Changi Airport posts strong growth last year as December traffic surpasses 2019 levels

SINGAPORE. Changi Airport served 67.7 million passengers in 2024, a +14.8% year-on-year rise and recovering to 99% of pre-pandemic 2019 traffic.

Flight movements also grew sharply by +11.5% year-on-year to 366,000.

In Q4 alone, passenger traffic totalled 17.8 million, driving the annual growth. This represents a +10.7% increase compared to Q4 2023, and a full recovery compared to the same period in 2019.

Flight movements during the three-month period, covering both landings and take-offs, reached 95,300, up +9.3% year-on-year.

The airport recorded its busiest month of the year in December, with 6.4 million passengers, marking the first time monthly traffic exceeded the 6 million mark since December 2019. The peak day of the year was 21 December when 226,000 passengers travelled through Changi’s terminals.

Across its passenger markets, all regions saw growth in 2024, with North Asia registering the highest increase of +40% compared to 2023.

The five largest source markets last year included China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia and Thailand.

China was the largest contributor, with passenger traffic nearly twice that of 2023 and +6% higher than pre-pandemic levels. Hong Kong and Japan also posted notable growth, each rising more than +20%.

Changi Airport’s busiest destinations for the year included Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Jakarta, Denpasar (Bali) and Hong Kong. Shanghai rejoined the top ten cities list for the first time since 2011, with passenger traffic jumping +94% year-on-year.

Changi Airport Group Chief Executive Officer Yam Kum Weng said: “We witnessed a year of strong growth in passenger and cargo traffic as well as connectivity in 2024. Changi added a bumper crop of 11 new city links, strengthening the air hub’s network and opening up a world of new destinations to support business ties and for travellers to explore.

“We are deeply grateful for the close partnership with our airline partners and are pleased to welcome the new airlines to Changi. Their collaboration has been instrumental in driving this growth.

“Looking ahead, we are optimistic of another year of growth in passenger traffic. Operating a major air hub in Asia Pacific, Changi Airport Group will continue to invest in our airport’s infrastructure, systems and processes to augment our handling capacity, so as to be well-placed to support the rising demand for air travel in the coming years.”

Enhancing connectivity

Changi Airport grew its network last year with eight new passenger airlines, including Aero Dili, AirAsia Cambodia, Air Canada, Air Japan, Loong Air, Peach Aviation, Tianjin Airlines and West Air. The airport introduced 11 new city links, connecting Singapore to destinations such as Broome, Brussels, Guiyang, Kertajati, Lhasa, Linyi, Malacca, Phu Quoc, Quanzhou, Vancouver and Wenzhou.

In addition, Changi launched flights to London Gatwick and Subang airports, offering more options to London and Kuala Lumpur. Upcoming routes include Labuan Bajo in March and Vienna in June.

As of this month (January), Changi Airport’s network included 100 airlines operating more than 7,400 weekly flights, providing connectivity to 163 cities in 49 countries and territories worldwide.