$1.1b to prep land for T5 and runway

It will cost more than a billion dollars to clear the land and strengthen the soil before Changi Airport's Terminal 5 and third runway can be built, underlining the scale and complexity of a project to boost Changi's competitiveness.

A $1.1 billion contract - believed to be the largest so far for the airport project - has been awarded to a team comprising Japanese construction firm Penta-Ocean, which specialises in marine works and land reclamation, and Singapore's Koon Construction and Transport.

A spokesman for the Transport Ministry told The Straits Times that the works to be carried out "are complex in nature and in more than 70 phases across more than 1,000ha" - just slightly smaller than the airport's current premises.

The works will be carried out over the next few years, she said.

T5, which will be built on reclaimed land, will be Changi's biggest. To be completed in the middle of the next decade, T5 will be able to process up to 50 million passengers a year - more than T2 and T3 put together.

The project - the biggest airport works since the move from Paya Lebar Airport to Changi in 1981 - aims to cement Changi Airport's position as the region's premier airport and hub.

From 66 million passengers now, Changi will be able to handle up to 85 million by 2018, when T4 is ready and T1 is expanded. By the time T5 starts operating, Changi's annual capacity will hit 135 million passengers.

Besides a new mega terminal, a third runway is also planned.

An existing landing strip at the site, currently used for military flights, will be strengthened and lengthened, after which it will be linked to the existing two runways via 40km of taxiways.

There are also plans to build aircraft maintenance and repair facilities, as well as hotels and offices, at the new site.

To integrate the operations of the existing airport and future terminal, work has already started on a new road to replace Changi Coast Road, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said.

In anticipation of higher traffic in the future, work is also being done to expand Tanah Merah Coast Road, a spokesman said.

This will also ensure smooth traffic flow during the construction phase, when trucks and other heavy vehicles travel to and from the site, he said.

The two road contracts - worth a total of about $81 million - were awarded in April, LTA said, and the works are expected to be done by the middle of 2017.

Kok Min Yee, general manager of Tanah Merah Country Club said: "So far, the works have not led to any complaints from members."

If traffic is affected, the club would "certainly take it up" with LTA, he said.

SOURCE

Changi Airport offers more rebates, incentives for airlines

Changi Airport Group (CAG) on Wednesday (Sep 3) provided additional details of the rebates and incentives offered to airlines under its Growth and Assistance Incentive (GAIN) programme, which was announced in June.

It will be offering landing fee rebates for long-haul flights and incentives for airlines to grow transfer traffic through Changi Airport, and these measures would amount to as much as S$50 million over the next 19 months for airlines operating at the Airport, said CAG in its press release.

Specifically, it will offer a 50 per cent rebate on landing fees for all non-stop long-haul passenger flights from Sep 1, 2014 to Mar 31, 2016.

CAG is also launching its Gateway Incentive next month, in which all airlines at Changi Airport will receive a S$10 incentive for every incremental departing transit or transfer passenger handled. The 18-month scheme is effective from Oct 1 this year, and will also include passengers carried by foreign airlines interlining at the airport, it said.

"The new incentives are targeted at long-haul flights and transfer traffic, two important segments of our air traffic. Long-haul services are a key part of Changi Airport’s global connectivity. CAG recognises that airlines commit significant investment into their long haul flights, hence CAG will be offering landing rebates on these flights to help share airlines’ costs, said Mr Lim Ching Kiat, CAG's Senior Vice President for Market Development.

"Transfer traffic is another important component of our air traffic. Therefore, we will be rolling out incentives to reward our airline partners for growing transfer traffic. This is on top of the extension of our popular Changi Transit Programme which offers attractive vouchers to passengers using Changi as their transfer point.”

CAG had announced in June that it is offering all airlines operating at Changi Airport across-the-board rebates of 50 per cent aircraft parking fees and 15 per cent on aerobridge fees between Jul 1, 2014 and Jun 30, 2015 under its GAIN programme.

SOURCE

Asia tourist boom fuels airport binge

Faced with snaking queues at immigration, overflowing baggage carousels and expensive flight delays, Asian nations are rushing to build hundreds of new airports to cope with surging demand for air travel in the region.

