Changi Airport surpasses 1Q19 passenger count by 0.5%

The airport handled 16.5 million passengers in 1Q24.

Changi Airport handled 16.5 million passengers from January to March (1Q24), surpassing the passenger movements recorded in 1Q19 by 0.5%.

In 1Q24, the airport reported 84,900 aircraft movements, translating to 94% of the 1Q19 record. 

“Traffic to and from most regions recovered to 2019 levels or surpassed them,” the airport said.

When comparing against pre-COVID figures, the region which posted the strongest growth in 2023 was North America, which has exceeded 2019 levels by more than 25%. 

Looking at the quarter alone, China was Changi’s top market. The airport attributed the increase in travel between Singapore and China to the countries’ mutual 30-day visa-exemption arrangement launched on 9 February.

Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia and Thailand made the top five.

Top cities for the quarter, which also outperformed 1Q19 levels by more than 10%, include Denpasar (Bali), Manila, Taipei, Seoul and Shanghai.

Like passenger movement, the airport's air freight throughput improved, increasing 14% YoY to 475,000 tonnes, the first quarter of YoY growth after seven consecutive quarters of decline.

Changi attributed its improved cargo numbers to strong transhipment performance, especially for flows with China.

For 1Q24, Changi’s top five air cargo markets were Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, and the United States of America.