The bottom line: Changi T5 has topped out its 410-meter main canopy three weeks ahead of schedule; phase one opens in H2 2027, full operations by mid-2029, taking total Changi capacity to 140 million passengers — overtaking Atlanta as the world's largest airport by capacity.
Singapore’s Changi Airport has announced that Terminal 5, the mega-project that will eventually add capacity for fifty million additional annual passengers, has topped out its main structural canopy. The milestone — reached three weeks ahead of the most recent revised schedule — keeps the project on track for phased operational opening starting in the second half of 2027.
T5 is being built on undeveloped land east of the existing airport campus, connected by a dedicated underground rail system that will move passengers between terminals in approximately four minutes. At full build-out, the terminal will operate as a single integrated facility that brings the airport’s total annual capacity to 140 million passengers, comfortably overtaking Atlanta as the world’s busiest airport by capacity.
What’s been completed
The main canopy — a sweeping diagrid steel structure designed by Heatherwick Studio in partnership with Kohn Pedersen Fox — now spans the full 410 meters of the central concourse. Cladding installation has begun at the western edge and is expected to complete by the third quarter of next year.
Below the canopy, the four piers projecting from the central concourse are at varying stages of completion. Piers A and B are structurally complete with internal fit-out underway, while piers C and D are at approximately 65 percent and 50 percent structural completion respectively.
The underground baggage system — designed to handle 9,200 bags per hour at peak with a maximum sortation time of six minutes — has begun commissioning trials. The baggage system is being delivered by Beumer Group and represents one of the most significant single-system tenders ever awarded for an airport baggage handler.
What it means for airline operations
When T5 enters service, it will fundamentally reshape Star Alliance and SkyTeam operations at Changi. The current arrangement, in which Star Alliance is concentrated in T2 and T3 with SkyTeam principally in T2, will be replaced by a configuration in which the alliance carriers each operate in a contiguous pier of T5. SkyTeam will operate from pier A, Star Alliance from pier B, and oneworld from pier C. Pier D will host non-aligned carriers and a portion of low-cost long-haul operators.
Singapore Airlines, the home carrier, will operate exclusively from T5 once the move is complete, vacating its existing T3 base. T3 will then host a relocated Scoot operation along with several Star Alliance carriers continuing to operate alongside their primary T5 allocation during peak windows.
Passenger experience
The T5 design philosophy emphasizes connectivity over scale. Walk distances between the most distant gates and the central immigration hall are limited to six minutes, achieved through an internal automated people mover that moves passengers through the piers at peak intervals of 90 seconds. Immigration capacity has been sized for 12,400 passengers per hour at peak using next-generation biometric e-gates, which will support continuous walking-pace processing for eligible passport holders.
The central retail and dining concourse will host approximately 240 retail outlets and 90 food and beverage operators, including a relocated and expanded indoor garden building on the success of T3’s celebrated Jewel attraction.
Schedule
Phase one — pier B and a portion of the central concourse — is targeted to enter operations in the second half of 2027. Phase two follows in 2028, with full T5 operations expected by mid-2029. The overall budget remains within the previously announced SGD 14.5 billion envelope.
