RAMPING UP CAPACITY
To meet anticipated traveller moves, Mr Iswaran observed that Changi Airport will reopen Terminal four from Sep 13 , and will start departure operations in the southern wing of Terminal 2 within October.
“This will enable the particular airport to handle up to pre-COVID passenger visitors levels, or regarding 70 million travellers per annum, which represents about 80 percent of Changi’s pre-COVID capacity, ” stated the minister.
Aviation stakeholders will work hard to build up their own manpower and restore the “traveller encounter that Changi is renowned for”, he or she said.
“With the efforts plus support of the entire aviation community and our partners, we are ready to welcome a lot more passengers and air carriers back to Singapore, plus ultimately restore Changi’s position as a pre-eminent global air center. ”
Addressing MP Louis Chua (WP-Sengkang) about focus on passenger numbers for this year and next season, Mr Iswaran remarked that it is difficult to established a target at this stage of Singapore’s recuperation.
This individual said key marketplaces such as China, The japanese and north-east Asian countries in general are still functioning their way by means of their recovery from COVID-19.
At the moment, the focus remains on ramping up Changi Airport’s capacity.
“Now that by itself is no mean accomplishment, because what it means is usually we have to now further ramp up manpower… We have had an attrition of about one-third of the workforce in the aviation environment in the course of COVID-19, ” added Mr Iswaran.
“Recovering from that, not simply in terms of recruitment, but in terms of making sure the manpower is certainly operationally ready, is a major challenge. And another only has to consider the experience in many various other airports around the world to understand the enormity of the task. ”