Changi Airport set for record number of passengers
Some 130 new flights a week from Changi Airport
Changi Airport is set for another year of record passenger numbers, with airlines adding more flights to existing and new destinations as they ramp up for the year-end peak travel season.
Close to 130 new flights a week - the highest in at least four years - offering travellers about 26,400 one-way seats from Singapore to 19 destinations, will be added from now until the end of the year.
With the new flights, Changi Airport should end the year with more than last year's record total tally of 58.7 million passengers.
It handled over 41 million passengers between January and August, 5.7 per cent more than the total traffic for the same period last year.
About 80 per cent of the capacity growth this year come from routes within Asia, particularly to secondary cities in China and South-east Asia, Changi Airport Group told The Straits Times.
Outside the region, United Airlines launched its non-stop Singapore-Los Angeles service yesterday, while Singapore Airlines' budget arm, Scoot, will launch a new service to Honolulu later this year.
Changi's growth comes as demand for air travel continues to spike, particularly in China and India; and also as liberalisation in South-east Asia allows airlines to mount more intra-Asean services.
The arrival of more advanced aircraft such as the Airbus 350 has allowedairlines to fly further and more economically.
Even as some of its neighbouring airports are struggling with congestion, Changi is well placed to benefit from the growth, industry analysts said.
Efforts by the Singapore Tourism Board and other stakeholders have continued to ensure that Singapore remains attractive, they added.
With the additions, Singaporean travellers can, for the first time, fly direct to three cities in northern China: Harbin, Shijiazhuang and Yantai port city.
By year end, Changi Airport will have links to 34 Chinese cities. Between January and September, Singapore-China passenger traffic grew by 11 per cent year-on-year.
Travellers can also enjoy more flight options to South-east Asian destinations, including Kuantan (Malaysia) and Clark (Philippines) .
Jet Airways will double its daily service to New Delhi, while Air India Express is planning a new service to Coimbatore next month.
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