Singapore Changi Airport takes off with 4.8% more passengers

No signs of turbulence yet.

According to a release, Singapore Changi Airport handled 4.0 million passenger movements in September 2012, an increase of 4.8% over the same month last year.

On a rolling 12-month basis, 49.9 million travellers passed through Changi Airport, representing an increase of 9.7%.

For the month, traffic to and from the Middle East and Southwest Pacific registered double-digit growth but growth for Southeast and Northeast Asia, the two largest market regions, was in the low single digits.

In terms of flight movements, 26,500 landings and take-offs were recorded for September 2012, a growth of 4.0% over September 2011. For the 12 months ended September 2012, Changi Airport managed 320,400 aircraft movements, 10.3% more than the previous corresponding period.

On the cargo front, 153,700 tonnes of airfreight were processed at Changi Airport in September 2012, 0.4% lower than a year before. Airfreight movements at Changi dipped 0.3% to 1.84 million tonnes for the year to September 2012, affected by lower consumption in major economies since the turn of the year.

So far this year, Changi Airport has welcomed three new carriers – Scoot, Bhutan flag-carrier Drukair and all-cargo carrier Yangtze River Express – as well as the return ofIndonesia’s Mandala Airlines.

At the same time, Changi Airport’s connectivity improved with the establishment of links to Gold Coast in Australia, Paro in Bhutan, Kota Bahru in Malaysia and Taiyuan, the capital of China’s Shanxi province.

As at 1 October 2012, Singapore Changi Airport is connected to some 230 cities in 60 countries and territories, and serves 100 airlines operating more than 6,300 weekly flights.