Changi Airport is on track for another strong year, with 5.27 million passengers handled last month - a 7 per cent year-on-year increase.

This brings the total traffic for the first eight months of the year to more than 41 million.

Last year, Changi reported a record number of 58.7 million passengers, making it the sixth busiest airport in the world for international air traffic.

The top three airports were Dubai, London's Heathrow and Hong Kong International Airport.

Unveiling its latest operating numbers, Changi Airport Group said yesterday that passenger traffic last month was supported by growth across all regions, with air travel to and from South Asia, Africa and the Americas rising by double digits.

Among Changi's top 10 country markets, strong performances were registered for India, China and Malaysia.

Among the 20 busiest routes, Guangzhou, Penang and Taipei emerged as the three fastest-growing for August.

Changi Airport also reported a 10.7 per cent jump in airfreight throughput to 180,590 tonnes, while aircraft movements rose 4.9 per cent to 31,750 landings and take-offs.

The growth in passenger and cargo traffic is expected to continue for the rest of the year, with new and additional flights being planned, analysts said.

On Aug 22, Singapore Airlines introduced four new weekly services to Brisbane, bringing the total number of services to the Australian city to 28 a week. China Eastern Airlines also launched a new service to Hangzhou via Quanzhou.

Next week, European carrier Norwegian will launch flights between London's Gatwick Airport and Singapore - the longest long-haul budget flight.

The 10,841km trip will take just under 13 hours for those travelling to Singapore, and about an hour longer on the way to Gatwick.

In remarks made earlier this week, Airports Council International director-general Angela Gittens said: "When we look at the traffic data over the last two decades, we get a sense that aviation has entered a new era of unprecedented growth."

Historically low jet fuel prices and affordable air travel, on account of low-cost carriers on many short- and medium-haul routes, have acted as catalysts in stimulating air transport demand, she said.