Changi Airport T3 to undergo major upgrade; tender to be called in second half of 2026

SINGAPORE – Changi Airport Terminal 3 (T3) will undergo a major upgrade, with a tender to be called in the second half of 2026, Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow said on April 29.

Work is set to begin by the end of 2026.

The upgrade will see more digital technologies and robotics integrated into T3 for self-service check-in, security screening and toilet cleaning, said Mr Siow at the annual Changi Airline Awards at the Shangri-La Singapore hotel.

Some of these solutions will function as test beds to be rolled out on a larger scale when Terminal 5 (T5) begins operations in the mid-2030s, he added.

Mr Siow said the main objective of the upgrade is to improve the terminal’s passenger handling capacity, especially during peak hours. T3 opened in January 2008.

Changi Airport Group (CAG) chief executive Yam Kum Weng said at the event that the upgrade will include a 65 per cent expansion of early bag storage capacity at the terminal, to support rising demand for early check-in and growing transfer volumes at the airport.

More bus gates will also be installed at T3 – rising from the existing three to seven – to handle more flights during peak periods. Bus gates serve planes parked at remote stands, which do not have aerobridges that are connected directly to the terminals.

Mr Yam also noted that the Skytrain’s operating fleet will be expanded by almost 30 per cent, and that a new inter-terminal baggage system – to provide a second transfer path between T1 and T3 – will be built.

This will ease pressure on the existing baggage system and reduce the need to tow baggage between terminals over the next decade before T5 opens, he said.

CAG did not state the expected completion schedule for the works or the cost of these upgrades to T3.

By the second quarter of 2026, more than 50 of the over 180 aircraft stands across Changi Airport will be able to support the new and longer Boeing 777-9 planes, which place higher loads on pavement infrastructure, said Mr Yam.

The next-generation Boeing aircraft, which has been dogged by production delays, is set to be delivered from 2027. Singapore Airlines (SIA) has 31 on order.

Another feature Mr Yam announced at the awards was the launch of a new “off-airport” check-in service, which will allow passengers to check in for flights and drop off their luggage at selected city-centre hotels.

Under the first phase, which will start in the coming months, the service will be available to SIA passengers who are guests at The Fullerton Hotel, The Fullerton Bay Hotel, and Marina Bay Sands. Their luggage will be securely transferred to Changi Airport and loaded onto departing aircraft.

Mr Siow said the T3 upgrade is likely to be Changi Airport’s last major one before the opening of T5, as passenger traffic will continue to grow from now until then.

The new T5 will increase the airport’s annual passenger capacity by more than 55 per cent, from 90 million to 140 million.

The T3 upgrade is part of a $3 billion investment that CAG announced in 2024 to upgrade the existing Terminals 1 to 4.

Mr Siow said the aviation industry will remain on an upward trajectory in the long term, despite the immediate challenges from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

While Changi Airport recorded an increase in air traffic in March, as some airlines rerouted flights due to the conflict, Mr Yam said the airport is starting to see this moderate. Some airlines are scaling back flights in April and the coming months as a result of high fuel prices.

Mr Siow said Singapore will continue investing in its existing airport terminals to keep them up to date, given that it will be roughly another decade before T5 opens.

Describing the history of Changi Airport as “one of bold bets”, Mr Siow said continuous investments have enabled the airport to maintain the highest design and efficiency standards and continue its growth.

At present, nearly 100 airlines connect Singapore to 175 cities worldwide via Changi Airport.

On the cargo front, more than half a million tonnes of air freight passed through Changi Airport in the first quarter of 2026 – an almost 8 per cent increase from the same period in 2025.

That is why the Republic is bringing in more air freight partners to play a larger role on key routes, such as those between Australia and Asia, Mr Siow said.

At the awards, SIA’s low-cost subsidiary Scoot was named Changi Airport’s Partner of the Year for strengthening the airport’s connectivity in 2025. It had increased its flight offerings to include 13 new destinations across South-east Asia, North Asia and Europe, 10 of which are new to Changi Airport.

SIA, Scoot and AirAsia were the top three airlines in terms of passengers carried in 2025.

On the cargo side, SIA topped the list for the highest cargo volume in 2025, followed by FedEx Singapore and Scoot.