Changi Airport Singapore - Pic credit allying.savviihq.com / changiairport.com
SINGAPORE: Changi Airport managed 54.1 million passenger movements in 2014, the most in its 33-year history, said Changi Airport Group (CAG) in a media release on Thursday (Jan 29). This was a 0.7 per cent increase from 2013.
Changi Airport’s busiest day last year was the Saturday before Christmas, with 186,500 passengers passing through within 24 hours. The month of December drew 5.09 million passenger movements, 158,600 tonnes of cargo, and 29,710 landings and takeoffs, said CAG.
However, flight movements dipped 0.7 per cent to 341,390 for the year. Weaker performance was recorded on European and Southeast Asian routes, though traffic to the South Asia and Northeast Asia regions rose 6 and 4 per cent respectively.
CAG added that travel to and from Thailand and China continued to show signs of recovery, registering an increase of 6.6 and 1 per cent respectively in December - the third consecutive month of passenger traffic growth for both countries. Seat capacities and flight frequencies to Thailand, Bangkok have also been restored to end-2013 levels, before travel to the country was impacted by the political situation, said CAG.
On the other hand, Indonesia continued to be the airport’s top country market, accounting for more than 7.5 million passengers in 2014. In terms of Changi’s busiest routes, the top 10 destinations remained unchanged with Jakarta, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Manila taking the top five spots.
Cargo volumes were also stable at 1.84 million tonnes and the total cargo for 2014 increased by 0.3 per cent. This was due to higher imports and exports offsetting lower transshipment volumes, said CAG.
Mr Lee Seow Hiang, Chief Executive Officer, Changi Airport Group said: “2014 was a challenging year for the aviation industry, especially in Southeast Asia. Several unforeseen events depressed travel demand, creating a difficult operating environment for many airlines in the region.”
However, Mr Lee added he is “hopeful that 2015 will be a better year”, and it has already started on a “positive note”. Air New Zealand commenced its services to Singapore on Jan 6 this year, on top of the six new carriers that Changi Airport welcomed in 2014. The new carriers include Jetstar Pacific, Tigerair Taiwan and VietJet.
- CNA/ct