Changi Airport Terminal 5 breaks ground

Changi Airport Terminal 5 (T5), a mega terminal which will strengthen Changi Airport’s status as a leading air hub, officially broke ground on 14 May 2025. The groundbreaking ceremony was officiated by the Prime Minister of Singapore and Minister for Finance, Mr Lawrence Wong, marking a milestone in Singapore’s aviation development.

T5 will be connected to existing terminals at Changi Airport, enabling the airport to operate as an integrated air hub. Designed to handle about 50 million passengers annually, its first phase is slated to open in the mid-2030s.

For the first time, T5 will see Changi Airport house a ground transportation centre integrating train, bus, taxi and other transport services, enhancing Changi Airport’s connectivity to the rest of Singapore.

Terminal 5 is an integral part of the Changi East development, which will position Singapore to capture future growth opportunities in the region.

All the buildings in Terminal 5 will be connected via an automated people mover system. There will also be an extension to Terminal 2, where passengers can connect to the rest of Changi Airport.

Terminal 5’s roof design is an assembly of overlapping roof leaves with varying heights, creating a variety of spaces that are more human-scale. This provides a cosy feel within the mega terminal.

The curved shapes of the roof allow natural light to filter through, evoking a sense of dynamism and excitement of flight.

Drawing on lessons learnt from the Covid-19 pandemic, T5 will be designed with the flexibility to operate as smaller sub-terminals when needed, with spaces that could be converted for the handling of contingencies, such as health testing operations or the segregation of high-risk passengers.

T5 will also be a Green Mark Platinum Super Low Energy building, harnessing clean energy and using building management systems with innovative and efficient systems design to reduce the carbon footprint of Changi Airport. The terminal’s rooftop solar system, which would be one of the largest in Singapore, can potentially generate enough energy to power up about 20,000 4-room HDB flats for a year.

T5 is located within the 1,080-ha Changi East development that is designed to withstand extreme weather and climate change effects. To manage stormwater during high tide and handle intense rainfall from extreme storms, the airfield is designed with an elevation of 5.5m above sea level, and the aircraft taxiways are sloped to allow rainwater to drain off effectively.

“The construction itself of T5 is a significant, complex engineering project,” said PM Wong.

SJ Group, Arup and Mott MacDonald are collaborating as the engineering consortium for Changi Airport Terminal 5, to deliver full engineering consultancy services for the design of the main terminal building, satellite terminal building, ground transportation centre and the primary landside roadways.

In a separate consortium which comprises SJ, Arup, Mott MacDonald, as well as Changi Airport Planners and Engineers, we are the Master Civil Consultants, delivering the infrastructure design at the landside and airside areas outside of the T5 buildings.These include taxiways, aircraft parking stands, roadways and drainage systems, as well as the connections for utilities such as power, water, gas, fuel and telecommunications to the T5 buildings.

Arup and Mott MacDonald are also involved in the development of Changi East’s airport systems and technology, helping to ensure that Changi Airport remains at the forefront of innovation, and continues to be recognised as one of the world’s leading airports.