Seletar Airport to be rebuilt; Firefly, Berjaya to move to XSP

[T.J 0]

Sources:
http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/seletar-airport-be-rebuilt-upgrading-plan

http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/transport/story/seletar-airport-be-rebuilt-upgrading-plan-20141124

 

Seletar Airport to be rebuilt in upgrading plan
by Karamjit Kaur

 

Seletar Airport, which currently handles mainly private and pilot training flights, will be torn down and rebuilt to expand its operations, as part of a bigger plan to increase the efficiency of Changi Airport.

 

The upgrade - slated to start next year - will see the new Seletar Airport equipped to handle more traffic, thereby allowing Changi Airport to make better use of its runways.

 

This will ultimately boost Singapore's position as a hub for intra-Asian and global air travel.

A spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said: "With the growing demand for air travel and increased aircraft and passenger traffic at the Singapore air hub, there is a need to optimise the air hub's capacity. Smaller and slower aircraft, including turboprop aircraft... will be moved from Changi Airport to Seletar Airport in due course."

While flights by such aircraft make up a small proportion of the total number at Changi Airport, they require disproportionately larger air space.

For safety reasons, smaller planes need a greater separation distance from other aircraft when taking off or landing, aviation experts said. This is because smaller planes are more affected than bigger planes are by air turbulence that the latter generate.

In some cases, two landing slots are needed for one turboprop aircraft, which means less runway efficiency, they added.

Firefly, which operates about 10 flights a day to Malaysia, and Berjaya Air, which operates seasonally to Malaysia, are currently the two main turboprop operators at Changi Airport. When they will move to Seletar Airport has not been confirmed. Plans for the airport's upgrading, including its size, are being finalised, the CAAS said.

The Straits Times also understands that the exact location of the new airport terminal, which will be housed within Seletar Aerospace Park, has not been decided.

At least two options are being looked at - near the existing terminal or on the other side of the runway near the airport's control tower completed in 2012.

The plans to improve the terminal - the first major upgrade in decades for the airport built before World War II as a British military air base - are part of the development of the aerospace park.

Seletar is now home to more than 100 leading global and local aerospace companies, including engine-maker Rolls-Royce, helicopter manufacturer Eurocopter, ST Aerospace and Jet Aviation.

Apart from the building of the new control tower, the runway was also recently lengthened from 1.6km to 1.84km to accommodate bigger, heavier aircraft.

In the first nine months of the year, the airport handled about 18,000 passengers. It had about 22,000 for the whole of last year.

Changi Airport had more than 40 million passengers in the same period, 0.9 per cent more than in the corresponding period last year. It handled 53.7 million passengers in the whole of last year.

ST Aerospace chief operating officer Lim Serh Ghee said: "We heard of the plans for the new passenger terminal and are certainly excited about how the impending new development at Seletar Aerospace Park will help shape aviation here."

karam@sph.com.sg

- See more at: http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/seletar-airport-be-rebuilt-upgrading-plan#sthash.aRXlYlQz.dpuf

[Kee Hooi Yen 0]

Wonder will 3K and TR, or even MI setup turboprop operations ?

[alberttky 0]

Wonder will 3K and TR, or even MI setup turboprop operations ?

And where are they gonna fly those to?

[Kee Hooi Yen 0]

errr... SZB, PKU, PNK, KBR, maybe RDG, TOD, Pangkor, Medan

[JuliusWong 0]

I don't thinkl 3K and TR want to bleed further. Their current operation is on brink of collapse, if not for their parent company support.

 

I can see that FY, OD and J8 using the new Seletar Airport on high volume. Wings Air and Garuda Indonesia Express as well.

Edited November 26, 2014 by JuliusWong

[xtemujin 0]

New Seletar Airport terminal could handle 700,000 passengers a year

By Loke Kok Fai Posted 20 Oct 2016 17:00

SINGAPORE: The new passenger terminal at Seletar Airport is designed for 700,000 passenger movements a year - up to four times the estimated maximum capacity of the current airport.

The two-story, 9,500-sqm terminal on the eastern side of Seletar Airport is expected to be completed by end-2018, the airport operator said at the new terminal's groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday (Oct 20).

The new terminal will be capable of parking up to three scheduled turboprop flights – such as those flown by regional airline Firefly – in its adjacent bays during peak hours. Turboprop aircraft operations will be shifted from Changi Airport to Seletar Airport once the building is ready, freeing up capacity for jet aircraft operations at Changi Airport.

Seletar Airport General Manager See Seng Wan said the change in the airport's operating model was to make "better use of resources at both airports, which will benefit Singapore's aviation ecosystem in the long run".

To handle the expected increase in passenger traffic, the new facility promises a more streamlined boarding and arrival process featuring four check-in counters, four immigration counters, and two security screening stations. In comparison, the existing facilities only have one of each. The gate holding room in the new terminal will also be able to seat 200 passengers waiting for their flights, compared to the current capacity of 70.

Other improvements include a dedicated space for business aviation passengers with its own private drop-off, check-in and lounge areas, a landscaped garden in the middle of the terminal and tropical design features to provide a warm and relaxed air.

Plans for the existing terminal remain to be decided, according to Seletar Airport.

- CNA/mz

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/new-seletar-airport-terminal-could-handle-700-000-passengers-a/3221626.html

Edited October 20, 2016 by xtemujin

[flee 5]

Only three parking bays? Looks like they are not expecting FY to expand their services that much...

[JuliusWong 0]

FY will continue to charge exorbitant fee for SZB-SIN......oh well, we can't have all.

[flee 5]

OD are also eyeing SZB-XSP flights as well. WIll such a small airport be able to meaningfully accommodate FY and OD schedules?

[Robert 0]

As a regular between both locations Im very interested in this service

[JuliusWong 0]

Summary of the expansion here:

 

http://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2016/10/20/seletar-airport-to-have-new-passenger-terminal-building-by-end-of-2018/

 

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/new-seletar-terminal-can-handle-700k-travellers-a-year?utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&xtor=CS1-10#link_time=1477013937

Edited October 21, 2016 by JuliusWong