From China and India to the Philippines and Indonesia, the fast-growing middle classes are looking to spend their cash by spreading their wings, leading to a boom in the Asia-Pacific region's tourism sector. Airlines have responded by setting up several new budget carriers and flying new routes -- but many airports are unable to cope, forcing governments to either expand or simply build new airports.

"Through the next 10 years, we see more than 350 new airports in the Asia-Pacific and the investment cost will be well over $100 billion," said Chris De Lavigne, a global vice president at business consultancy Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific.

"China is building over 100 airports, India is building over 60 airports and Indonesia will also have to follow suit with investments in its infrastructure," said De Lavigne, who closely tracks Asia's aviation industry.

Upgrades of existing airports could cost an additional $25 billion, he told AFP by telephone from his office in Jakarta. International tourist arrivals in Asia-Pacific grew an annual 6.0 per cent to 248 million last year, the strongest of any region worldwide, according to the UN World Tourism Organization. To cope with this, construction is being ramped up.

The Canada-based Airports Council International (ACI) said in a report that Indonesia plans to build 62 new airports in the next five years, in addition to its existing 237. Soekarno-Hatta in Jakarta is improving capacity after handling 60 million passengers last year, nearly three times what it was designed for, ACI said.

And Kuala Lumpur aims to double capacity to 100 million a year by 2020, while Hong Kong wants to handle 97 million annually by 2030, up from 60 million in 2013. In Beijing -- which already has a hub servicing 80 million people -- a second, $11 billion airport is being built to open in 2018 and handle 40 million passengers, Sydney-based consultancy Centre for Aviation said.

There are also plans for a full replacement of Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport, one of Asia's most notorious for overcrowding and backward facilities. Its Terminal 1, which is undergoing a major makeover, was built in 1981 to handle six million passengers a year. Together with two extension terminals, the airport handled around 30 million passengers in 2013.

Even Singapore's Changi -- regarded by many as one of the world's best -- is expanding, with a $1.0 billion Terminal 4 opening in 2017 that will raise capacity to 82 million passengers from the current 54 million. Plans are already being made for a Terminal 5.

Shukor Yusof, an analyst with Malaysia-based Endau Analytics, said airport infrastructure in many countries has lagged well behind travel growth.

"Many governments have paid scant attention to developing new terminals and new tarmacs, that's why you find that many of the airports are bursting at the seams," he said.

The focus is not just on capitals. The need for more space means much of the new construction is taking place in secondary cities, with some facilities potentially becoming hubs.

De Lavigne cited the Kualanamu International Airport in Indonesia's Medan, which opened last July and could become a hub for flights to Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, India and China. It was designed to handle eight million passengers a year but is already at capacity, he said.

"By 2025, they're forecasting 24 million passengers out of Medan, or a three-fold increase in just over 10 years," De Lavigne said, adding that Indonesia's aviation sector alone is growing 14-15 per cent a year.

Even less developed tourist destinations are pressing ahead with building. Myanmar -- returning to the global fold after decades of isolation -- is looking to upgrade 39 airports as tourist and domestic air passenger figures are seen surging to 30 million in 2030 from 4.2 million in 2013, the ACI said.

The government is also building a new $1.5 billion Hanthawaddy International Airport to serve as Yangon's second airport, it added.

Bangladesh is constructing a new airport costing up to $7.2 billion about 60 kilometres (37 miles) from Dhaka, ACI said. Funding from governments and the private sector does not appear to be a problem.

"There's a lot of liquidity out there. There's a lot of money in project financing," Shukor said.

Airports are now even targeting non-travellers, with the current trend for "aeroparks and aerotropolises" integrating lifestyle amenities, attracting diners and shoppers who won't even board flights.

"You get people who don't fly to come into the airports for food, shopping and other lifestyle activities. That trend which started in the West is increasingly finding its way into Asia," De Lavigne said.

SOURCE

Changi Airport June passenger traffic: Highest in 2014, but down from a year ago

A total of 4.65 million passengers passed through Changi Airport in June, the highest number this year but a drop of 0.3 per cent when compared with a year ago, Changi Airport Group (CAG) said on Wednesday (July 23).

