President Halimah visits front-line workers at airport

Since Singapore relaxed its Covid-19 border measures on April 1, Mr Koh, an airport worker who wanted to be known only by his last name, has been under pressure.

He directs incoming passengers to taxis that will take them downtown. But with more arrivals now, the wait can go up to 45 minutes.

Efforts by the airport to lure cabbies to make the trip east have not been successful, he said, despite the financial perks and free coffee.

The 52-year-old said he and his co-workers are sometimes at a loss. Travellers get impatient. "They get unhappy and we feel bad," he said.

Mr Koh is one of the many workers whom President Halimah Yacob spoke to at Changi Airport yesterday. This is her first time visiting airport front-line workers since the pandemic struck.

Passenger movements at the airport crossed one million people a month for the first time in two years last month.

Yesterday, Singapore further eased its travel restrictions, with the removal of pre-departure tests for entry likely to give a further boost to Changi Airport.

Madam Halimah met immigration officers, those manning goods and services tax refund stations and other workers to find out their concerns about the transition, as well as their experience over the past two years.

She said she came away with an overwhelming sense that people are optimistic, and that employees are excited now that they will have more work.

"The morale is really high. So you know, that's really good for the airport, the sense of optimism, hope and the desire to make sure that we do well as an air hub," she said.

"They have to make sure they provide seamless, safe travel for our passengers now that the borders are open to those who are vaccinated, and they have done wonderfully through the different stages."

She also praised Changi Airport for leveraging technology to introduce the virtual Changi Experience Ambassador during the airport's downtime last year. The on-screen customer service allows users to choose a language in which to talk to an off-site officer.

With passenger traffic now at 31 per cent of the pre-pandemic volume, airport workers who were previously redeployed elsewhere are back at their original stations.

An 80-year-old cleaner, who declined to be named, said she was told previously to rest for six months before she was moved to work at Paya Lebar Quarter. Her team returned to Changi Airport at the start of this month. She is glad that the airport is returning to normalcy, but said it does not matter much to her which venue she is cleaning. "Work is work for us."