Changi Airport's 2024 Passenger Traffic Nears Pre-pandemic Level; China Back as Top Market
In 2024, Changi Airport registered around 67.7 million passenger movements, a mere 1% shy of the pre-pandemic figure of 68.3 million. Meanwhile, mainland China regained its position as the top market.
As announced by the Changi Airport Group (CAG) in a statement on Wednesday (Jan 22), compared to 2023, the total passenger traffic in 2024 increased by 14.8%.
The North Asia region witnessed a 40% growth in passenger traffic. Mainland China, the leading source market for Changi, nearly doubled its 2023 numbers and exceeded the pre - pandemic level by 6%.
Data from the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) indicated that China topped the list as the source of tourists. By November 2024, nearly 2.9 million Chinese tourists had arrived in Singapore, marking a 134.1% year-on-year increase. December's figures remain unpublished.
This success followed the implementation of a 30-day mutual visa-free policy between Singapore and China starting early 2024. The policy aimed to tap into the "revenge travel" trend from China, which only reopened its international borders in 2023 to manage the pandemic.
According to CAG data, in terms of passenger movements, Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia, and Thailand ranked behind mainland China.
Japan and Hong Kong witnessed increases exceeding 20 percent.
The routes to Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Jakarta, Bali, and Hong Kong were the most frequented.
Based on figures disclosed by the global travel data provider OAG Aviation on January 15, Changi Airport was ranked the fourth-busiest international airport in 2024 in terms of airline seat capacity. In 2023, it held the fifth - busiest position globally by seat capacity.
In 2024, the airport's total international seat capacity reached 41.5 million, a 15% increase from the 36.1 million seats in 2023. These rankings were determined using data on scheduled airline seats for international flights.
On Wednesday, CAG reported that the air freight throughput in 2024 amounted to nearly 2 million tonnes, a 14.6% year-on-year increase, yet still 1% below the pre-pandemic level.
Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat stated in a Facebook post on Wednesday, “Looking forward, we're certain that Changi will sustain this strong growth trend, and traffic volumes will surpass pre-Covid levels in 2025.”
In 2024, the leading air cargo markets were mainland China, Australia, the United States, Hong Kong, and India. Substantial enhancements in cargo flows between Singapore and both mainland China and the US contributed to increased volumes in exports, imports, and transshipments.
The strong demand for cross border e-commerce shipments, the recovery of Singapore's exports and re-exports, and the mode shift from sea to air due to maritime disruptions also propelled the growth in cargo flows.
Throughout the year, Changi Airport added 11 passenger city connections, eight passenger airlines, two cargo airlines, and two cargo city connections.
As of January, Changi Airport was connected to 163 cities by 100 airlines via over 7,400 weekly scheduled flights.
CAG said there will be flights to new destinations this year, such as Labuan Bajo in Indonesia and Vienna in Austria.
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