Changi's passenger traffic grows 4.7% in Q1 to 15 million

Travellers at the departure hall in Changi Airport Terminal 3. PHOTO: ST FILE

Changi Airport handled 15 million passengers in the first quarter of 2017, a 4.7 per cent jump compared with the corresponding period last year.

China accounted for about 10 per cent of total passenger movement during this period, Changi Airport Group (CAG) said in a media release yesterday.

Aircraft movement in the quarter rose 2 per cent year-on-year to 90,540, while airfreight movement increased by 6.2 per cent to a total of 494,180 tonnes.

The airport registered 5.11 million passengers in March, which was a 4.3 per cent year-on-year increase.

Aircraft movement for that month was 2.6 per cent higher at 30,920 landings and take-offs, with cargo shipments registering a robust growth of 10.2 per cent to reach 188,630 tonnes.

According to CAG, March's passenger traffic was boosted by traffic growth across all regions.

Among Changi Airport's top 10 country markets, China and India led the gainers with double-digit growth.

Strong traffic growth was also observed between Singapore and Asian cities such as Denpasar, Guangzhou and Seoul.

As of April 1, over 100 airlines operate at Changi Airport, connecting Singapore to some 380 cities in about 90 countries and territories worldwide.

There are more than 7,000 weekly scheduled flights.

CAG also highlighted several new restaurant and store openings, among them Starbucks Reserve's first Asian airport outlet at Terminal 3's departure hall that boasts a premium line of coffee.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on April 25, 2017, with the headline Changi's passenger traffic grows 4.7% in Q1 to 15 million. Subscribe