Singapore Changi Airport saw a slight drop of 0.2% in passenger numbers to 4.11m in February 2014 compared to February 2013.

 

However, this was not exactly a like-for-like comparison, since the Lunar New Year holidays were held some 10 days earlier in January of this year compared with 2013.

 

Taking both January and February 2014 together, Changi was actually 3.1% up in passenger numbers to 8.71m compared with January and February 2013 and there was also a nominal 0.8% increase in air freight over the same two months.

 

In a statement, the Changi Airport Group said: “In February 2014, passenger traffic to Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia grew, offset by a decline in traffic to the Americas as the cessation of non-stop flights to New York and Los Angeles continued to make an impact. Among Changi Airport’s top destinations, travel to Kuala Lumpur and Denpasar-Bali registered double-digit traffic growth for the month.  Bangkok traffic fell by 29%.”

 

 

UNIQLO AND MICHAEL KORS OPEN

The Changi Airport Group also points to two new retail offerings making their first appearances in the transit areas at Changi, with Japanese casual wear brand Uniqlo (T1) and luxury lifestyle brand Michael Kors (T3).

 

It describes Uniqlo’s products in T1 as ‘innovative, functional and affordable offerings that resonate with both the young and old, while the Michael Kors outlet features ‘distinctive designs that combine stylish elegance with a sporty attitude’ in its first boutique to be opened in Terminal 3. This also carries a range of accessories and handbags.

 

On the F&B side, Panopolis has also opened its first outlet selling freshly baked artisan bread, sandwiches and pastries in the public area of T3’s Departure Check-in Hall.

 

Changi Airport is now the world’s fifth busiest international airport, having handled a record 53.7m (+5%) passengers in 2013. Last year these passengers were exposed to more than 350 retail stores and 120 F&B outlets across Changi’s three terminals.

 

 

Singapore Changi Airport management also reported record retail sales of S$2bn ($1.5bn) last year – equivalent to a 9% increase in sales over 2012 and an average of 120,000 transactions a day at the airport, or 6,300 an hour.

 

The Changi Airport Group’s top five selling product categories last year were liquor and tobacco, perfume and cosmetics, luxurygoods, electronics and chocolates.