This is the third monthly on-year decline this year, according to figures provided by CAG.

Aircraft movements for the month dipped 0.5 per cent to 28,130. On the cargo front, 154,700 tonnes of airfreight were processed last month, 0.2 per cent lesser than a year before.

In the first half of this year, 26.61 million passengers travelled through Changi Airport, 1.4 per cent more than the corresponding period in 2013. During the same six-month period, flight movements increased 2.9 per cent to 171,680 while cargo shipments totalled 910,100 tonnes, a growth of 0.6 per cent on-year.

Travel demand within the Asia-Pacific region spurred traffic growth for the half-year, with traffic to North-east Asia and South Asia growing 5.1 per cent and 4.1 per cent, respectively. This was offset by weaker demand for travel to Thailand, which declined 18 per cent for the half-year.

Jakarta continued to top the list of Changi Airport’s busiest routes, followed by Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Manila. Denpasar-Bali registered a strong 31 per cent increase in the first six months of 2014 compared to a year ago, the fastest growing among the top 10 routes.

SOURCE

Changi Airport gives sneak peek into Terminal 4

As part of a series of “#breaking” tweets in commemoration of its 33rd anniversary, Changi Airport (@FansofChangi) posted a video giving a sneak peek of parts of Terminal 4 (T4), which is set to be completed in 2017.

Dubbing it “a terminal for the passengers for tomorrow”, the video, posted on its FansOfChangi YouTube channel, depicted the departure and arrival halls, the transit lounge and duty free shopping area, a 300-metre-long “Central Galleria” separating the public and restricted zones, shopfronts done up with a Peranakan façade, and an open-air car park with 1,500 parking spaces.

The groundbreaking ceremony for Terminal 4 was held last November. Built on the site of the former Budget Terminal, T4 will span an area of 195,000 square metres, and be equipped to handle 16 million passengers a year.

SOURCE

Changi Airport's passenger traffic up 2% in May

Changi Airport saw 4.37 million passenger movements in May, an increase of 2 per cent from a year ago, said Changi Airport Group (CAG) on Monday (June 23).

The growth in passenger traffic was supported by an increase in air travel between Singapore and North-East Asia, South Asia and South-West Pacific, offset by weaker performance on some South-East Asian routes, CAG said.

Among Changi’s top 10 markets, Hong Kong and Vietnam registered double-digit increases. Travel to and from Thailand continued to be affected by the political situation, decreasing by 17 per cent, with Bangkok and Phuket traffic dropping by 24 per cent and 7 per cent, respectively.

In terms of landings and take-offs, the 28,930 registered last month was a 1.7 per cent increase compared with May 2013. On the cargo front, 157,500 tonnes of airfreight were processed at Changi last month, a 3.5 per cent increase year-on-year.

From January to May, a total of 21.95 million passenger movements were recorded at Changi Airport, an increase of 1.8 per cent from the same period a year ago. Aircraft landings and take-offs grew by 3.6 per cent to 143,550, while cargo shipments increased by 0.8 per cent to 755,400 tonnes for the same period, CAG said.

SOURCE

Changi Airport unveils S$100m scheme to combat passenger traffic decline

Changi Airport Group (CAG) announced on Thursday (June 12) a wide-ranging Growth and Assistance Incentive (GAIN) programme aimed at boosting passenger traffic and laying the foundation for more efficient operations at Changi Airport in the years ahead.

In a statement, CAG said it will commit S$100 million to the GAIN programme, which will be implemented over the coming year. For its airline partners, CAG will offer an across-the-board reduction in operating costs, including rebates of 50 per cent on aircraft parking fees and 15 per cent on aerobridge fees. This will be applicable from July 1, 2014, to June 30, 2015, it added.

It will also introduce a new package that rewards airlines for growing transfer traffic at Changi Airport, and encourage them to get on its FAST@Changi initiative that offers self-service options for departing passengers.

In order to stimulate traffic demand, CAG will invest in destination marketing campaigns to promote Singapore in major source markets like Australia, China, India, Indonesia and Russia.

“The incentives and support programmes beyond the coming year will be calibrated depending on how traffic patterns at Changi Airport and how the operating conditions of airlines in the region develop,” it added.

