The global airports landscape and travellers' expectations have evolved. Air hubs are enhancing their destination appeal to grow their share of air travel and tourism.
In such a competitive environment, Changi Airport Group (CAG) needs to stay ahead and innovate to strengthen Changi Airport's appeal. This is the spirit that drives the development of Project Jewel.
The present Terminal 1 (T1) carpark site, being on the landside of the airport, cannot be developed for post-immigration or aircraft handling facilities.
Our redevelopment plan for the site, which includes Project Jewel and the expansion of T1, will allow CAG to optimise the plot to its maximum potential.
Besides increasing T1's passenger handling capacity, we have the opportunity to create a signature destination that will significantly enhance Changi Airport's offerings.
Project Jewel is a game-changer for Changi Airport, designed to capture tourism mindshare at a global level.
With eye-catching architecture, exciting attractions and quality retail and dining offerings, it will attract tourists and transit passengers to choose Singapore as their preferred air hub and stopover destination.
Project Jewel is also for the enjoyment of local residents.
Singaporeans' participation and emotional engagement with Changi Airport has been a source of strength for our success in the past three decades. Project Jewel represents a continuous investment in this area.
CAG considers seriously the needs of airport users.
Project Jewel's airport facilities will strengthen Changi's service offerings. These include early check-in services for fly-cruise and fly-coach passengers, a new hotel and training facilities for airport staff.
There will also be a larger T1 arrival hall, more taxi and coach stands and three times the current number of parking spaces. The airport's road network will be upgraded.
The Project Jewel concept was the outcome of a competitive process, in which well-known local and international property firms were invited to participate.
Based on the overall quality of its submission, CapitaMalls Asia was selected as CAG's partner by an independent special committee.
Project Jewel's development cost is fully funded by the private joint-venture company set up by CAG and CapitaMalls Asia.
While we aim for a signature project, we have calibrated the concept and development so that the project remains value-accretive and financially sustainable in the long run.
CAG and CapitaMalls Asia are committed to delivering an excellent, world-class product that will strengthen Changi Airport as an air hub and one that Singaporeans will enjoy and be proud of.
Hung Jean (Ms)
Senior Vice-President, Landside Changi Airport Group
Deputy Chief Executive Officer Project Jewel
ST Forum, 1 Jan 2014
Senior Vice-President, Landside Changi Airport Group
Deputy Chief Executive Officer Project Jewel
ST Forum, 1 Jan 2014
Proximity to city centre gives Changi Airport an edge
MR KELVIN Quek raised some questions regarding Project Jewel's viability ("Who is Project Jewel's target customer?"; last Friday).
Many Singaporeans already enjoy going to Changi Airport for leisure. Fifty million passengers pass through the airport every year, and 32,000 people work there. These are the people Project Jewel is targeting.
Changi Airport is unique as it is located close to populated areas, unlike airports in most other cities. It is also served by two expressways. This proximity to the city centre gives us the competitive edge.
Under Project Jewel, the number of parking lots will be tripled. The MRT will also further improve connectivity and increase resident catchment.
An aviation museum will be less of an attraction for arriving and departing passengers, and will not do justice to this valuable plot of land.
There is nothing wrong with iconic projects as they are part of progress.
Project Jewel is not a vanity showpiece; it is a privately funded commercial enterprise, and Changi Airport Group and CapitaMalls Asia have to answer to their shareholders on its financial viability.
I am sure Project Jewel will be a game-changer and add to the vibrancy of Changi Airport.
Tan Chin Hwee
ST Forum, 31 Dec 2013
ST Forum, 31 Dec 2013
Who is Project Jewel's target customer?
I WAS surprised and concerned to read about the high cost for Project Jewel ("Project Jewel at Changi Airport to cost $1.47b"; last Saturday).
It is unclear how this expensive complex, 70 per cent of which will be retail space, will give our airport an edge over other competing air hubs.
It is also unclear who it is targeting - visitors, residents, airport staff, or all three.
When travellers arrive at their destination, they want to get out of the airport as quickly as possible.
Similarly, departing visitors are unlikely to make it a priority to visit shops, eateries or leisure attractions located outside the departure gates of the airport.
If the project is primarily aimed at attracting residents to Changi Airport, the question then is: Why is that necessary?
Why use up valuable land at Changi to build another shopping mall? Why not have an aviation museum or something related to the airport?
A smaller-scale project to cater for a hotel, airport operations, airport staff facilities, and fly-cruise and fly-coach passengers would suffice.
This would free up land for facilities that will make a real difference to our competitiveness as an air hub, for example, more runways and aircraft parking bays, or more space for passenger lounges.
We should also stop building iconic projects which may just end up as vanity showpieces that bring little tangible benefits to Singaporeans.
The money saved can be put to better use to meet more pressing needs in areas such as health care, education, transport and housing.
Kelvin Quek
ST Forum, 27 Dec 2013
ST Forum, 27 Dec 2013
Jury is still out on Changi's 'Jewel'
By Adrian Lim, MyPaper, 2 Jan 2014
CHANGI Airport thinks it is a "game changer" that will strengthen its position as a global air hub.
But one unimpressed observer has asked if it is a vanity project adding to Singapore's long list of shopping malls.
While the jury is still out on the $1.47-billion Project Jewel, experts agree on one thing: Changi needs a big retail fix. But an expensive project with high costs and prices could backfire.
Almost 70 per cent of the space in the mixed-use development, which will be encased in a glass-and-steel dome, will be given over to retail. Some newspaper readers saw this as a debatable use of the building's 134,000 sq m of gross floor area. One likened it to a "vanity showpiece".
The private joint venture between Changi Airport Group (CAG) and CapitaMalls Asia, which will be launched in end-2018, will also feature airport facilities, a hotel and leisure attractions like an indoor garden with a waterfall.
Make no mistake, said observers - retail operations account for a significant proportion of revenue for many airports today.
In 2012, retail sales at Changi Airport hit a record $1.8 billion, a 12 per cent increase from the year before. Retail sales accounted for 50 per cent of the airport's revenue in both years.
Mr Mohshin Aziz, an analyst at Kuala Lumpur-based Maybank Investment Bank, said the rise of the mass-market, regional traveller has boosted retail operations at airports. These travellers are big shoppers compared to business fliers.
But here's the nub of the problem: "(The developers) have to make sure they don't spend a fortune building it," he said. Otherwise, rentals would go up and so will prices. "It'd be hard to imagine who can afford to shop there," he noted.
Mr Colin Tan, Suntec Real Estate Consultants' director and head of research and consultancy, said that trying to satisfy the needs of different groups of visitors - from business passengers to budget-conscious travellers and the domestic shopper - will be a "hard task".
Ms Hung Jean, deputy chief executive of Project Jewel, said in The Straits Times' Forum page yesterday that Project Jewel will "attract tourists and transit passengers to choose Singapore as their preferred air hub and stopover destination". It will also be for the enjoyment of local residents.
Mr Greg Waldron, Asia managing director of Flightglobal, feels that getting Terminal 4 and the third runway up and running is more important for Changi's competitiveness than Project Jewel.
Mr Mohshin said that Project Jewel will become an iconic showpiece similar to Changi's famed control tower. But in deciding whether to fly here, airlines would be more concerned about connectivity, available slots and terminal charges.