delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Looking at some of Singapore's competition, Mr Baronci noted that Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) is ahead of Singapore in terms of new airport infrastructure.