Passengers flying out of Changi may soon have to pay between $10 and $15 extra, The Sunday Times understands, as part of a new tax being mooted to help pay for a major airport expansion, involving the building of Terminal 5.
Transit passengers could be charged about half the amount.
The tax, which could be imposed from later this year, is expected to be on top of the $34 departure charge ($6 for transit passengers), comprising a passenger service fee, a security tax and a levy collected by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS).
The new tax, first reported by The Sunday Times last month, is to help pay for major works in Changi East to help cement Singapore's air hub status, from the building of mega passenger terminal T5, set to open around 2030, to a third runway. It also includes ground improvement works at the over 1,000ha site and the building of massive drains and tunnels, some of which will move bags and people between T5 and the current airport.
Passengers will not be alone in bearing higher charges. Fees for airlines, including parking and landing fees, are expected to increase by about 30 per cent, said sources.
The total bill for Changi East is unclear, but it is expected to dwarf the billions spent so far - on T4, commercial development Jewel, which opens next year, and the multiple upgrades of the other three terminals in the last two decades.
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/changi-airport-users-may-have-to-pay-10-to-15-extra
