Changi Airport T5 to start construction in first half of next year
Airport Runway Edge Light manufacturers,
Airport Runway Centerline Light factory,
Airport Sequency Flashing Light factory,
Approach Centerline Light manufacturers,
low price Heliport Final Approach Light.
According to Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao, air travel has recovered strongly in the post-epidemic era, and global air passenger volume is expected to double by 2040. The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore and its partners plan to jointly establish an international aviation laboratory in the next two years to use technology to overcome challenges such as manpower limitations faced by global airports.
On September 6, Singapore Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong announced at the 40th anniversary dinner of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore that the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore will jointly establish an International Aviation Lab with its partners to explore more effective ways to handle matters related to aircraft, passengers and luggage.
Lawson Wong said that Changi Airport's passenger volume has recovered smoothly, approaching pre-epidemic levels in the first half of this year, and the aviation workforce has exceeded pre-epidemic levels. "We are not only on the road to full recovery, but also stronger and better than before."
The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore signed a memorandum of understanding with the International Aviation Innovation Center, Singapore University of Technology and Design, Airbus, Boeing, Changi Airport Group, SATS Group, International Airlines Group, and Singapore Airlines. They will jointly set up an international aviation laboratory to jointly develop research and innovation programs, develop solutions to airport operation challenges, and promote resource and knowledge sharing.
This is believed to be the first cooperative project to promote transformation from upstream to downstream of airport operations. In the coming months, the parties will conceive potential solutions to challenges such as manpower constraints and agree on which projects are more critical so as to better allocate resources. They also hope to recruit more airlines and airports to join the team to explore new solutions.
Potential projects will be tested in Singapore first, and the first batch of projects is expected to start in the first half of next year. The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore will entrust the International Aviation Innovation Center as the project manager to oversee the project planning and execution of the International Aviation Laboratory.
Exploring automated baggage loading and unloading and remote control of boarding bridges
Projects that the laboratory may explore include automated baggage loading and unloading on narrow-body aircraft, replacing the existing manual-dependent methods, reducing the physical burden of employees and improving efficiency.
In order to ensure that passengers can pass through the boarding gate when leaving or entering the country, instead of getting on and off the plane at the docking area, major airports around the world have to complete a large amount of aircraft pushback and traction work every day, and airports need to deploy a lot of trained manpower. If the pushback and traction can be automated with the help of technology, the operation will not only be more precise and efficient, but also reduce the reliance on manpower.
Other potential projects include allowing staff to remotely control the boarding bridge and automatically open the cabin door after the boarding bridge is docked with the cabin door, and robots will be used to do the work of placing safety cones.
In response to questions from Lianhe Zaobao at a media briefing, Han Guoyuan, director of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, revealed that the team is exploring whether there is a place to build a physical building for the International Aviation Laboratory locally.
Patrick Ky, president of the International Aviation Innovation Center, said that technology can help alleviate the challenge of insufficient manpower. For example, the placement of safety cones currently requires 20 to 30 people to complete. The team hopes to integrate technology to reduce the manpower to 10 to 20 people.
Changi Airport T5 will start ground in the first half of next year
In his speech, Lawrence Wong revealed that Changi Airport Terminal 5 (T5) is expected to start ground in the first half of next year, and after completion, it can accommodate up to 50 million passengers per year.
The T5 project was affected by the pandemic, which hit the aviation and tourism industries hard. In June 2020, Khaw Boon Wan, then Singapore's Minister for National Development and Minister for Transport, announced that the T5 project, which was originally scheduled to start bidding that year, would be suspended for at least two years. T5 is expected to be operational in the mid-2030s.
As a small country with no natural resources, Singapore must remain open and continue to connect with the world, said Lawrence Wong. "The aviation industry is an important part of our economy, accounting for about 5% of GDP, continuing to provide high-quality jobs for Singaporeans and supporting other sectors such as tourism."
Lawson Wong said that Changi Airport's passenger volume has recovered smoothly, approaching pre-pandemic levels in the first half of this year, and the aviation workforce has exceeded pre-pandemic levels. "We are not only on the road to full recovery, but also stronger and better than before."
Singapore will hold an exhibition on the future of Singapore Airlines next year. The Singapore government is working with international partners on aviation service agreements to allow airlines to open more routes and expand Changi Airport's network.
Singapore has a well-developed aviation network, with nearly 150 routes connecting various cities. "We aim to further expand to more than 200 routes by the mid-2030s, which will bring more passengers to Changi Airport and Singapore, and create demand for the overall aviation ecosystem services," said Lawrence Wong.