As TRBusiness.com previously reported, Singapore Changi Airport received over 50m passengers, in 2012, after experiencing its busiest ever month in December. This is the first time the airport operator has surpassed 50m pax in 31 years in operation.

 

The airport received a record 51.2m passengers, an increase by 10% YOY. In December 2012, Changi Airport registered 4.92 million passenger movements, a growth of 8.6% year-on-year and its busiest ever month.

 

Changi’s daily record was broken on 22 December 2012, the Saturday before Christmas Day, with 180,400 passengers passing through during the 24 hours.

 

As at 1 January 2013, Changi Airport handles more than 6,500 weekly scheduled flights with 110 airlines connecting Singapore to 240 cities in 60 countries around the world.

 

IMPROVEMENT IN EUROPE

Despite weak market conditions in the Eurozone, there was encouraging improvement in demand for travel to and from Europe. In 2012, passenger traffic between Singapore and Europe grew 7.5%. Closer to home, Changi continued to experience strong growth in South Asia (12.4%), Northeast Asia (9.9%), Southeast Asia (9.7%) and Southwest Pacific (9.4%).

 

[Left: Changi celebrates reaching 50m pax]

 

In terms of Changi’s busiest routes, Jakarta, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Manila occupied the top five positions in 2012. Within the top 10, Bangkok and Tokyo saw robust increases of more than 10%, as traffic recovered following the floods in Thailand and the earthquake in Japan in 2011.

 

Changi Airport also enjoyed positive growth to and from gateway hubs. Beijing, Frankfurt and Guangzhou registered the strongest percentage increase in passenger traffic to and from Singapore, among sectors with at least half a million passengers.

 

As at 1 January 2013, Changi Airport is connected to 25 cities in China.

 

 

NEW INITIATIVES DRIVE TRANSFER TRAFFIC

CAG’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Lee Seow Hiang, said: “2012 was indeed a good year for us. In spite of the economic challenges faced by the aviation industry, we stayed nimble and worked extremely closely with our partners.

 

“We introduced initiatives such as the Changi Transit Programme and Changi Connects to enhance Changi’s value proposition as a transfer hub.

 

“We enjoyed strong growth in transfer traffic in 2012 and will be looking to sustain our market share with these new initiatives.

 

“For our millions of passengers, CAG remains committed to improving the Changi Experience so that they and airport visitors alike continue to discover delightful moments while at Changi. This commitment will drive our development plans for the new Terminal 4, construction of which will begin this year.

 

“In the near term, Changi Airport’s performance will depend largely on how quickly markets recover from the slowdown. But we are confident that CAG’s strong partnership with our stakeholders will see Changi through the challenges that lie ahead.”