A major international airport is undergoing a massive expansion that will see 140 million people travel through the tiny country. Changi Airport is Singapore'sprimary airport and a major aviation hub in the Asia-Pacific region.

It is one of just two commercial airportsin Singapore, the other being Seletar Airport. Since Skytrax World's Best Airport rankings began in 1999, the airport has been ranked the world's best 12 times, including for eight consecutive years from 2013 to 2021. The infrastructure of Changi Airport includes passenger terminals, runways, taxiways, maintenance buildings and services, and ground support equipment. Its four current passenger terminals can handle 82 million passengers a year. But the current project will add another terminal, capable of handling an additional 50 million passengers a year in the first phase, and another 20 million in the second.

Terminal 5 will be ready in the next decade, as announced by Singapore's transport minister in 2013. It will be built on 1,080 hectares of reclaimed land in Changi East, making it one of the largest terminals in the world.

Scheduled for completion and opening in the mid-2030s and costing around £7.45 billion, groundbreaking on the site began in March 2025.

With the national carrier (Singapore Airlines and Scoot) set to operate out of Terminal 5, each airline alliance, such as SkyTeam and Oneworld, could also operate out of dedicated terminals.

Terminal 5 is also expected to have more self-service facilities and bigger lounges. It will be linked to the other terminals at Changi Airport.

This will allow the expanded Changi Airport to operate as a single, integrated airport, enabling easier transfer between terminals, greater passenger convenience, and more efficient airfield operations.

For example, some 18 kilometres of tunnels will be built to allow airside connections for baggage, passengers and vehicles between terminals as well as the current four terminals.