Eateries at T2 affected by crash set to reopen

Six food kiosks in the transit hall of Changi Airport Terminal 2, which were shut in February, will reopen at the end of this month.

Chinta Manis, Delifrance, Hong Kong Sheng Kee Dessert, Robin's Chicken, Sakae Sushi and Wang Cafe were closed for repairs after a vehicle rammed into a pillar one floor down.

The driver of the vehicle, which was used to tow planes, has since been relieved of his duties.

He will remain suspended until the investigations are completed, a spokesman for his employer, SIA Engineering, said yesterday.

The driver, who is believed to be a Singaporean, is now performing general office duties.

Meanwhile, Changi Airport Group (CAG) has taken steps to ensure such an incident does not happen again.

Speed limits have been reduced on some internal roads, and work to strengthen the concrete pillars has begun, said CAG spokesman Ivan Tan.

This involves the reinforcement of concrete crash barriers around pillars in the terminal buildings, he added.

"With our airside operations partners, we are heightening safety awareness among all the drivers," he said.

National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan, who blogged about the "potentially dangerous" incident on Wednesday, said that after the affected 900 sq m area was closed, officers from the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) and CAG swung into action.

"We could not afford to waste time, as public safety is mission critical," said Mr Khaw.

For 48 hours, BCA officers worked round the clock with airport staff to restore the building's structural integrity.

Others rushed to retrieve building plans and records from archives.

This provided critical support for the on-site engineers so that they could make accurate assessments of the extent of the damage and the risk to safety, said Mr Khaw.

The damaged column was eventually removed and a new one constructed.

Reiterating the importance of ensuring public safety, Mr Khaw said: "I am glad that when the unexpected happens, our officers are able to rise to the occasion.

"The good teamwork between BCA and CAG is also commendable."

karam@sph.com.sg

This article was published on May 2 in The Straits Times.

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