Airlines based in the Asia Pacific lead global passenger growth in 2025, with an annual increase of 8% year-on-year. The same report predicts that passenger growth in the region for 2026 will settle at 7.3%. While this is a slight decline, it demonstrates that growth is still likely to remain the long-term trend.
With this in mind, airports in Asia are having to adapt to handle higher passenger numbers and increase efficiency. Below are three of the most notable expansions, all set to at least be part completed by the turn of the decade.
Changi East, Singapore
Singapore has already earned international recognition for Changi Airport as one of the best, but it can still improve.
Former Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong spoke of plans for Changi East back in 2013. Officials subsequently established a committee to oversee the expansion. The key features of the development plans focus on construction of a new Terminal 5 (T5) and implementation of a three-runway system.
Upon completion of T5’s first phase in the mid-2030s, the terminal should handle an extra 50 million annual passengers. This is over a 50% increase from the airport’s current capacity.
The new terminal will connect directly to Changi’s existing Terminal 2, give passengers access to the rest of the airport, and enhance connectivity between sea and air travel through links to ferry services.
Perhaps most interesting of the features is an integrated design to operate as a smaller sub-terminal, with specialised facilities to reduce the spread of disease, should another pandemic arise.
The terminal will leverage technology to enhance operations. Trials are underway via automation, artificial intelligence, and robotics.
From 6 January until March, Changi is showcasing a T5 in the Making Exhibition at Terminal 3’s arrival hall. Passengers can catch a glimpse of the future, with autonomous wheelchairs and mechanical arms lifting bags up to 35kg on display.
“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 Mr Ong Chee Chiau, managing director of Changi East at operator Changi Airport Group.
Construction began on T5 in May 2025.
The other key part of Changi East is the three-runway system. The airport has extended its pre-existing third runway, which previously served only military aircraft, to accommodate passenger planes. Engineers will build nearly 40 km of new taxiways to connect the runway to the rest of the airport.
The system is expected to become fully operational by the mid-2020s.
Hong Kong International Airport, Hong Kong
This is the airport’s biggest transformation since its opening in 1998. The plans are complex, and include a range of operations such as Airport City, autonomous transport, Terminal 2 expansion, and a three-runway system. Together, they will create a stronger and more autonomous airport hub.
Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) unveiled its vision for Airport City in 2019. It wanted to integrate passenger and cargo services with commercial advancements and improved connectivity via road, rail, and ferry.
Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) is uniquely positioned to utilise water resources adjacent to the airport island.
Developments on Hong Kong Port Island of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge areas will include extra land and marine areas, making room for commercial and transport facilities. Airport City will become an unparalleled yacht tourism destination in Asia, especially in the Greater Bay Area.
Much like Changi East, a three-runway system was crucial to the HKIA expansion plans. Authorities commissioned the system in November 2024, and all three runways will begin operating to serve 120 million passengers annually within the next decade.
“Leveraging Hong Kong’s unique strengths, the Airport City will be a world-leading new landmark, attracting visitors from all around the world and driving Hong Kong’s economic development,” said AAHK CEO Fred Lam at the three-runway opening ceremony.
Airport Authority Hong Kong unveiled the brand name SKYTOPIA for Airport City in January 2025. It encompasses the project, combining commercial, leisure, arts, and sports attractions designed to transform the entire airport area.
To support the increased capacity offered by the three-runway system, HKIA is also working to expand Terminal 2 (T2). The first phase of this project, the new Coach Hall, began operations in September last year. The facility offers one-stop cross-boundary coach services and is connected to the airport’s Terminal 1.
The airport plans to open the improved departure facilities at Terminal 2 in the first quarter of this year.
The other major part of the project is modernising HKIA with smart infrastructure and autonomous transport. The airport will have special corridors for autonomous vehicles, automated shuttle services, and smart parking systems. This rollout should continue until 2027.
Suvarnabhumi Airport, Thailand
Suvarnabhumi Airport has been operating close to its capacity limits, and the facilities face huge pressures because of the high traffic.
In response to this, Airports of Thailand (AoT) has a comprehensive plan to expand Suvarnabhumi Airport, increasing its capacity by approximately double within the next decade.
Authorities have launched the first part of the East Expansion project, valued at 12 billion baht (US$383 million). Upon completion in 2028, this extension of Suvarnabhumi’s existing passenger terminal will handle an additional 15 million annual passengers.
AoT’s blueprint also includes a new South Terminal and a fourth runway, raising annual passenger limits to 120 million. Other figures suggest a higher capacity of about 150 million, but recent reports put this at a slight overestimation.
The South Terminal is predicted to handle 55-70 million passengers a year and consequently ease congestion across the main terminal. The airport expects to start construction within the next 18 months and complete it by the early 2030s.
Alongside terminal expansion, the introduction of a fourth runway should raise the airport’s handling capacity from 94 flights an hour to 120. This should complete a little earlier than the South Terminal.
Authorities also plan to expand Bangkok’s second airport, Don Mueang Airport, which will also increase passenger capacity toward the end of this decade. Combined, the total investments for both airport upgrades is approximately 140 billion baht ($4.47 billion).
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