As at Nov 1, there are 4,466 flights a week, up 3.8 per cent from a year earlier.

That number is expected to exceed 4,700 next month when low-cost carriers add capacity on the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur route and start flying to the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak.

This is a year-on-year jump of almost 9 per cent.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore said on Thursday, 'Although softening of travel demand has caused some airlines to rationalise their network at Changi Airport, the reduction in flights has been more than offset by the increase in new flights on intra-Asian sectors such as Bangkok, Phuket, Hong Kong, Manila, Denpasar and Ho Chi Minh City, and the Middle East sectors such as Riyadh and Dubai'.

While the extra weekly flights is good news, CAAS director-general and chief executive officer Lim Kim Choon, remains cautious about the outlook for next year.

He said, 'The strong growth in weekly scheduled flights this year demonstrates Changi Airport's continued relevance as a major global aviation hub.

'However, 2009 will be a very challenging year for the aviation industry as the full impact of the global economic downturn is expected to be felt more acutely'.

In a sign of tougher times to come, Changi handled fewer passengers in September, compared with the same month last year.

A total of 2.89 million passengers went through the airport, a 0.4 per cent year-on-year dip.

It was the first time traffic volumes had slipped since Feb 2004.