PUBLISHED ONJanuary 22, 2025 2:38 AMByKhoo Yi-HangSingapore's Changi Airport has come full circle as passenger movements in 2024 returned to near pre-pandemic levels, Changi Airport Group (CAG) said in a press release on Wednesday (Jan 22).
The airport handled 67.7 million passengers in 2024 - that's 99.1 per cent of the passenger movements recorded in 2019, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The 2024 figures represent a 14.8 per cent year-on-year increase.
About 366,000 flights took off from or landed at Changi Airport in 2024, up 11.5 per cent compared to 2023.
Visitor arrivals to Singapore had previously dropped to 2.7 million in 2020 - the lowest in nearly four decades - due to unprecedented global travel restrictions and border closures during the Covid-19 pandemic, reported The Straits Times in 2021.
Amid the 366,000 flights taking off or landing in Singapore last year, eight new passenger airlines - Aero Dili, AirAsia Cambodia, Air Canada, Air Japan, Loong Air, Peach Aviation, Tianjin Airlines and West Air - were added last year.
This establishes 11 new passenger city connections for Singapore, linking travellers here to Broome, Brussels, Guiyang, Kertajati, Lhasa, Linyi, Malacca, Phu Quoc, Quanzhou, Vancouver, and Wenzhou.
More destinations are to come online this year including Labuan Bajo from March, and Vienna from June, according to the group.
CAG chief executive officer Yam Kum Weng said that these new passenger airlines have been "instrumental" in driving Changi's growth.
"Looking ahead, we are optimistic of another year of growth in passenger traffic," he added.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat said that he is "confident that Changi will continue this strong growth momentum" and that traffic volumes will exceed pre-pandemic levels this year.
"The strong recovery of our air hub is only possible through the strong commitment and contributions of our aviation workers and airline partners," Minister Chee said.
"I am proud that our aviation sector has emerged more united, resilient and ready for the future."
In 2024, Changi Airport was ranked the fourth-busiest international airport in terms of airline seat capacity according to data released by OAG Aviation, The Straits Times reported on Jan 16.
At 41.5 million total seats, the airport fell just short of third place's Incheon International Airport in South Korea, which saw 41.6 million passengers.
Britain's Heathrow Airport was second place with 48.4 million, while the United Arab Emirates' Dubai International Airport took first place at a whopping 60.2 million total seats.
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khooyihang@asiaone.com
