Singapore's July air freight volume declines 4.5pc to 152,900 tonnes

SINGAPORE Changi Airport has posted a decrease of 4.5 per cent in the volume of cargo handled in July at 152,900 tonnes compared to the same month a year earlier.

But passenger volume rose 4.5 per cent in the same period to 4.36 million seats. Air traffic movements grew in tandem, with 27,100 landings and take-offs recorded during the month, or 4.6 per cent more than a year ago, a statement from airport authorities said.

Traffic to and from the Middle East, southwest Pacific and the Americas remained strong and witnessed double-digit growth. However, the growth in south east Asia and north east Asia traffic was weaker and in the low single digits. These two regions account for about 70 per cent of total passenger traffic at Changi.

On a rolling year basis, airfreight movements were stable at 1.85 million tonnes. Passenger traffic increased to 49.3 million, up 10.3 per cent year on year, while aircraft movements rose 12 per cent to 318,000 for the 12-month period.

The release also highlighted that Firefly has started a new four-times weekly service connecting Singapore to Kota Bahru, which is a new city link for the airport.

As of August, 100 airlines operate at Changi Airport, connecting Singapore to more than 220 cities in 60 countries around the world. With more than 6,200 weekly scheduled flights, an aircraft takes off or lands at Changi roughly once every 100 seconds.