This is double the airline traffic that Changi Airport is handling now.

The number does not include flights that overfly Singapore which also come under the responsibility of air traffic controllers here.

Today, Singapore manages about 300,000 of such flights a year, Teo said.

With traffic expected to increase significantly, Singapore needs to invest in new air traffic management systems and processes to ensure safe flights, she said.

It is also important for countries in the region to work closely together to ensure that flights can be managed efficiently.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Singapore Airshow, Teo said: “It’s not going to be enough just to build airport capacity and have lots of room for airlines to move in and out because if you don’t have the air traffic management capabilities you won’t be able to deal with the capacity.”

By the time T4 opens in the second half of next year and the first phase of T5 is ready by the end of the next decade, Changi will more than double its current annual passenger handling capacity of 66 million.

Singapore has launched several initiatives to boost air traffic management capabilities and capacity.

For example, the separation between airlines, especially during peak periods, has been reduced to allow more flights to land and take off.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) also works closely with Changi Airport Group to minimise runway closure times for maintenance and other works.

In 2012, the CAAS set up a $200 million fund to conduct research into air traffic management.

So far, about $120 million has been earmarked for various projects, Teo said.

If the project is approved by the Lao government, the total value of scheme could amount to almost US$2 billion, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed in Vientiane on Tuesday between the ROK company, known as Oriental Pearl Company Limited and the General Logistics Department of the Ministry of Public Security.

Chief of the General Logistics Department Colonel Kikeo Naovalath and Director General of the Production-Business Management Department Mr Bounpha Nanthavong represented the Lao side to sign the MOU.

The company side was signed by President of the Oriental Pearl Company Limited Mr Kim Won Pyo and the company representative Jeong Tae Jin.

The event was witnessed by officials from both sides.

The MOU will allow the two sides to carry out a project survey and design and prepare for a joint venture agreement for the project.

The project is located at the KM 62 area in Phonhong district, covering an area of 1,200 hectares which are under the management of the Ministry of Public Security.

The Ministry of Public Security and the Oriental Pearl Co Ltd have initiated the survey and feasibility study for the project since June 2015.

Once the project is approved by the Lao government, the said KM 62 area will be urbanised as a new town in Vientiane province which could contribute to boost economic growth and generate job opportunities for local people.

The Department of Tourism has teamed up with CrescentRating, the world’s leading authority on “halal” travel, to help build capabilities and resources as well as launch a destination marketing campaign. In the pipeline is a series of activities to increase awareness of the availability of halal food, mosques, and other Muslim-friendly holiday experiences and facilities in the Philippines.

The Philippines’ close proximity to the large Muslim populations of Malaysia and Indonesia, coupled with its rich diverse culture, makes the country an attractive destination for family tourists keen to explore one of the most unique places in Asia. Yet it has a lot of catching up to do compared to its neighbors when it comes to attracting Muslim travellers, now widely recognized as a key growth tourism sector projected to be worth $200 billion by 2020.

“The Philippines receives close to 566,000 visitors from the Middle East, parts of Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), as well as India and Israel. This forms our base market to extend halal services and to move forward. Halal is not only a religious matter, but a nation’s concern,” Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. said in a joint press statement with Crescent.

“Hence the impetus in the development of the halal industry must be economic rather than just cultural. Improving the halal industry in our country will not only serve to advance the lives of Muslim Filipinos and attract more tourists, but it could also help spur growth in the Philippine economy,” he added.

This new drive to attract inbound Muslim tourists is part and parcel of the Philippines’ long-term strategy to maximize its economic growth in the halal tourism industry. The initial focus will be on developing services in Manila, Davao, Cebu, and Boracay.

Fazal Bahardeen, chief executive officer of CrescentRating, said: “We are delighted to have entered into a partnership with the Philippine Department of Tourism on their maiden journey into the Muslim-friendly travel market and excited about working together.”

“Looking at the Philippines’ unique culture and heritage, we believe there is a huge potential for the destination to position itself and inspire Muslim visitors to choose Philippines for their next holiday.

Muslim tourists are now more bold and daring in their travel choices and the Philippines presents a great offering for those looking for natural beauty and culture.”

The tourism department will work with CrescentRating and its sister brand HalalTrip to launch a dedicated Muslim Visitor Guide and promote its offering via online campaigns including the use of social media influencers in the region. It will also use CrescentRating services to accredit hotels and restaurants in the major cities of Philippines with its rating system.

Based on the MasterCard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 2015, the halal tourism market was worth $145 billion in 2014 with 108 million Muslim travellers representing 10 per cent of the entire travel economy. The Philippines was ranked 47th on the list with a GMTI score of 41.8.

