Changi Airport must stay ahead of the curve

IN about two weeks, the Ministry of Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore will be unveiling a master plan for a massive expansion of Changi Airport.mini storageBesides a third runway (which will be expanded from the existing military runway adjacent to the airport), plans could also be unveiled for a fifth terminal. Some 1,080 hectares of additional land adjacent to the current airport will be reclaimed and developed to house the new infrastructure. New transportation networks and road systems are also envisaged.All this comes as Asia Pacific air travel continues to surge. The latest figures released by the International Air Transport Association show that global air travel continued to expand strongly through the first half of this year, with Asia Pacific accounting for half the global growth in RPK (revenue passenger kilometre). And Changi Airport is already among the busiest hubs in this fastest-growing air travel market in the world. Passenger traffic numbers surpassed 50 million last year, and hit 26 million in the first six months of this year. It won't be long before Changi's 73 million capacity is breached.When the fourth terminal - which is being built on the site of the former Budget Terminal - is ready, Changi's passenger capacity will increase to 85 million. A fifth terminal could boost capacity to well over 100 million, industry watchers reckon.While such huge capacity will not be needself storaged for at least the next 10 years, the fact remains that capacity has been pivotal for Changi's growth. And judging by the major airport infrastructure development going on across the Middle East, South Asia and Northeast Asia, Changi's competitors have caught on to the fact that supply often attracts demand in this business.Changi's capacity addition also comes at a time when runway congestion of the kind which is endemic in Europe and the United States is rearing its head here, largely due to a boom in the budget flight segment of single- aisle plane traffic.But Changi's development plans will have to cater to travel market trends which go 20 or 30 years into this new millennium. And they will have to dovetail with Changi's expressed desire to tap neighbouring markets.Issues to be considered will include whether to incorporate facilities to make Changi accessible from the sea for travellers to and from the nearby Indonesian islands. Should an inter-city bus terminal be built to tap markets in southern Peninsular Malaysia? Will connectivity between the new (but somewhat remote) facilities and the existing infrastructure be fast and efficient?Changi has exhibited an uncanny ability to read trends and stay ahead of the curve in the past. This capability will be critical as it plans its next phase of growth in a business where there are no second chances. Once again, Changi has to get it right the first time.迷你倉