SINGAPORE Changi Airport has notched the highest number of passenger movements in a single year in its 33-year history, registering some 54.1 million in passenger traffic last year.
This is a 0.7 per cent increase over 2013, said an airport press statement. The airport’s busiest day in 2014 was the December 20, 2014 when 186,500 passengers passed through Changi.
Regionally, travel to South Asia and North-east Asia rose six per cent and four per cent respectively. However, such gains were buffered by poorer performances on routes to Europe and South-east Asia.
Nevertheless, travel to and from Thailand and China is on the mend, with both showing year-on-year growth of 6.6 per cent and one per cent respectively in December, which represents the third consecutive month of growth for both countries.
Flights to and from Thailand also returned to end-2013 levels in terms of capacity and frequencies.
Indonesia continues to lead in terms of passenger movements at Changi, with over 7.5 million passengers in 2014. It is followed by Malaysia, Australia, Thailand and China.
The top 10 busiest routes from Changi have not changed from last year with Jakarta leading the list, followed by Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Manila, Tokyo, Bali, Taipei, Ho Chi Minh City and Sydney.
Among the 10 destinations, Bali has shown the most growth at 15.7 per cent year-on-year.
Six new carriers made their debut at Changi in 2014, namely MIAT Mongolian Airlines, Uzbekistan Airways, Jetstar Pacific, Malindo Air, Tigerair Taiwan and VietJet.
The airport also now offers links to seven new destinations: Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia, Tashkent in Uzbekistan, Lanzhou and Xi’an in China, Okinawa, Seattle, and Phu Quoc in Vietnam.
While 2014 was a challenging year for aviation, Singapore Changi Airport introduced theGrowth and Assistance Incentive programme to aid airline partners with costs and also broke ground on its upcoming mixed-use complex Jewel.
Said Lee Seow Hiang, CEO, Changi Airport Group: “We are hopeful that 2015 will be a better year for aviation in the region. Travel demand is recovering steadily for markets like Thailand and China. Lower fuel costs will also help to alleviate cost pressures for airlines. The new year has started on a positive note for Changi Airport, with Air New Zealand commencing its services to Singapore on January 6.”
