Changi Airport welcomed a record 58.7 million passengers in 2016, a 5.9 per cent increase in comparison with 2015, Changi Airport Group said in a press release on Monday (Jan 30).
Air traffic rose by 4.1 per cent over the 12 months to 360,490, while air freight capability increased by 6.3 per cent to a brand new record of 1.97 million tonnes.
On December 23, 2016, the airport recorded the busiest traffic in its history when 202,359 passengers passed through its gates. In December alone, Changi served a complete of 5.68 million passengers, a rise of seven.2%. in comparison with 2015.
Routes to Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia and Oceania accounted for 90% of passenger traffic growth in 2016. China rose from fifth place to Changi Airport’s third largest domestic market this 12 months, up 15%.
The variety of tourists from Thailand and Vietnam also increased in 2016, by 6 percent and eight percent, respectively, in comparison with 2015.
Jakarta remained Changi’s busiest route in 2016, followed by Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. New destinations include Amritsar and Jaipur in India, Urumqi in China, the Australian capital Canberra, Wellington in New Zealand, Nadi in Fiji, Sapporo in Japan and Dusseldorf in Germany.
“Despite economic and socio-political uncertainties, we maintain a positive outlook for the coming year,” said Changi Airport Group CEO Lee Seow Hiang. “We see opportunities in emerging markets in Africa and Eastern Europe.
“At the same time, we will continue to expand our long-haul routes to Western Europe and strengthen our connections in the region with secondary cities in Southeast Asia, China and India.”
Changi Airport is the world’s sixth busiest airport for international traffic (2015 data). A fourth terminal is scheduled to open later this 12 months.
Source: Channel News Asia
