Special treats await travellers at Changi Airport T2 to mark terminal's reopening

Travellers who showed up at Changi Airport Terminal 2 on Tuesday were in for a little surprise.

Bleary-eyed and ready to take off, they streamed into the departure hall at 5am to be greeted by a blue, white and gold balloon arch.

Pop-up stores were handing out free coffee and snacks, and the Changi Airport airplane mascot called Max was teasing children by playfully taking their bags when they were not looking.

The first day of operations for Changi Airport's revamped T2 departure hall was an occasion for celebration - with its opening, the final piece of the puzzle for Singapore's reopening strategy this year fell into place.

For the first time since T2 and T4 operations were suspended in May 2020 amid plummeting passenger numbers sparked by the Covid-19 pandemic, all four terminals are now open to travellers.

Changi's handling capacity has also returned to about 70 million passengers a year, on a par with its capacity before the pandemic.

T4 reopened recently in September and arrival operations at T2 resumed in May, in anticipation for a surge in year-end passenger numbers.

Those numbers are now expected to exceed the authorities' forecast given the recent relaxing of border controls in key Asian markets like Hong Kong, Japan and Taiwan.

The first flights to take off at T2 on Tuesday were Singapore Airlines (SIA) Flight SQ104 bound for Kuala Lumpur and SQ706 to Bangkok.

Altogether, a total of 17 SIA flights will depart from T2 by the end of the day to these two countries.

Flights to the rest of SIA's South-east Asia destinations are due to begin at T2 from Oct 13. Joining SIA from Oct 18 are Air India and Air India express flights, adding traffic to the terminal.

Ms Jacqueline Low, 57, was one of the first passengers at T2 on Tuesday, travelling with three friends whom the secretary got to know at work.

The group had made it a ritual to travel to Bangkok together before the pandemic - shopping, getting a massage and eating street food.

Ms Low said she was glad T2 had opened as it signalled a resumption of more normal travel.

She said: "The ticket prices are still up, which was why we got a cheaper flight so early in the morning, but we are very happy to be able to fly again.

"The new terminal is clean and bright and more things are more high-tech. The automated check-in machines are very fast."

Business consultant Gururaja, who goes by one name, said he was excited to have a look at the shops in the transit area.

The 39-year-old work pass holder, who travels to Bangkok frequently, was with his wife and two daughters.

Mr Gururaja said: "Everything looks really good. I knew it was T2's first day of reopening today and so far, what I see adds to my flying experience."

Hong Kong resident Chen Lim, 40, said his T2 experience was made all the better because of how quiet it was on the first day.

"The other terminals are already getting quite busy. I am glad I'm flying today because it is so much more peaceful," he said.

A total of 25 shops at T2, including Lotte Duty Free and Starbucks, were open on Tuesday.

With the opening, half of T2 is up and running. The revamp and renovation in the northern wing will continue, and are scheduled to finish by 2024.

This is expected to boost T2's handling capacity from 23 million passengers a year to 28 million passengers annually.

Mr Tan Lye Teck, Changi Airport Group executive vice-president of airport management, said: "Changi has been through a lot over the past two-plus years and we are happy to welcome more passengers back.

"We would also like to take this opportunity to thank the whole airport community for working together with us on this journey, and for their resilience and contributions to Changi."