Changi Airport has seen promising traffic growth in the first six months of 2006 despite evident challenges stacked against the aviation industry. A total of 16.84 million passengers have passed through the…
Changi Airport has seen promising traffic growth in the first six months of 2006 despite evident challenges stacked against the aviation industry. A total of 16.84 million passengers have passed through the airport between January 2006 and June 2006, registering a healthy increase of 9.1 per cent over the same period last year.
The month of June 2006 saw the highest passenger movements for this year. During the month, passenger numbers were consistently high, with figures exceeding 100,000 every weekend (Friday through Sunday).
Weekly scheduled flights at Changi Airport have been similarly increasing. More than 120 new scheduled weekly flights were launched at the airport during the year 1 July 2005 through 30 June 2006.
The increase in flights over the past year can be attributed to new flights launched by both foreign and local carriers. In December 2005, Changi Airport welcomed Adam Air’s commencement of 14 new weekly flights between Jakarta and Singapore, Thai Air Asia’s addition of 14 weekly flights to Bangkok and Jet Airways’ introduction of 14 weekly flights to Chennai. Just last month, Shanghai Airlines introduced 16 weekly cargo flights to Shanghai.
Singapore’s local carriers also contributed to Changi Airport’s rising statistics by increasing flights to regional destinations. Singapore Airlines mounted more flights to Adelaide, Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh, Penang, Guangzhou and Taipei, while Jetstar Asia launched new flights to Bangalore. SilkAir upped frequencies to Chinese cities like Shenzhen, Xiamen, Chengdu and Chongqing, as well as Medan and Phuket. Tiger Airways, a low cost carrier operating at Singapore’s Budget Terminal, too expanded into the Chinese market by introducing new flights to Guangzhou, Haikou and Shenzhen.
Apart from new flights, Changi Airport’s air hub connectivity was also enhanced with new city links added to its network. Between 1 July 2005 and 30 June 2006, new destinations such as Islamabad, Lahore, Abu Dhabi, Haikou and Tianjin were added to Changi’s growing network.
Commenting on the positive growth, Mr Wong Woon Liong, Director-General of Civil Aviation said, “CAAS is continuously working with our airline partners to mount new flights to and through Changi Airport. We also appreciate that the airline industry is currently operating in a very difficult and challenging business environment, specifically the record-high fuel prices which have suppressed yields. Hence, CAAS will continue in its efforts to proactively seek innovative ways to help airlines reduce operating costs. For example, we have recently introduced new air traffic management procedures which allow pilots to fly more optimal routes and thus resulting in fuel savings for airlines. In addition, our S$300 million Air Hub Development Fund offers a range of incentives to facilitate airlines` growth.”
Going forward, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), which manages Changi Airport, expects this growing trend to continue. Just last week, Singapore Airlines launched new flights to Milan and Barcelona, while Cebu Pacific, a Philippine low cost carrier, will be commencing operations at the Budget Terminal in late August 2006. CAAS is also expecting a couple more new airlines to commence scheduled flight operations at Changi Airport later this year while some existing airlines have indicated plans to expand their flight operations.
As at 1 July 2006, Changi Airport is served by more than 80 airlines with over 4,000 flights connecting to more than 180 cities in 57 countries.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales. She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
