Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2 welcomes Air Macau, Ethiopian and Firefly

Last month we reported how Lufthansa, Swiss, Royal Brunei and Sichuan Airlines had become the latest carriers to move into the newly reopened southern section of Terminal 2 at Singapore Changi Airport, which first started to take the strain off T1 and T3 back in May 2022 and has been progressively expanding its list of operators since then.

Now with the start of the northern summer 2023 season there are three more carriers joining the T2 fold, for a total of 10 airlines now using the terminal for some or all of their flights.

New T2 airlines

Here’s a summary of Terminal 2’s latest operators.

Air Macau (NX) launched Singapore – Macau flights on 23rd March 2023 from T2, the first time the carrier has flown from Changi in over 10 years. The last Air Macau departure from the airport was on 1st January 2013, when it also used T2.

Check-in is at Row 10.

Three times weekly flights on this route will supplement Scoot’s existing daily Macau flights.

Ethiopian Airlines (ET) commences flights from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur on 26th March 2023, and to Addis Ababa in the early hours of 27th March 2023, using Boeing 787s.

Check-in is at Row 12.

We covered details of the Star Alliance carrier’s relaunch, including award redemption options, in our dedicated article last year.

Malaysia Airlines subsidiary Firefly (FY) commences twice daily Singapore – Penang flights on 26th March 2023, adding competition to existing AirAsia, Jetstar, Scoot and Singapore Airlines services on the route.

Check-in is at Row 10.

This is the first time Firefly will operate jet service at Changi, using Boeing 737-800s. The carrier flew turboprops from the airport until 1st December 2018.

Firefly’s ATR turboprop flights to and from Kuala Lumpur’s Subang will continue to operate at Seletar Airport, a commuter service that restarted in June last year and now boasts six daily connections in each direction.

Which airlines are now in T2?

Here’s a summary of Changi Airport Terminal 2’s airlines, as of 26th March 2023, including the recent addition of these three carriers, listed in order of commencing operations at the reopened terminal after it’s temporary COVID-19 closure.

All Changi Airport T2 Airlines
(from 26th March 2023)

Airline		Started T2 Operations*	Weekly Departures
	Singapore Airlines (SQ) Only South East Asia departures	13 October 2022	348
	Air India (AI)	18 October 2022	28
	Air India Express (IX)		14
	Royal Brunei Airlines (BI)	6 February 2023	8
	Lufthansa (LH)	9 February 2023	13
	Swiss International Air Lines (LX)		7
	Sichuan Airlines (3U)	17 February 2023	7
	Air Macau (NX)	23 March 2023	3
	Ethiopian Airlines (ET)	26 March 2023	8
	Firefly (FY)		14

* Post COVID closure

Singapore Airlines flights can still arrive into Changi at T1, T2 or T3, regardless of their country of origin. T2 is only dedicated for the carrier’s departures to South East Asian cities.

In total, T2 now handles 450 passenger flight departures per week (an average of over 60 per day), based on April 2023 flight schedules.

Who still needs to move back?

Terminal 2 has still not fully reopened, as works on the northern section are ongoing, but ultimately we expect all airlines operating at T2 prior to COVID-19 to make the move back progressively between now and late 2024.

That means the following airlines can also be expected to relocate to T2 in due course, but at the time of writing are still using either T1 or T3 as their temporary home at Changi.

• ANA (T1)
• Etihad Airways (T3)
• Indigo (T1)
• LOT Polish (not currently operating)
• Malaysia Airlines (T1)
• United Airlines (T3)

T2 Lounges

Ethiopian Airlines directs its lounge-eligible passengers to the SATS Premier Lounge in T2, which is also available on Priority Pass, but they are eligible to use the reopened KrisFlyer Gold Lounge and SilverKris Lounges, since Ethiopian is a Star Alliance carrier.

Alternatively, there’s always the option to hop on the SkyTrain and take a 10-minute journey across to the newer SIA lounge facilities in T3, if they wish.

We have recent reviews of the refreshed T2 KrisFlyer Gold and SilverKris Business Class lounges since they reopened back in October 2022, with some minor enhancements but more or less with the same format they had pre-pandemic.

In this case, the KrisFlyer Gold lounge is for Star Alliance Gold members departing on Ethiopian in Economy Class, while the SilverKris Business Class lounge is for those departing in Business Class.

The Ambassador Transit Lounge in T2 and SATS Premier Lounge in T2 are available for other passengers, or those seeking access via a lounge membership scheme like Priority Pass, and we suspect Air Macau will direct its Business Class passengers to one of these.

Refreshed design

As you probably know, Changi T2 is currently in the process of receiving a full makeover with a brand new design, which we’ve already seen taking shape in the southern arrivals and departures area.

There are more of the latest design features like this in the reopened departures hall, which CAG says boasts a “contemporary design concept… inspired by elements of nature”.

Future enhancements in the transit area include new dining concepts in a larger space, with better views of the runway.

Ultimately once the northern wing of Terminal 2 is fully completed by 2024, the facility will be the airport’s largest, with a capacity for 28 million passengers per year, 5 million more than pre-renovation.

Passenger Capacity of Changi’s Terminals (2020 – 2024)
Terminal	Capacity 2020	Capacity 2024
T1	24m	24m
T2	23m	28m
T3	22m	22m
T4	16m	16m
Total	85m	90m

A significant 15,500 square metres will be added to the terminal’s original floor space, and once completed the project will boost Changi’s annual passenger capacity to 90 million.

This will secure the airport’s passenger capacity through to the opening of Terminal 5 in the mid-2030s.

You can find out more about Terminal 2’s facilities, including current shopping and dining options, at CAG’s dedicated page here.

More T4 airlines

In other changes at Changi, Jetstar Asia and Jetstar Australia made their long-negotiated move from T1 to T4 this week, with all services operating out of the new terminal since 22nd March 2023.

• Jetstar Asia (3K) moved all its services from Changi T1 to T4 on 22nd March 2023. The airline currently operates 107 weekly departures from Singapore to 10 regional destinations.
• Jetstar Australia (JQ) moved all its services from Changi T1 to T4 on 22nd March 2023. The airline currently operates six weekly departures from Singapore to Melbourne.

Two former T4 airlines have also restarted operations at Changi this month, returning to this terminal once again for the first time since the pandemic hit.

• GX Airlines (GX) restarted flights from Changi T4 on 7th March 2023, with weekly services to Nanning, China.
• Hainan Airlines (HU) restarted flights from Changi T4 on 22nd March 2023, with three times weekly flights to Haikou, China.

GX Airlines last operated at Changi on 1st February 2020, while Hainan Airlines last operated on 31st January 2020.

Three more airlines are now using Changi Airport Terminal 2, as carriers continue to start (and restart) services from Singapore following the COVID-19 pandemic.

This comes in the same week that Jetstar branded airlines made the move to Terminal 4, where two Chinese operators have also recently re-launched services.

More carriers will inevitably make the move to T2 as its revamp is completed by 2024, when it will become the largest of all the terminals at Changi Airport, until the behemoth T5 opens in the mid-2030s.

(Cover Photo: Shutterstock / Phuong Nguyen)