Singapore Changi Airport reports strong recovery in Q1 2024 passenger and cargo movements

Changi Airport in Singapore has announced promising operating indicators for the first quarter of 2024, signalling a robust recovery in both passenger and cargo movements.

With 16.5 million passenger movements recorded from January to March 2024, surpassing Q1 2019 figures by 0.5%, the airport witnessed a steady rebound in air travel. Notably, North America emerged as a standout performer, exceeding pre-pandemic levels by 25% this quarter. China emerged as Changi’s top market, fuelled by a mutual 30-day visa-exemption arrangement with Singapore.

Additionally, airfreight throughput surged by 14%, marking the first year-on-year growth after seven consecutive quarters of decline, driven by strong transshipment performance, particularly with China.

Mr Lim Ching Kiat, Changi Airport Group’s Executive Vice President for Air Hub and Cargo Development, expressed optimism about the airport’s recovery trajectory and emphasised plans for further collaboration with airline partners to achieve full traffic recovery in 2024. Notably, Changi Airport continues to solidify its position as one of the world’s busiest airports, ranking fifth by international passenger volume in 2023 and maintaining its status as the world’s third busiest international airport by seat capacity in March and April 2024.

As Changi welcomes new passenger service routes and freighter airlines, the airport remains a crucial global hub with over 6,800 weekly scheduled flights connecting Singapore to 153 cities in 48 countries and territories worldwide.