【The Never Ending Love Story】

Source：Evergreen Information Network Editor：Digital Culture Time：2025-06-26 15:28:13

You don't get to be The Never Ending Love Storythe world's best airport for five years running by resting on your laurels.

Singapore's Changi airport just upped its game with its newest terminal, and we got a peek inside ahead of the opening later this year.

SEE ALSO: The airports of the future are here

Terminal 4's 225,000 square metre space is decked with high ceilings, allowing natural light to spill in.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Original image replaced with Mashable logo

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

That kinetic ceiling sculpture moves and rotates. It's pretty mesmerising.

Named Petalclouds, they span some 33 metres each, and there are six of them across the expansive space.

The terminal's main design is inspired by the orchid, Singapore's national flower, and Changi placed petal designs everywhere, from the carpets to the ceilings.

Like Changi's other terminals, the airport's emphasis on greenery is clear: Terminal 4 is home to 186 large trees and green walls.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Original image replaced with Mashable logo

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

The airport also weighs heavily on traditional elements, incorporating Singapore's Peranakan culture.

Facilities are inspired by traditional Peranakan, or Straits Chinese, designs -- but with a modern twist.

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Two of the "shophouses" are actually 10 metre by 6 metre LED screens, which showcases a six-minute long digital performance set in 1930s Singapore, complete with song and dance.

Here's how it looks:

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Even the toilets are pretty.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

But the main draw of the airport is its emphasis on technology.

Passengers are able to use self check-in machines that open 12 hours before manual counters.

They first check-in at an automated kiosk, where a boarding pass and bag tag are issued.

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Then they head to the bag-drop machine, which uses facial recognition technology to ensure it's actually the same passenger checking in their bags.

Finally, it's off through the automated immigration gates.

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The last step, the automated immigration gate, is open to Singaporean citizens and permanent residents, and can also be used by foreigners.

But if you want to go full-auto, you need to register upon arrival, and get your fingerprint details entered into the system.

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While we're on the note of technology, obviously a robotic cleaner is involved.

This is the cutest one we've seen at an airport.

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The robots can be seen roaming the transit halls whilst floor-scrubbing and vacuuming.

The terminal, which was previously used as Changi's budget terminal, took three years to construct and renovate.

It's expected to see 16 million passengers per year, with nine airlines initially operating out of it.

Changi Airport is world's sixth busiest airport for international traffic, serving a record 58.7 million passengers from around the world in 2016.

Changi's even more anticipated Terminal 5, is slated to open in 2020.

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【The Never Ending Love Story】

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