DECLINING PASSENGER TRAFFIC

CAG also acknowledged a decline in passenger traffic, saying it has seen year-on-year declines in February and March this year. It attributed market factors such as the rise of the Singapore dollar versus key travel markets such as India and Indonesia, and political uncertainty in Thailand, to the drop.

Reduced Chinese demand for travel to South-East Asia has also dampened passenger traffic to and from these key markets, it said.

CAG CEO Lee Seow Hiang said: “We are cognisant of the market conditions faced by (our airline partners). While we cannot iron out the volatilities of the industry cycle, we believe that GAIN will provide helpful temporary cost relief as airlines implement the necessary measures needed to adjust to the evolving market environment."

Mr Lee added the programme provides encouraging opportunities for its partners to explore new ideas and initiatives - whether to stimulate travel demand or to boost productivity - that will help position CAG "strongly for the next wave of growth".

SOURCE

Self-service check-ins, bag drops on trial at Changi Airport

Travellers departing from Changi Airport can now check in and deposit their bags with Jetstar Asia via self-service kiosks, according to Changi Airport Group (CAG).

The airport operator said in a statement on Friday (May 30) it is currently trialling a number of self-service functions – check in, bag tagging and bag drop – with Jetstar as its airline partner. The trial is ongoing and will run until August 2014, it added.

Two bag drop units and four check-in kiosks have been fitted alongside the Jetstar check-in counters in Terminal 1, and passengers on selected flights will be able to use these self-service options.

Findings from the ongoing trial will be used to assess improvements and adjustments needed for the various systems, while feedback from passengers will also be sought to finetune operations and processes to achieve better user experience, the company said.

The pilot is part of CAG's Fast and Seamless Travel at Changi (FAST@Changi) programme, as the company looks to improve productivity and operational efficiency using technology.

"The implementation of FAST@Changi is in line with a wider global push towards increasing automation at airports to improve producitivity and efficiency, while providing passengers with greater flexibility and convenience," said Mr Tan Lye Teck, Executive Vice President of Airport Management at CAG.

SOURCE

Cathay Pacific to relocate to Changi Airport T4

The Hong Kong-based carrier Cathay Pacific has announced that it will relocate from Changi Airport’s Terminal 1 to the newest Terminal 4 (T4) when it opens in 2017, becoming the first airline to confirm such a move.

In a joint release today (April 30), the Changi Airport Group (CAG) and the airline said some of the key highlights for its passengers at T4 will include an enhanced travel experience with a line-up of self-service initiatives, as well as an expanded dedicated lounge of more than 800sqm for its premium passengers.

Changi Airport’s latest terminal, T4, is designed to handle 16 million passenger movements per annum and is able to support operations for both full-service and budget carriers.

With more than 130 weekly flights to and from Changi Airport, Cathay Pacific’s relocation to the new terminal will also provide it with “good room for future growth”, said the statement.

Mr Wilson Yam, General Manager, Southeast Asia, Cathay Pacific Airways, said: “As a keen adopter of technology aimed at improving passenger experience, self check-in options have always been offered by Cathay Pacific at all our stations. Changi Airport is one of Cathay Pacific’s largest bases outside Hong Kong so we are very excited at this opportunity to offer a transformational on-ground product for our valued passengers.”

CAG’s Executive Vice President of Air Hub and Development, Mr Yam Kum Weng, said the group is “delighted with Cathay Pacific’s acceptance of our invitation to relocate its operations to T4” and looks forward to a close partnership with the airline at T4 come 2017.

SOURCE

Top airline partners honoured at Changi Airline Awards

Twenty-four awards were presented to the airline community across six categories at the 9th Changi Airline Awards on Tuesday evening.

The annual awards, organised by the Changi Airport Group, celebrate the partnership of airlines operating at Changi Airport and their contributions towards the growth of Singapore's air hub.

China Eastern Airlines received the Partner of the Year Award for its significant contributions to grow and strengthen services between China and Singapore.

China was the fifth largest source of passenger traffic for Changi Airport last year, with a total of 4.64 million passengers travelling between Singapore and China, a 6.4 per cent increase compared with 2012.

