Passenger traffic at Changi Airport reached 17.6 million in the first quarter of 2026, up 2.3 percent year on year, despite a sharp collapse in travel between Singapore and the Middle East amid the Iran conflict.
For the 12 months ending March, total passenger movements rose 2.9 percent to 70.4 million—the highest ever recorded over a 12-month period.
The most significant disruption came in March, when passenger traffic between Singapore and the Middle East plunged 80 percent compared with a year earlier, following widespread flight cancellations and route suspensions. The figures were released by Changi Airport Group on April 17.
To offset the decline, airlines introduced about 90 additional flights connecting Singapore to cities including Frankfurt, London, Munich, Muscat, Paris, Perth, and Sydney, helping to stabilize overall traffic.
Aircraft movements—comprising landings and take-offs—rose 1.4 percent year on year to 95,300 in the January–March period.
Growth in the first quarter was largely driven by strong demand on routes to and from North Asia and Europe, which helped cushion the impact of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
Changi’s top five passenger markets during the quarter were China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia, and India. Among its 10 largest markets, Vietnam and China recorded the fastest growth, increasing by 26.5 percent and 17.7 percent respectively.
The busiest routes were Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Jakarta, Tokyo, and Hong Kong, with routes to Shanghai, Taipei, and Tokyo posting the strongest growth among the top 10.
Lim Ching Kiat, executive vice-president for air hub and cargo development at CAG, said overall travel demand remained resilient.
“While there was some impact from the Middle East crisis, we were able to respond by working closely with airline partners to adjust capacity and offer alternatives across our network,” he said.
He added that the airport would continue monitoring global developments and adapt to shifting travel patterns.
Changi also expanded its connectivity in the first quarter. Budget carrier Scoot launched new services to Chiang Rai in Thailand and Palembang in Indonesia, while Australia’s Jetstar Airways added routes to Sunshine Coast and Newcastle via Bali—bringing Changi’s Australia network to a record nine cities.
On the cargo front, the airport handled 517,000 tonnes of air freight in Q1, up 7.6 percent year on year. The top cargo markets were China, the United States, Australia, Hong Kong, and India.
The latest figures build on a record 69.98 million passengers handled in 2025, surpassing the previous pre-pandemic high of 68.3 million in 2019.
Source: Straits Times
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
