Singapore Airlines and Scoot to unite under one roof at Changi Airport Terminal 5

In around a decade from now, Singapore Airlines and Scoot will move into their new home at Changi Airport’s Terminal 5, a facility promising more efficient flight connections and seamless links to the rest of the airport and the city.

Here’s what we know so far.

Singapore Airlines and Scoot will consolidate all of their passenger flights at Changi Airport’s upcoming Terminal 5 (T5) from the mid-2030s, ushering in a new era for the SIA Group in a move that will bring both full-service and low-cost operations under one roof for the first time.

This will of course mean greater convenience for passengers – especially those making transit connections.

The largely-anticipated announcement was made by Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong during the groundbreaking ceremony for Terminal 5 on 14th May 2025.

While it’s a significant milestone, there is still an element of patience required – T5 isn’t expected to welcome its first travellers for another decade from now.

“Currently SIA Group’s flights are split across three terminals of Changi Airport. These flights can now be consolidated at T5, reducing transit and transfer time for passengers. So T5 will be the new home for SIA Group.”

Lawrence Wong, Prime Minister of Singapore and Minister of Finance

A single home for the SIA Group

Currently, Singapore Airlines operates out of Terminals 2 and 3 at Changi, while Scoot is based at Terminal 1.

This move to consolidate operations at T5 will not only see SIA and Scoot co-located in the same terminal for the first time, but will also mark the first time in decades that SIA’s own operations are housed under one roof at Changi.

Bringing both airlines into the same terminal will simplify airside connectivity, improve operational efficiency, and unlock new opportunities for interlining between full-service and low-cost flights, including shorter minimum connection times.

With Changi T5 designed to accommodate growth well into the 2040s, both airlines will be positioned to scale operations, but there will also be additional space both in T5 and at the airport’s four existing terminals for other airlines to grow too, as the Prime Minister highlighted.

There will be space for other carriers to grow their fleets at T5 and across Changi. With more flights and hopefully more carriers at Changi, we can grow our network of connections.

Lawrence Wong, Prime Minister of Singapore and Minister of Finance

This should allow some Star Alliance carriers to also call T5 home, potentially further enhancing connectivity with SIA’s closest partners, such as All Nippon Airways and Lufthansa.

A new generation of lounges

With both carriers moving to a brand-new terminal, travellers can of course expect a complete refresh of lounge offerings:

• Singapore Airlines is highly likely to build brand new SilverKris and KrisFlyer Gold lounges, with modern design elements, larger overall capacity, and hopefully improved facilities like private nap rooms and à la carte dining.
• A fresh terminal design could bring with it a more impressive lounge concept, like those imposing designs seen at airports like Doha (Qatar Airways) and Istanbul (Turkish Airlines) in recent years.
• The Private Room is likely to remain a steadfast feature, with SIA committing to fly 31 brand new Boeing 777-9 aircraft in the years ahead, each of which will likely boast six First Class seats.
• Scoot’s presence in T5, plus the scale of the terminal itself, will no doubt lead to several shared or independent pay-per-use lounges (such as Plaza Premium or SATS facilities), catering to non-status travellers and those flying on non-Star Alliance carriers.

Singapore Airlines completed its T3 lounge revamp in 2022, and alongside the welcome news that its T2 facilities will also be remodelled over the next two years, these will now be the carrier’s flagship home base lounges for at least the next decade or so, until T5 opens.

By that time, the T3 lounges will perhaps be 13 years old, and likely long in need of a refresh, so the mid-2030s move to T5 will no doubt be welcome for lounge users.

A first look at Changi Terminal 5

Often described as a ‘mega-terminal’, T5 will occupy a site almost as large as the existing Changi Airport today, spanning 1,080 hectares worth of land to the east of the current terminals.

T5 will initially be able to handle around 50 million passengers per year, bringing Changi’s overall capacity to 140 million passengers per annum, following a recent expansion of Terminal 2.

Capacity of Changi’s Terminals (2022 – mid-2030s)
Terminal	Capacity 2022	Capacity 2024	Capacity Mid-2030s
T1	24m	24m	24m
T2	23m	28m	28m
T3	22m	22m	22m
T4	16m	16m	16m
T5	—	—	50m
Total	85m	90m	140m

Based on artist’s impressions, Changi T5 will have upwards of 70 contact gates on opening, around 50 in the main T5A and T5B piers, which are connected to one another, plus a further 20 or so in the T5C satellite pier (which incidentally may warrant its own lounges).

Changi Airport also incorporates gate designs that can accommodate two narrow-body aircraft, such as the Boeing 737 MAX, instead of a single wide-body aircraft. Each aircraft is then served by its own boarding bridge from a shared gate lounge, a layout that – if adopted in parts of Terminal 5 – could further boost the terminal’s effective gate capacity.

Earlier plans for T5 have included a second satellite pier (T5D), and though this won’t be part of the original opening that does bring potential for a further 20 or so gates in years to come, and 20 million additional passengers annually, assuming the second phase goes ahead.

Despite its size, Changi Airport is promising a “mega yet cosy” people-centric design.

The terminal features a series of overlapping, leaf-like roofs at varying heights, creating distinct zones that feel more intimate and inviting.

Natural light will filter through these structures, in an effort to enhance the ambience in areas like shopping streets and rest zones, while higher ceilings in spaces such as immigration and baggage reclaim halls are designed to provide an open and airy feel.

An automated people mover system, like the airport’s existing SkyTrains, will connect all buildings within T5.

Arriving travellers can therefore quickly reach the arrival immigration hall via these trains, even from the satellite gates, minimising walking distances.

Although physically separate from Terminals 1, 2, and 3 – and of course the standalone Terminal 4 – T5 will be connected to the existing terminals via both airside and landside links.

Additionally, the terminal will be accessible via an extension to the Thomson-East Coast MRT Line and the Cross Island MRT Line stations, providing what the airport operator promises will be “seamless connections with the city and beyond”.

The move to consolidate all Singapore Airlines and Scoot operations at the future Changi Airport Terminal 5 marks a major milestone for the SIA Group, making a more unified and streamlined travel experience possible at Changi for the first time.

From a brand-new suite of lounges and more efficient transit flows to better interlining opportunities and space for continued growth, the move to T5 will be about far more than just a change of address.

While the opening is still a decade away, the early glimpses of Terminal 5’s design and capabilities are impressive – and they set high expectations, as you would expect from Changi Airport.

A decade to go – but the vision is clear. We’re certainly looking forward to stepping inside T5 and taking a look, once the time comes.

(Cover Photo: Changi Airport Group)