China Eastern Airlines is the largest Chinese carrier operating at Changi Airport in terms of passenger traffic.

The airline carried more than 650,000 passengers in 2013, and over the past five years, the number of passengers served by the airline increased at a compounded annual growth rate of more than 10 per cent.

The top five passenger carriers at Changi Airport last year were Singapore Airlines, Tigerair Singapore, SilkAir, Jetstar Asia and AirAsia Berhad.

In the cargo airlines category, Singapore Airlines Cargo continued to top the list, followed by FedEx Express, Cathay Pacific, EVA Airways and Air Hong Kong.

Speaking at the ceremony, Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew highlighted the need for close partnership within the airport community to adapt to the evolving aviation trends.

Mr Lui said: "To be an effective partnership, we must consult, listen, and work towards win-win solutions. With this close partnership in mind, we will continue to be sensitive to the needs of airlines. In particular, we appreciate the concern that airlines have with costs. We will continue to keep a close eye on it and ensure that Changi Airport remains competitive and offers good value for money."

SOURCE

46 flights out of Singapore cancelled after volcano erupted

A volcanic eruption in Java, Indonesia has caused 46 flights out of Singapore to five Indonesian cities to be cancelled, as of 7.40pm Friday.

The cities are Semarang, Solo, Surabaya, Yogyakarta and Bandung.

The eruption has killed at least two people and forced mass evacuations, disrupting long-haul flights and closing international airports.

In a Facebook post, Singapore's Changi Airport advised passengers travelling to these cities to check with their respective airlines on their flight's status before going to the airport.

About 215 Singapore Airlines passengers were affected.

Responding to a media query, a SIA spokesperson said that two of its flights have been cancelled -- SQ930 from Singapore to Surabaya and SQ931 from Surabaya to Singapore.

SIA said customers have been rebooked on flights for Saturday and hotel accommodation has been extended to those affected.

The airline will waive administrative fees and penalties for refunds, re-booking, re-routing for customers holding confirmed tickets issued before 14 February 2014 for travel to and from Surabaya, Solo, Yogyakarta and Semarang from now to 18 February 2014.

Passengers are to note that flights to Solo, Yogyakarta and Semarang are operated by SilkAir. They are advised to speak to SilkAir for updates.

Separately an update on SilkAir's website said four flights have been cancelled - SilkAir flights MI 226/225 to Surabaya, MI 102/101 to Semarang, MI 152/151 to Yogyakarta and MI 196/195 to Bandung.

Affected passengers requiring assistance are advised to call SilkAir at +65 62238888.

Meanwhile AirAsia Indonesia has cancelled 16 flights and TigerAir 24.

SOURCE

Changi Airport handled record 53.7 million passengers in 2013

Singapore Changi Airport handled a record 53.7 million passengers, and some 344, 000 landings and take-offs in 2013.

Cargo volumes, however, remained stable at 1.85 million tonnes. This is a 0.8 per cent increase from the previous year.

This year, Changi Airport Group is forecasting a five per cent increase in passenger traffic.

Passenger and aircraft traffic at Changi Airport reached record highs last year. Passenger movement was up five per cent from the year before while landings and take-offs rose by 5.9 per cent, supported by strong growth in key markets like China and India.

In the last 12 months, Changi Airport Group acquired eight new Chinese city links, making Changi the most connected South East Asian Airport to China with 31 city links.

The airport's busiest routes were to Jakarta, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong and Manila.

Indonesia continues to be Changi's top country market, with more than 7.4 million passengers passing through during the year, an 8.8 per cent increase.

And the group is working towards expanding connections in the region to boost passenger traffic.

Lim Ching Kiat, senior vice president of market development at Changi Airport Group, said: "We're actively working with airlines to see how to establish new routes to grow, as well as working with airlines to see how to grow more transfer traffic in Changi.

"The key markets that were strong this year, Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia, will continue to be our engines of growth and we continue to see strong growth in these two areas in the coming year."

Traffic to Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia, which accounts for close to 70 per cent of Changi Airport's total, rose 8.2 per cent and 7.0 per cent respectively.

