Singapore Changi Airport surpasses 37.7 million traffic record

Changi Airport handled more than 40 million passenger movements in 2010.

Changi Airport's previous traffic record was set in 2008, when 37.7 million passenger movements were registered for the year, according to Changi Airport Group.

Passenger traffic dipped slightly in 2009 to 37.2 million due to the global economic downturn. Crossing the 40-million mark places Changi in the next higher league of airports globally, reinforcing its position as a major air hub. Only six other airports in the world handle more than 40 million international passenger movements annually.

Changi Airport Group celebrated the 40-million milestone this afternoon at an event which saw one lucky passenger winning a 40-minute shopping spree sponsored by CAG at Changi’s award-winning Transit Malls. Mr Jonathan Shih from Taiwan, travelling to Singapore from Shanghai, China, onboard Singapore Airlines SQ827, was whisked off for a magnificent shopping adventure after disembarkation at Changi’s Terminal 3. Other passengers on the SQ827 flight received a commemorative gift pack including Changi Airport shopping vouchers.

A record breaking year
For the January to November 2010 period, Changi Airport handled 38.0 million passengers, an increase of 13.8% compared to the same period in 2009. This 11- month figure is already higher than the record of 37.7 million registered for the whole of 2008. For November 2010 alone, 3.62 million passenger movements were registered, a year-on-year increase of 7.7%.

Passenger growth at Changi Airport this year has been driven by traffic to and from Southeast and Northeast Asia. Among cities with more than half a million passenger movements, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Manila in Southeast Asia, and Hong Kong and Shanghai in Northeast Asia registered double digit growth. The passenger traffic growth was aligned with an increase in the number of flights to these destinations. For example, Manila and Hong Kong have each seen a double-digit percentage increase in the number of weekly flights since the beginning of the year.

Based on data for the January to October 2010 period, Australia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand remain the five largest country markets by passenger traffic for Changi Airport. Please see Annex B for the top 10 list.

This year, both full service carriers (FSCs) and low cost carriers (LCCs) have seen growth in passengers carried at Changi. For the first 11 months of 2010, FSCs saw a turnaround in demand to register an 8.8% increase in passengers carried. LCCs continued their robust growth, carrying 35.3% more passengers. For the period, LCCs carried 22.3% of Changi’s passenger traffic and accounted for 26.2% of Changi’s aircraft movements.

Mr Tan Lye Teck, covering CEO of Changi Airport Group, said, “On the eve of Changi Airport celebrating its 30th anniversary next year, we are proud to have achieved a record breaking year in 2010 with more than 40 million passenger movements. We thank our customers, airline and airport partners for making this achievement possible.”

He added, “Changi Airport has grown from strength to strength since its opening in 1981. We look forward to taking Changi forward in the next phase of its development.

At the same time, we will ensure that we consistently deliver the Changi Experience even as we welcome more customers with increasing demand for air travel. With the support of our partners and staff members of the whole airport community, we are confident that Changi will remain the premier air hub in the region.”

As at 1 December 2010, Changi Airport serves 98 airlines operating some 5,200 weekly scheduled flights to and from more than 200 cities in 60 countries and territories.