SINGAPORE - Changi Airport Group (CAG) announced on Tuesday that it has awarded a $323 million contract to Takenaka Corporation for works related to the expansion of Changi Airport's Terminal 1 (T1).

Takenaka will take charge of the revamp of the T1 Departure check-in hall, which involves the replacement of existing check-in counters and the installation of two new check-in rows to increase passenger handling capacity. To make space for these new check-in rows, five retail and dining outlets will cease operations in the second quarter of 2015, CAG said in a media release.

Mr Fong Kok Wai, CAG's executive vice-president, engineering and development, said: "The expansion works for T1 will take place amid ongoing airport operations, making this project a challenging one."

Mr Fong added that CAG and Takenaka will work to minimise the the impact of the expansion on passenger experience.

"Together, we aim to deliver, at the end of this journey, a much-needed increase in the capacity of our oldest terminal that will allow us to serve our passengers better," he said.

The expansion by Takenaka will begin in March 2015, and is expected to be completed in 2019. It will take place alongside other redevelopment works at T1, including the expansion of the floor plate of the T1 Arrival and Baggage Claim halls, which are being undertaken separately as part of the development of Jewel Changi Airport.