Meanwhile, the group aims to improve runway capacity by up to 40 per cent over the coming years In the run-up to the airport's third runway to be opened in 2020.

Mr Lim said: "Changi Airport is working quite closely with the air traffic controllers and with the airlines to see how we can get more capacity and efficiency from the current runway operations. For example by improve the separation between flights and reducing aircraft occupancy time on the runway."

Outlook for cargo continues to be soft, as airlines face the pressure of declining yields.

To help ease costs, Changi Airport Group will offer landing fee rebates and incentives amounting to S$18 million for its next financial year ending 31 March 2015.

The group will also be focusing on certain niche markets like perishables and express cargo.

SOURCE

More passengers, aircraft movements & cargo at Changi Airport in Nov

More passengers, aircraft and airfreight cargo were handled at Singapore Changi Airport in the month of November.

Changi Airport Group (CAG) said the airport handled 4.46 million passenger movements in November 2013, an increase of 2.3 per cent over the same month last year.

CAG said in the first eleven months of the year, more than 48.6 million passenger movements were registered, a 5.1 per cent increase on-year.

Air traffic movements for November grew 6.9 per cent to 29,500 flights.

For the first eleven months of the year, aircraft movements totalled 312,800, an increase of 5.8 per cent compared to a year ago.

CAG said travel demand was strongest for Indonesia, Japan and Malaysia in November.

Traffic to and from Denpasar, Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo rose by more than 10 per cent over the corresponding period last year.

Changi Airport also handled more cargo compared to a year ago.

From January and November, Changi Airport handled 1.7 million tonnes of cargo, an increase of 0.9 per cent compared to the same period in 2012.

Airfreight movements registered a 2.4 per cent growth on-year, with a total of 161,000 tonnes of cargo handled during November. 

SOURCE

Takenaka Corporation wins S$985m contract to build Changi Airport T4

Changi Airport Group (CAG) has awarded a S$985-million contract to Takenaka Corporation for the construction of Changi Airport's Terminal 4 (T4).

Construction is expected to commence in the first quarter of 2014 and completed in 2017.

The contract was awarded following a tender which saw five companies submit proposals.

CAG's Chief Executive Officer Lee Seow Hiang said: "There were very competitive bids from local and international companies with vast experience in the construction of major infrastructure projects. The past few months have seen an intensive process for the CAG team, as it went through several rounds of evaluation. Takenaka Corporation delivered the best overall proposal, which included an innovative construction methodology."

Takenaka Corporation will work closely with CAG and the appointed design consortium to refine the design of T4 before construction.

Construction work will include the development of a new passenger terminal building, with a planned capacity of 16 million passenger movements per year.

It will also involve the construction of a multi-storey car park, an open-air car park with up to 1,500 parking spaces, and a two-storey holding area for taxis to pick up arriving passengers.

Construction work also includes the development of a bridge enabling buses and other airside vehicles to move from T4 to remote aircraft stands being built at a land plot south of Terminal 3.

A 68-metre high Ramp Control Tower will also be built to oversee and manage aircraft movements around T4.

The contract also involves road improvement works, including a new road to funnel outgoing traffic directly from T4 onto East Coast Parkway.

Takenaka Corporation had previously been involved in the upgrading of Changi Airport's Terminal 2 in 2006, and the upgrading of Terminal 1 in 2012.

SOURCE

Changi Airport Group, CapitaMalls Asia to jointly develop Project Jewel

Changi Airport Group (CAG) and CapitaMalls Asia (CMA) will be developing the mixed-use development codenamed Project Jewel at Changi Airport.

CAG and CMA said in a joint statement that their wholly-owned subsidiaries, Jewel Changi Airport Holding and CMA Singapore Investments, signed a joint venture agreement on Friday to develop the project.

The development will offer a range of facilities for airport operations, retail offerings and leisure attractions.

Project Jewel is also expected to capture greater tourism and strengthen Changi Airport's appeal as an air hub.

The development cost of the project is expected to be about S$1.47 billion, including land cost.

Project Jewel will be built on the surface car park site fronting Changi Airport Terminal 1, which measures about 3.5 hectares (or 377,000 square feet).

It will have a dome-shaped facade made of glass and steel, which will be an iconic landmark in Changi Airport's landscape.

