SINGAPORE: Changi Airport is poised to meet its target of handling 50 million passengers a year by 2012.

This is 36 per cent higher than the record set for the whole of 2007.

Passenger traffic will get a boost from several major events in Singapore in coming years.

Already, the airport has had a strong start for this year.

Despite competition from regional airports, passenger traffic at Changi Airport hit an all-time high of 36.7 million in 2007.

That's 4.8 per cent more than the previous year.

And numbers are looking good this year too with six million passengers being handled at Changi in the first two months of 2008.

That's an almost seven per cent jump from the same period last year.

And with four carriers just having moved to Terminal 3 two days ago, each terminal at Changi Airport will only be about 50 per cent utilised.

This, according to Transport Minister Raymond Lim, will leave it more than enough space to grow, especially with a number of significant events coming up in Singapore.

Mr Lim said: "Changi Airport and Singapore are poised to benefit from the impending liberalisation of air traffic within ASEAN as well as the upcoming tourism developments within Singapore - such as the widely anticipated Formula 1 night race later this year, the opening of the Integrated Resorts over the next two years and the Youth Olympics in 2010."

Mr Lim gave these figures at this year's annual airport reception, held to honour frontline staff for outstanding customer service. - CNA/vm