Changi Airport saw record 54.1 million passenger movements last year
Travellers arriving at the immigration hall at Changi Airport Terminal 2. TODAY file photo
SINGAPORE — Changi Airport managed a total of 54.1 million passenger movements last year, the most in its 33-year history, Changi Airport Group (CAG) announced today (Jan 29).
This was a 0.7 per cent increase compared to the previous year, while total cargo volume increased by 0.3 per cent, even though flight movements decreased by 0.7 per cent to 341,390.
Flights from Indonesia accounted for the most amount of passengers — 7.5 million. The next highest number of passengers came from flights originating from Malaysia, Australia, Thailand and China.
In terms of Changi’s busiest routes, the top 10 destinations remained unchanged with Jakarta, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Manila taking the top five spots. Traffic to South Asian and North-east Asia cities rose 6.0 per cent and 4.0 per cent respectively, offsetting weaker performance on European and South-east Asian routes.
Over 100 airlines now operate at Changi Airport. Last year, Changi Airport welcomed six new carriers — MIAT Mongolian Airlines, Uzbekistan Airways, Jetstar Pacific, Malindo Air, Tigerair Taiwan and VietJet.
Changi Airport’s busiest day last year was the Saturday before Christmas (Dec 20). A total of 186,500 passengers passed through Changi Airport on the day.
As for cargo movement, Changi Airport’s total cargo throughput increased by 0.3 per cent last year, compared to 2013, to 1.84 million tonnes.
CAG CEO Lee Seow Hiang acknowledged that last year “was a challenging year for the aviation industry, especially in South-east Asia”.
“Several unforeseen events depressed travel demand, creating a difficult operating environment for many airlines in the region. CAG responded quickly to the external situation, by introducing the Growth and Assistance Incentive (GAIN) programme to provide temporary cost relief for our airline partners as well as to encourage them to collaborate with us to explore new ideas to stimulate passenger traffic or boost operational efficiency at Changi Airport,” he noted.
“We are hopeful that 2015 will be a better year for aviation in the region... As we announce more new airlines and destinations in the coming months, we stand ready to work with our airline and industry partners to capture growth opportunities and strengthen Changi Airport’s air hub position.”