The complex will have five storeys above ground and five basement storeys.

It will have a total gross floor area of about 134,000 square metres (sqm).

This will comprise about 17,000 sqm of facilities for airport operations, 22,000 sqm of attractions, 5,000 sqm of hotel space and 90,000 sqm of retail space.

The net lettable area of the retail space, which is located from Basement 2 to Level 5, is about 53,500 sqm.

Among the attractions at Project Jewel include a large-scale, lush indoor garden with a central waterfall of about 40 metres in height.

Construction for the project is scheduled to begin in the second half of 2014, and the development is targeted to open by the end of 2018.

SOURCE

Engine of Singapore Airlines flight sucks in container

One of the engines of a Singapore Airlines flight sucked in an empty container on Thursday afternoon.

The incident happened as the Boeing 777 (SQ421) flight from Mumbai was taxiing into the bay at Changi Airport.

Singapore Airlines said there were no injuries to anyone on the ground or on board the aircraft.

All passengers have since disembarked and investigations will be carried out.

SOURCE

Changi Airport's T4 to be used as test-bed for new concepts

Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew has said Changi Airport's Terminal 4 (T4) will be used as a test-bed for new concepts that can be deployed in the future Terminal 5.

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of T4 on Tuesday, Mr Lui said concepts such as innovative terminal design and the use of technology will raise productivity levels and economise the use of space.

As part of enhancements to both productivity and the passenger experience, travellers will see the introduction of more self-service options at T4.

These include self-service check-in, automated immigration clearance and automated boarding at the departure gates.

Mr Lui said: "We should envisage a large number of passengers being able to get easily and efficiently from check-in to the airplane, without having to queue for service or checks by service personnel, but always having someone readily at hand to assist if necessary."

Various government agencies, Changi Airport Group (CAG) and other airport stakeholders have been working in close partnership on this new paradigm of self-service and automation.

The Changi Airport Group is confident that over time, passengers will get used to these new processes.

Poh Li San, vice president of airport operations at Changi Airport Group, said: "In the next few years, we will be running trials in our existing terminals -- gradually starting self-service options as well, but in T4 we will be rolling them out in a big way.

"So we will be expecting roughly 30 to 50 per cent, at least for the beginning for passengers to use self-service options (in Terminal 4).

"Then over time when passengers get more used to it and the technology become more prevalent, we can have a greater growth (or) take-up rate, perhaps even 70 to 80 per cent in the longer run."

Mr Lui also outlined several other challenges facing T4.

He said T4 must be integrated with the rest of Changi Airport, and passengers must find it a seamless experience to get to and from the other terminals.

CAG had considered the option of using a skytrain.

"However, because of the distance and also in between there are some existing infrastructure and services, it will become quite an engineering challenge, as well as the high cost to either dig underground or alleviate above ground," Ms Poh said.

"We have weighed the options between a skytrain and shuttle bus and we concluded that the shuttle bus is a much better, effective means of transport to connect Terminal 4 and other terminals."

In addition, T4 has to overcome the constraints of space.

Mr Lui noted the physical land space is limited and locked in by existing roadway and apron boundaries.

So to maximise the limited land parcel, the layout of functional spaces in the terminal has been carefully planned in order to minimise dead spaces. The outcome is a double-storey, compact terminal design.

Mr Lui also said it is important to continue expanding Changi Airport's infrastructure and facilities ahead of time.

He said: "Airports require sufficient capacity to attract new airlines, add new city-links and increase frequencies.

"Without this, airlines would turn to other airports that can better facilitate their growth, and Changi would risk losing connectivity, and consequently, its mantle of being Asia's premier hub."
When completed in 2017, Terminal 4 will primarily serve airlines operating narrow-body aircraft and which require a quick turnaround of their flights.

Terminal 4, together with Project Jewel, the additional third runway and the mega Terminal 5, will strengthen Changi Airport's position as a leading air hub in Asia.

SOURCE

Cracks in oil feed pipe blamed for 2010 Qantas engine blast

Cracks in an oil feed pipe caused an engine to explode on a Qantas A380 over the Indonesian island of Batam in November 2010, Australia's transport safety watchdog said on Thursday in its final report on the incident.

