Changi Airport passenger traffic hits record 12-month high despite sharp drop in Middle East travel
“Travel demand in the quarter remained strong, bolstered by growth in North Asia and Europe,” said Changi Airport Group.
A Singapore Airlines aircraft is seen taxiing past the terminal at Singapore Changi Airport on Apr 15, 2024. (Photo: AFP/Roslan Rahman)
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SINGAPORE: Passenger traffic at Changi Airport rose to a record high over the past year, even as travel between Singapore and the Middle East plunged sharply amid the war in Iran.
For the 12 months ended March 2026, Changi handled 70.4 million passenger movements, a 2.9 per cent increase year-on-year and the highest recorded over a one-year period, Changi Airport Group (CAG) said on Friday (Apr 17).
The growth came despite a steep decline in traffic on Middle Eastern routes, after US and Israeli attacks on Iran on Feb 28 sparked a region-wide conflict. In March, passenger traffic between Singapore and the Middle East fell 80 per cent year-on-year.
Overall, Changi Airport registered 17.6 million passenger movements from January to March, a 2.3 per cent increase year-on-year, on the back of strong performance in North Asia and Europe.
In March, amid flight cancellations on Middle Eastern routes, various airlines launched about 90 additional flights between Singapore and cities such as Frankfurt, London, Munich, Muscat, Paris, Perth and Sydney, CAG said.
“Travel demand in the quarter remained strong, bolstered by growth in North Asia and Europe,” said CAG executive vice president for air hub and cargo development Lim Ching Kiat.
“While there was some impact from the Middle East crisis, we were resilient and worked closely with our airline partners in response to evolving passenger demand and shifts in travel patterns.”
“We will continue to monitor the global geopolitical situation and work with airlines to provide passengers with alternatives across our diversified network,” added Mr Lim.
Aircraft movements, comprising landings and take-offs, totalled 95,300 for the quarter, up 1.4 per cent compared with the same period last year.
China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia and India were Changi Airport’s top five markets for the first quarter.
Vietnam and China, among Changi Airport’s top 10 markets, posted the strongest growth, rising 26.5 per cent and 17.7 per cent year-on-year respectively.
Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Jakarta, Tokyo and Hong Kong were the top five city links for the quarter, while Shanghai, Taipei and Tokyo registered the strongest growth among the 10 busiest routes.
For cargo, Changi Airport handled 517,000 tonnes of airfreight throughput in the first quarter of the year, 7.6 per cent higher than the same period last year.
China, the US, Australia, Hong Kong and India were Changi’s top five air cargo markets for the quarter.
“Amid global trade uncertainties, Changi recorded growth for both exports and imports compared with Q1 2025,” said CAG.
Changi Airport recorded 69.98 million passenger movements in 2025, an improvement of 3.4 per cent compared with 2024.
Aircraft movements in 2025 also rose 2.2 per cent year-on-year to 374,000 movements, while airfreight throughput totalled 2.08 million tonnes, exceeding the previous year by 4.5 per cent.
MORE CITY LINKS, NEW SERVICES
The first quarter of 2026 saw Changi Airport continuing to expand its city links with new services, with Singapore budget airline Scoot commencing five weekly flights to Thailand’s Chiang Rai and four weekly flights to Palembang in Indonesia.
Jetstar Airways also launched three weekly flights to Sunshine Coast and four weekly flights to Newcastle - both via Indonesia’s Bali - bringing Changi Airport’s links to Australia to a record nine cities.
On the air cargo front, Changi Airport welcomed Qantas Freight as a new freighter operator, with twice-weekly Sydney-Shanghai-Singapore-Sydney services.
The new service boosts capacity and offers new flight options for shippers across Asia, Australia, Europe and beyond, CAG said.
