Singapore will shutter operations at Changi Airport Terminal 2 because of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic for 18 months start on 1 May, according to Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan. “We will save on running costs for the airport operator, retail tenants, airlines and ground handlers,” Khaw said in a speech to Parliament, noting that one terminal is enough to handle the current traffic at the airport. “Importantly, it also allows us to speed up the current upgrading works at T2 and shorten the project time by up to one year,” Khaw added.
Airlines with operations at Terminal 2 will be relocated and Singapore Airlines will consolidate its operation in Terminal 3.
Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat had said last month that the number of passengers arriving at the airport has fallen by more than 90 per cent since the COVID-19 outbreak.
Reduced demand arising from the outbreak and travel restrictions worldwide has also hit SIA hard, with the carrier cutting 96 percent of its scheduled flights until the end of April.