The airline grounded its entire Airbus A380 fleet after one of the Sydney-bound double-decker super-jumbos was forced to make a dramatic return to Singapore with smoke trailing from its Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine and damage to its wing.

The mid-air blast sent debris raining down over Batam island in Indonesia, before pilots guided the plane carrying 469 passengers back to Changi Airport.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) released its third and final report into the accident Thursday, which found that oil feed pipes in the A380's No. 2 engine did not conform to design specifications.

"The ATSB found that the engine failure was the result of a fatigue crack in an oil feed pipe," it said, calling the investigation one of the most complex it had ever undertaken.

"The crack allowed the release of oil that resulted in an internal oil fire. The oil fire led to one of the engine's turbine discs separating from the drive shaft.

"The disc then over-accelerated and broke apart, bursting through the engine casing and releasing other high energy debris."

The ATSB also found that the oil pipe, together with a number of similar pipes in other engines, had been made with a thin wall section and did not comply with design specifications.

"The thin wall substantially increased the likelihood of fatigue cracking," it said.

Since the incident, Rolls-Royce, aviation regulators, and operators of Trent 900-powered A380s have taken a range of steps to ensure that engines with incorrectly manufactured oil feed stub pipes were removed from service or fixed so aircraft could operate safely.

Rolls-Royce also introduced software that would automatically shut down a Trent 900 engine before its turbine disc over-speeds to prevent a similar occurrence, while improving their quality management systems.

The ATSB report absolved the plane's crew of any error, saying they completed the required actions for the multitude of system failures and safely landed.

SOURCE

The root of the problem finally fished out after almost three years. It is heartening to know that a similar incident will not occur again now that a new software has been installed to arrest the problem. Salute to the pilots onboard that plane to bring it back to ground safely when they were so near to total disaster.

No significant delays in flight departures & arrivals: CAAS

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) on Monday said there have been no significant delays in aircraft departures and arrivals despite the haze situation in the country.

As a precaution, airfield lights are turned on in the daytime to enhance the visibility of runways.

Changi Airport can allow aircraft to land safely when the runway visual range is more than 550 metres.

But with more stringent measures, aircraft can still land if the visual range is between 300 and 550 metres.

The measures include putting on standby secondary power supply for essential equipment, such as runway lights, and allowing more time between aircraft landings and take-offs.

Authorities said with reduced visibility, some delays and disruptions to aircraft operations, including flight cancellations, could be expected.

If the visual range falls below 300 metres, CAAS said Changi Airport will not be able to accept aircraft landings for safety reasons.

But planes can continue to take off safely, in accordance with each airline's policy.

SOURCE

Judging by this article, it seems that Changi Airport is only capable of ILS Cat 2 landing of RVR 300-550 metres. Well done to the airport controllers and such for a cool handling of the haze situation.

CAAS allows more time between flight takeoffs and landings due to haze

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said its air traffic controllers are allowing more time between flight takeoffs and landings because of visibility concerns.

Responding to queries from MediaCorp News, CAAS said this is to ensure the safety of flight operations at Changi Airport.

CAAS explained that the Runway Visual Range (RVR) reading has dropped to levels lower than 1500 metres due to the haze shrouding the country.

RVR is a measurement of the horizontal visibility along the runway or the range over which the pilot of an aircraft can see along the runway.

CAAS said a high PSI may cause the RVR value to fall and therefore may impact flight operations.

CAAS added that Changi Airport has facilities and procedures to allow safe landing of aircraft in low visibility conditions in accordance with international standards.

CAAS noted that there have not been any significant delays in flight departures and arrivals even with the added precautionary step taken.

It said during the prolonged period of haze in 1997, the lowest RVR reading at Changi Airport was about 800 metres.

Changi Airport remained open for flight operations at that time.

SOURCE

Visibility dropping below 1500m is quite a significant change considering Singapore usually experience pretty fair weather. The haze situation here is pretty bad with the forests still burning in Sumatra, and it is expect to continue for the rest of this week. But passengers need not worry, the instruments will be the pilots' eyes, reducing the chance of human error causing any mishap.