Summary
- Singapore Changi Airport’s Terminal 2 has fully reopened, allowing for an additional five million passengers each year.
- The expansion project includes significant improvements like automated check-in kiosks, automated immigration lanes, and an automatic baggage storage system.
- The terminal features stunning gardens, a 46-foot tall waterfall display, a gourmet dining area, and interactive art pieces like the Solari Boards.
One of the world’s most renowned airports is reopening a terminal after three and a half years of engineering and expansion work. Singapore Changi Airport’s Terminal 2 has fully reopened ahead of schedule and will allow for an additional five million passengers to use the airport each year.
Opening up to the world
The expansion project included several significant improvements and added over 226,000 square feet to the terminal building. Upgrades include a central common-use Fast and Seamless Travel zone, twice the number of automated check-in kiosks and bag drop machines, additional automated immigration lanes, and an automatic baggage storage system that can handle up to 2,400 bags.
With the full reopening of the Terminal, Singapore Airport will now be able to accommodate 90 million passengers annually. Speaking at the T2 Expansion Opening Ceremony, Mr Tan Lye Teck, CAG’s Programme Director for the Terminal 2 Expansion Project, highlighted how the features will support the airport:
“Changi Airport has always been pushing the boundaries of airport service and innovation, while staying ahead of the latest trends in digital as well as retail and dining offerings. With T2, we sought to enhance the passenger experience, bringing together a modern terminal inspired by nature, with immersive digital experiences, innovative technology, as well as transformative retail and dining concepts that create a sense of place.
This expansion project augments Changi’s handling capacity, allowing us to serve more passengers in the years ahead. We hope T2 will set a new benchmark for customer service and delight among airports. And we hope every user will find great pleasure and discover wonder whenever they travel through T2.”
Accessibility also received a boost as T2 became the first terminal in Changi to have automated Special Assistance Lanes at both arrival and departure immigration for people with disabilities and young children.
Dreaming in the Dreamscape
A spacious new garden has been installed inside the departure transit area, a brand-new garden. The area, called The Dreamscape, combines over 20,000 plans from 100 species with ponds of fish and an innovative digital sky.
Photo: Changi Airport Group
Much like a skylight, the digital sky mimics daylight and meteorological conditions in real time but also features special treats like surprises, including passing planes, birds, hot air balloons, and clouds subtly shaped like animals. Occasionally, virtual rain will fill the sky and transform the skylight into an underwater portal with fish, otters, and even a Sampan boat.
Marvel at the waterfall
The centerpiece of the terminal’s departure hall is a 46-foot tall digital display, The Wonderfall. The piece is set in a bed of greenery and invokes the raw power and beauty of cascading water without the mess. Passengers can even walk under the art piece, which changes and evolves throughout the day.
Photo: Changi Airport Group
For passengers wanting to experience the real thing, the airport is home to the world’s largest indoor waterfall.
Graze in a garden.
A new Gourmet Garden in Terminal 2 Transit is bound to delight hungry travelers. The area is designed to offer a wide range of dining options alongside unparalleled views of the tarmac and taxiway.
Photo: Changi Airport Group
The area features a selection of local specialties and international favorites like a Hard Rock Cafe.
Revel in a rainforest.
First impressions last, and the airport is all about making an impression. Guests are treated to one of the loftiest projects from the moment they enter the Terminal 2 Departure Hall from the vehicle drop-off points. In line with the airport’s greenery theme, there are columns of varying heights, the tallest reaching up some 36 feet. Each is decked with lush plants found in rainforests, ferns, and a tapestry of greenery to invoke tree trunks.
Passengers and visitors at the Terminal 2 Arrival Hall are not to be left out. There, they can find a quiet spot to relax among the seats, benches, rocks, or “fallen tree trunks” among the rainforest collums.
Experience the Enchanted Gardens
If color is more your style, fear not, as there is a unique area filled with vibrant flowers within the Terminal 2 Transit area. Dubbed the Enchanted Garden, the space is filled with a wide variety of orchids and soft ferns.
Photo: Changi Airport Group
The flowers are scattered throughout the area and extend upwards into archways of plants and flowers for transiting passengers.
Bring on the bears.
Parents who love planespotting are in for a treat with the 2 Bears Hideout. A new play area features a large mother bear, which doubles as a slide, a smaller baby bear, and a range of stations and activities for little travelers to enjoy.
Photo: Changi Airport Group
The space is even more memorable for parents and children who enjoy watching the planes move around the airport, as it features floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the apron.
Snapshots at the Solari Boards
The old-school flight information display boards, known as Solari Boards, have received a new lease on life. The panels, with their 1,080 split-flaps, previously provided flight information updates before being decommissioned when the terminal was closed in 2020 for expansion and revamp.
Now back in action as an interactive art piece, the board allows passengers to take photos or select from one of the preset options to create personalized artwork with the Solari Board flaps.
A spot for sports
Near the South Gourmet Garden is a large TV Lounge. The area features 20 plush individual seats, each equipped with personal charging stations,
Photo: Changi Airport Group
Traveling on a game day? Fear not, as the area streams live sporting events on a massive 245-inch screen.
The airport is ready to welcome more passengers to the new terminal as travel numbers are trending upward. 16 airlines are operating at T2, with flights to 40 cities. The terminal has already served almost 10 million passengers since the terminal’s south wing was first reopened in May 2022. Airport-wide, passenger traffic reached around 90% of pre-Covid levels last month.
