Changi Airport’s New T4 to Feature FAST Technology for Departing Passengers

Changi Airport’s soon-to-be-opened Terminal 4 (T4) will be the first terminal to make use of end-to-end Fast and Seamless Travel (FAST) technology for departing passengers.

With the extensive use of technology, including facial recognition software, passengers will enjoy the flexibility of checking in at their own convenience, without having to wait for counters to open.

FAST will also yield productivity gains with manpower savings of about 20% expected in the longer term, when operations have stabilised.

T4 has a total floor area of 225,000 square metres including the two-storey terminal, car parks and taxi deck.

Although just half the size of Terminal 3 (T3), the planners and designers of T4 have managed to deliver a terminal that will have a capacity of 16 million passenger movements a year, two-thirds that of T3.

T4’s showpiece is a Central Galleria (300m long x 18m wide x 23m high) which separates the public zone from the transit area. This visual-transparent concept provides a clear view from the check-in hall through the transit area and, at some locations, even right up to the boarding gates.

Due to its compact size, T4 will have centralised areas for departure and arrival immigration as well as pre-board security screening.

In the Departure Hall, the check-in islands are angled towards the common immigration control area, to create natural and intuitive wayfinding for passengers.

T4’s interior design is based on a symmetrical petal design, inspired by the orchid petal. This contemporary motif appears ubiquitously in various locations within T4, such as on the skylights, marble flooring and carpets to create a coherent design language that adds to its boutique feel.

With skylights and glass walls allowing natural light in, T4 not only provides a naturally ambient daytime experience for passengers, it also simulates a natural environment of plants and trees.

At T4, landscaping covers 2,000 square metres and it is home to 186 large trees. Along the boarding corridor, 160 ficus trees form a boulevard of trees, separating the boarding area from the common area at the departure gates.

The art collection at T4 features an eclectic mix of contemporary works by local and foreign artists, with a diverse blend of mediums, sizes and imagery. Each piece was conceptualised and designed with careful consideration as to how it would embellish the terminal’s design and architecture, weaving in a narrative that converges art and travel.

Ms Poh Li San, Changi Airport Group’s (CAG) Vice President, T4 Programme Management Office, said, “T4 was conceived with the  vision to rethink travel, push boundaries and break new ground. Through innovative concepts of operation and terminal design, we sought to address our capacity needs as well as improve efficiency and manpower productivity. For the passenger, we wanted to delight them with ‘wow’ features and showcase our local culture and architectural history at the Heritage Zone. We look forward to welcoming the public to our Open House in August, and passengers when we open T4 for operations later this year.”

Nine airlines will operate at T4 – the Air Asia Group (of four airlines), Cathay Pacific, Cebu Pacific, Korean Air, Spring Airlines and Vietnam Airlines. Together, they serve an estimated eight million passengers at Changi Airport each year.

Two lounges - Cathay Pacific’s First and Business Class Lounge and SATS PPG Blossom Lounge, a pay-per-use lounge managed by SATS and Plaza Premium, are located at level 2M within the transit area.

With T4, the total handling capacity of Changi Airport will be raised to 82 million passengers per annum. There will thus be more capacity at Changi’s terminals to support the growth plans of all airlines.

Retail

T4 will have more than 80 retail and F&B outlets featuring popular brands and unique experiential zones. This includes an integrated duty-free zone covering both liquor and tobacco as well as cosmetics and perfume products. Shoppers will be able to pay for their purchases at common cashier counters.

New at Changi Airport, the Heritage Zone (pictured above) designed with the evolving architecture of shophouse facades, provides passengers a glimpse of Singapore’s cultural heritage, while housing a range of traditional retail and dining offerings. Renovation and fitting-out works of stores and restaurants are well in progress to prepare for operations when T4 opens.

There has been a strong response to the T4 Open House which is scheduled to run from 7 to 20 August 2017, with all 200,000 tickets taken up.

CAG has said it will decide on the commencement date for T4 operations when operational readiness trials – currently in the final stage – have been completed. These trials will involve commercial flights operated by airlines moving to the terminal.

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