SINGAPORE, 25 October 2023: Singapore Changi Airport handled 4.87 million passenger movements in September 2023, representing 89% of the passenger movements in September 2019.
Regarding aircraft movements, 27,800 landings and take-offs were recorded, about 89% of the September 2019 level, which indicates full recovery is possible as early as April 2024. Airfreight throughput stood at 154,000 tonnes for the month, on par with what was carried in the same month last year.
On a quarterly basis, Changi Airport saw 15.3 million passenger movements from July to September 2023, 89% of what was registered for the third quarter of 2019. Aircraft movements reached 85,600, similarly representing 89% of the same period in 2019.
Changi Airport’s top five markets for the quarter were Australia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. China has moved up to be among Changi’s top five markets this quarter, attributed to increased travel during China’s two-month summer holiday in July and August and the resumption of the 15-day visa-free policy for Singapore citizens entering China since July.
From July to September 2023, airfreight throughput totalled 451,000 tonnes, a decline of 4% compared to the same period last year. The softening in air cargo demand has gradually eased during the quarter, led by improvements in transhipment volumes. Changi’s top five air cargo markets1 comprised Australia, China, Hong Kong, India and the United States of America for the period. Notably, air cargo traffic with India registered a strong growth of 21% compared to the corresponding period last year.
Changi Airport Group’s executive vice president for air hub and cargo development Lim Ching Kiat said: “Passenger traffic at Changi Airport continues to recover steadily across our key markets. In particular, traffic to and from China saw a surge in August, with half a million travellers handled that month, more than seven times the traffic in January 2023 when China’s borders first reopened. As we move towards 2024, we will continue to work with airlines to reinstate more city links and strengthen capacity on existing routes to strengthen further Changi Airport’s connectivity to the rest of the world.”
In the third quarter of 2023, China Eastern Airlines started inaugural services between Singapore Changi Airport and Beijing Daxing Airport on 20 July 2023, marking Changi’s first link to Beijing Daxing Airport. Singapore Airlines has also announced it will start passenger flights between Singapore and Brussels in April 2024, bringing 16 Changi’s passenger city links to Europe.
As of 1 October, 94 airlines operate over 6,400 weekly scheduled flights at Changi Airport, connecting Singapore to 151 cities in 49 countries and territories worldwide.
