By Massita Ahmad
SINGAPORE, June 16 (NNN-BERNAMA) — Singapore has decided to “take a pause of two years” on the Changi Airport Terminal 5 (T5) project amid uncertainty on the returning of air traffic due to the COVID-19 situation, said Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan.
“We are confident that air traffic will return; the uncertainty is how quickly it will be,” said Khaw who is also Singapore’s Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure in his latest Facebook update today.
Citing analysts’ projections, he said the return of air traffic is in the range from two to five years.
“We are doing our own study, in consultation with experts and stakeholders. We will do a thorough study on air travel demand and the design of T5, including the possibility of re-designing certain parts to make sure air travel will be safe.
“Hence, the decision to take a pause of two years on T5 implementation. This is the prudent thing to do, given the current circumstances,” he wrote.
In his posting, Khaw shared his online meeting with some of the ministry’s scholars, who among others, discussed the impact of COVID-19 on Singapore’s projects such as the MRT, T5 and Tuas Port.
“Inevitably, there will be delays. Shortage of available foreign construction workers is one. In the case of T5, there is the added complication of ascertaining the pace of post-COVID-19 aviation recovery,” said Khaw.
Scheduled for completion in the 2030s, T5 will be able to handle up to 50 million passengers per annum in its initial phase.
— NNN-BERNAMA