Officials from the companies signed a deal for the development in the presence of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, on the sidelines of the US-Asean summit in Sunnylands, California on Monday.

The 300-room luxury hotel was expected to be completed in 2018. Tran Anh Tuan, the director of ThaiGroup’s representative office in Hanoi, told the press that he was yet unable to confirm a specific plot for construction.

However, industry insiders expected the hotel to be built on a 3.5-hectare “golden land” in Dao Duy Anh Street in Dong Da District, where Kim Lien Hotel is currently situated.

Late last year, ThaiGroup Chairman Nguyen Duc Thuy paid 1 trillion dong ($44.44 million) to acquire a 52.4 per cent stake into the Kim Lien Tourism Joint Stock Company, which runs the existing hotel.

When Thuy became chairman of Kim Lien Tourism earlier this year, he told Biz Hub that the acquisition was part of ThaiGroup’s long-term strategy.

“We plan to develop Kim Lien Hotel as a highlight of Hanoi with a complex of four- and five-star hotels,” he said.

ThaiGroup was established in 2007 as Xuan Thanh Group with a charter capital of 2.5 trillion dong ($111.11 million). It is based in northern Ninh Binh City and deals in real estate, construction, transportation, hydropower and finance.

Kim Lien Tourism was formerly a state utility company, which has nearly 70 billion dong ($3.11 million) in equity and primarily provides restaurant and catering services.

Aquino, who just came from the recently concluded ASEAN-US summit in the Sunnylands estate in Rancho Mirage, arrived aboard Philippine Airlines chartered flight PR001 along with members of his cabinet and staff.

At 5:25 p.m. (9:25 a.m. Manila time), Aquino will meet with Walt Disney International chair Andy Bird and Vice President for Global Public Policy Jim Filippatos.

They will discuss investment policies and the climate in the creative sector, particularly game development and animation, according to Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Cuisia, Jr.

Cuisia said Aquino would welcome an exchange of ideas on how the Philippine government could continue to support and develop the industry.

“So we’re looking also how can we work together with Walt Disney in that particular regard,” he said in an interview with RTVM.

After meeting with Disney, the President will meet with Western Digital Corporation to discuss the expansion of the firm’s operations in the Philippines. The company provides data storage solutions and has over 10,000 employees in the country.

Aquino will also meet with Aecom Enterprise Growth Solutions, which wants to learn how the Philippine government can help it expand the hiring and training of Filipino engineers because they are interested in expanding their operations, according to Cuisia.

This evening, Aquino will speak before the Los Angeles World Affairs Council.

He will discuss the brewing tension between the Philippines and China because of the dispute over the South China Sea.

He will also talk about security in East Asia and discuss the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement between the Philippines and the US, which would give US military forces access to and use of agreed locations in the Philippines, where they could build infrastructure and preposition assets.

The CEOs of Microsoft, IBM and Cisco were invited to do their short presentation where they told the leaders that Asean had a chance to leapfrog not only at the level of digi­tal economy and beyond but also on the use of cognitive artificial intelligence.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the use of the AI technology could help resolve many delivery issues more effectively and at lower cost.

“These could include sectors such as healthcare, traffic management and natural disasters.

They said we have to develop the necessary skills to leapfrog to a higher level. As such, the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education is necessary to prepare for the next generation to fill data-powered jobs,” he told Malaysian reporters at the end of the first day of the US-Asean Summit here yesterday.

The IT bosses also suggested that the digital eco system be developed in schools, universities and start-up companies.

Najib, who was the first to pose a question, asked about the failure of the industrial age to sustain jobs, citing the car manufacturing in Detroit which had led to people doing lower-paying jobs.

“That raised the question that if you move towards digital economy and AI, would that lead to dislocation of jobs and ensure higher paying jobs. So the answer given is we must be prepared to strengthen STEM and reskilling of workers.”

Asked if Malaysia was prepared for the digital economy, Najib said the country was not achieving the 60:40 ratio in schools and needed to give fresh impetus to STEM.

“There are a lot of challenges because the structural change taking place in the global economy has huge ramifications and we have to prepare for that.”

Najib also took note of the importance that Washington placed on Asean as the summit here was held during President’s Day which is a public holiday in the US.

“The fact that the US President gave up his holiday to meet with Asean leaders goes to show thatAsean has been recognised on the world stage as an important bloc of nations which has potential,” he said.

He also hoped the US would continue its policy to engage Asean after Obama leaves office next year.