SINGAPORE, 9 May 2023: Singapore Changi Airport handled 4.63 million passenger movements in March 2023, or over 82% of its pre-Covid traffic in March 2019, the first time since the pandemic that it has crossed 80%.
Aircraft movements, which include landings and takeoffs, totalled 26,000, about 81% of March 2019 levels. Airfreight throughput was 152,000 tonnes for the month, maintaining what was recorded for the same period last year.
During Q1, Changi Airport clocked 13 million passenger movements, with 74,000 aircraft movements registered for the same period. The top five traffic markets for the quarter comprised Australia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.
Changi Airport continued to see strong performance across key source markets, with the strongest growth in North America, Southwest Pacific and Europe. In addition, passenger flows to and from Greater China (mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau) also showed a strong recovery, with traffic doubling compared to the previous quarter, driven by the progressive resumption of scheduled passenger services.
From January to March 2023, airfreight movements totalled 417,000 tonnes, a decline of 9% year-on-year. Air cargo demand remained soft, especially in the first two months of the year, amid global economic uncertainty and inflationary pressures. For the period, Changi’s top five air cargo markets comprised Australia, China, Hong Kong, India and the US.
Changi Airport Group’s executive vice president of air hub and cargo development Lim Ching Kiat said: “It is encouraging that passenger numbers at Changi Airport have crossed 80% of pre-Covid levels for the first time since the onset of the pandemic, representing a milestone in the recovery of Changi’s traffic. As the world continues to gear up on travel, we look forward to more airlines resuming their services to cater to the growing appetite for travel and bringing in new airlines to connect our passengers with more destinations in the coming months.”
As of 1 April 2023, 102 airlines provide over 6,000 weekly scheduled flights at Changi Airport, connecting Singapore to 145 cities in 49 countries and territories worldwide.
New and reinstated services
In the first quarter of 2023, Changi Airport welcomed two new airlines, Air Macau and Firefly1. Ethiopian Airlines resumed scheduled services as the sole operator from Singapore to Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), while Scoot resumed services to Qingdao (China). Changi also welcomed the return of four Chinese airlines – Chongqing Airlines, Hebei Airlines, Guangxi Beibu Gulf Airlines, and Hainan Airlines.
New restaurants & stores
The first quarter saw more than 20 new stores and F&B outlets open at Changi’s four terminals. Among them are new concept stores such as WOKE Ramen (Terminal 1 public), Noyah La Maison (Terminal 3) and Crystal Jade Go (Terminal 4 transit), as well as familiar favourites like Penang Culture (T1 public) and Bee Cheng Hiang (T4 and transit).
Other highlights
At T1 Level 3, WOKE Ramen and Penang Culture expand halal food options alongside Andes by Astons, Burger King and Anjappar. T3 also welcomed a new bouldering play attraction at its basement levels, Climb@T3.
In the transit areas, Balenciaga has opened a full-fledged outlet in Terminal 1, while Tiffany & Co has returned to Changi Airport at T1. Almost all the outlets in T4 are now open; they include passenger favourites such as Heavenly Wang, Bengawan Solo, Old Chang Kee and iStudio.
At Jewel Changi Airport, new outlets opened in the quarter were ABC Cooking Studio, Amaris, Black by Blue Brave, Fossil, Guardian, Hurley, Maison Margiela, The Mineral Boutique, The Wonder Store and Watches of Switzerland.
