Last week we reported how Changi Airport is closing Terminal 2 for an 18-month period due to the effects of the coronavirus outbreak, shifting airlines to other terminals by 1st May 2020 through to late 2021, a move which will also assist to speed up the tip-to-tail renovation of the facility by up to a year.
At the time Changi Airport group was already priming us for the next likely move, a temporary suspension of services at Terminal 4, which sees only a handful of flights and already has no services at all on several days of the week.
“If the remaining airlines at T4 choose to suspend or adjust their flight schedule, CAG will also consider suspending operations at T4 temporarily but with the objective of restarting operations quickly when airlines confirm the resumption of flights.” Changi Airport Group
Cathay Pacific has now moved
One of T4’s main tenants Cathay Pacific quietly moved across to Terminal 1 on Friday 10th April 2020, relocating its check-in counters to Row 12 / 13 at the facility – it’s former home at Changi before T4 opened in October 2017.
The final Cathay Pacific passenger departure to be processed through Terminal 4 was CX636 on 9th April 2020.
Two subsequent CX636 services on 10th April and 12th April carried cargo only, and were processed at the East Cargo ramp, at the opposite side of the airport from T4.
Terminal 4 will almost certainly close
Cathay’s move takes three further passenger flights per week out of T4, which has now not hosted a departing flight for several days and doesn’t look set to anytime soon, with the other carriers based there all having suspended passenger services at the airport.
Cathay Pacific had already closed its dedicated lounge in Terminal 4 at the end of March 2020, with the Blossom Lounge also currently closed, meaning there was no pre-flight facility for the airline’s frequent flyers or Business Class passengers to use in T4.
Thankfully in Terminal 1 these passengers should be directed to the SATS Premier Lounge or dnata lounge, which remain open during specific hours.
Heres a list of T4’s usual operators and what’s currently happening with their flights:
| Airline | Flights | ||
 |
AirAsia (AK, FD, QZ, Z2) |  |
Not operating Since 19 Mar |
|
AirAsia X (D7) | |
Not operating Since 13 Apr |
 |
Air India (AI) | |
Not operating Since 21 Mar |
|
Air India Express (IX) | |
Not operating Since 22 Mar |
 |
Cathay Pacific (CX) |  |
Moved to T1 10 Apr |
 |
Cebu Pacific (5J) | |
Not operating Since 18 Mar |
 |
GX Airlines (GX) | |
Not operating Since 1 Feb |
 |
Hainan Airlines (HU) | |
Not operating Since 31 Jan |
 |
Indigo (6E) | |
Not operating Since 21 Mar |
 |
Jeju Air (7C) | |
Not operating Since 1 Mar |
 |
Juneyao Airlines (HO) | |
Not operating Since 1 Apr |
 |
Korean Air (KE) | |
Not operating Since 3 Apr |
 |
Regent Airways (RX) | |
Not operating Since 20 Mar |
 |
Spring Airlines (9C) | |
Not operating Since 31 Jan |
 |
VietJet (VJ) | |
Not operating Since 16 Mar |
 |
Vietnam Airlines (VN) | |
Not operating Since 22 Mar |
Note: Go Air stopped operating at Changi on 8th February 2020. This was unrelated to COVID-19.
In common with the temporary (though longer) closure of Terminal 2, closing T4 until its usual tenants propose to start a meaningful volume of flights will assist Changi Airport to reduce operating costs, including cleaning and utilities. It’s a logical move.
Currently the entire passenger throughput of Changi Airport would comfortably fit in a single terminal, with traffic levels down over 90% on usual due to the COVID-19 situation.
If you’re flying with Cathay Pacific out of Singapore, remember to head to T1 Rows 12/13 for check-in, from 3 hours prior to departure. Also note that the Jewel Early Check-in facility is currently closed.
(Cover Photo: Kevin Bosc)
Correction: 10th April, not 10th March.
Corrected thanks 👌🏼
But as to when its Terminal 4 Lounge will reopen and when it will shift back to Terminal 4, that will be determined at a later timing once the Covid-19 situation completely dies down.
I checked Changi departure and it seems Juneyao is still operating some flights, though it is probably limited to 1x per week per China CAA restrictions… could Juneyao’s ground handling by SGSS, which doesn’t operate outside of T4, be the last hurdle for the T4 closure? Nonetheless it’s worth noting SGSS is a joint venture of SATS and AirAsia…
Cathay Pacific ground handling is by dnata, hence it seems natural CX will be using dnata lounge rather than SATS Premier Lounge in T1.
Juneyao has not operated at Changi since 1 Apr. The Changi departures board lists their flights initially then shows them as cancelled later.