SINGAPORE: The construction of Changi Airport's Terminal 4 (T4) is now complete, Changi Airport Group (CAG) announced on Friday (Dec 16). 

It achieved the Temporary Occupancy Permit this month and the next stage of development will be focused on its interior fittings, as well as preparing the terminal for operations, CAG said in a media release. The terminal's design focuses on the experience of the passenger, making the check-in and boarding process fast and seamless, it added. 

Construction work on T4 commenced in early 2014 and it is now preparing for its opening in the second half of 2017, it added. 

The exterior of Changi Airport T4's departure hall. (Photo: Loke Kok Fai)

"The preparatory works in the lead-up to its opening will involve the installation and testing of key airport systems and processes including the new FAST self-service and automated options covering check-in, bag-drop, immigration clearance and boarding. There will also be training and familiarisation programmes organised for airport staff and partners, to prepare them for operations in the new terminal," CAG added. 

In July 2015, CAG had said facial recognition technology will be introduced as well, reducing the number of staff needed to perform manual visual checks of passengers. Other previously-announced features include a central Galleria, enhanced transit lounges, Peranakan heritage shop fronts and green sanctuaries, including a boulevard of trees along a boarding corridor. 

Retail stores at Changi Airport's T4 featuring facades of old Peranakan houses. (Image: CAG)

Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific, Korean Air, Vietnam Airlines and budget airline AirAsia group - including AirAsia Berhad, Indonesia AirAsia and Thai AirAsia - are expected to operate from T4 when it opens to passengers. 

The construction of T4 involved the development of a two-storey passenger terminal building, two multi-storey car parks, a two-storey taxi holding area, as well as three vehicular and pedestrian bridges to create new channels of access to the terminal. 

T4 will introduce self-service options on a large scale for check-in and bag-drop. (Image: CAG)

A 68m-tall ramp control tower was also constructed to aid air traffic controllers' management of aircraft movements around the terminal, CAG said. 

At the peak of construction works, the T4 project involved 4,000 workers. Overall, it achieved a clean safety record of 26.1 million accident-free man hours, according to CAG. 

“The past three years have been an intense and exciting journey for CAG and our project partners ... For the next phase, we look forward to working with the airport community to prepare the terminal for opening in the second half of 2017,” said CAG executive vice president of Air Hub Development Yam Kum Weng.