PUBLISHED ONJanuary 05, 2026 5:00 AMBYDana LeongMembers of the public will get a first glimpse into the future of aviation at Changi Airport's upcoming Terminal 5 in an interactive exhibition opening on Tuesday (Jan 6).
The exhibition, titled T5 in the Making, is located at Terminal 3's arrival hall and will be open until March.
Speaking at the launch on Monday (Jan 5), Acting Minister for Transport and Senior Minister of State for Finance Jeffrey Siow said, "I have no doubt that the world is watching to see what T5 represents for the future of aviation."
He added: "The decision to build T5 was one of confidence and conviction. Confidence in our future, and conviction in our ability to secure our place in a competitive world."
In addition to its focus on innovation and sustainability, the new terminal will also create new job opportunities in fields such as data science and systems operations.
In his speech Siow said, Changi Airport handled a record high of around 70 million passengers in 2025, with volumes surpassing pre-Covid levels.
Global air traffic is also expected to double by 2025, and Terminal 5 will help Singapore cope with the increased demand, he added.
Jointly organised by the Ministry of Transport, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, and Changi Airport Group (CAG), the exhibition showcases the bold journey and future vision for aviation in Singapore.
It also aims to help visitors understand the planning and innovations involved in constructing Terminal 5, which seeks to address challenges such as manpower constraints, an ageing population and climate change.
"Coming at a time when construction is in full swing, we hope that it will excite the public about the progress on the ground and, at the same time, spark imagination about the new terminal, how T5 will shape Singapore's future and how different the future travel experience will be," said Ong Chee Chiau, managing director for Changi East, CAG.
The exhibition comprises five zones, and takes visitors on an journey through Changi Airport's history with interactive displays, scale models and experiential zones.
The first zone, Another Bold Singapore Chapter, features a 2.7m-tall globe with animations that illustrate the importance of air travel in Southeast Asia and the need for Terminal 5.
Visitors can learn about the airport's evolution in the second zone, which documents the strategic move from Paya Lebar to Changi, and highlights various other milestones including the construction of Terminals 1 to 4 and Jewel Changi Airport.
The zone also includes special mentions of long-serving staff that have contributed to Changi Airport's successes.
At the third zone, visitors can view a short film illustrating the scale and design considerations for Terminal 5.
At the fourth zone, visitors can get a glimpse into the future of Terminal 5 with various new technologies that are being trialled, including customer service robots, AI management systems and automated vehicles.
The last zone features a scale model of Terminal 5, allowing visitors to see a detailed view of the development.
Speaking to AsiaOne at the preview event, 68-year-old Stanley Seah described the exhibition as "very impressive" and "very enlightening".
43-year-old Sharon Teo echoed the same sentiments, saying that it gave "very good insights into how T5 will be, in terms of accommodating to the new challenges that Singaporeans are going through".
She was particularly impressed with new technologies that will replace the manual labour of transporting luggage, adding that workers will have reduced injury risks and can take on more skilled roles.
While Terminal 5 is only slated to be completed in the mid-2030s, both Teo and Seah said that they are eager to find out more about its interior soon. Drawing parallels to the impressive interior of Jewel, Seah said that she is excited to find out how it will look like in the near future.
Entrance to the exhibition is free and reservations can be made on the official website.
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dana.leong@asiaone.com