Passenger traffic at Singapore's Changi airport hit a record high of 54.1mn in 2014, a 0.7pc increase from 2013.
Traffic to and from Indonesia accounted for around 7.5mn of the airport's passenger traffic in 2014, making it the single-largest country market for Changi. Jakarta was the largest destination city, followed by Hong Kong that was the only non-southeast Asian city to make it into the top five. Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Manila rounded up the remaining spots.
The rise in passenger traffic came amid a 0.7pc drop in flight movements from the previous year to 341,390, suggesting airlines were seeking to maximise their capacity utilisation.
Despite passenger traffic having reached a record high, Lee Seow Hiang, the chief executive of Changi Airport Group described 2014 as a challenging year for the aviation industry. Unforeseen events depressed travel demand and created a difficult operating environment for many airlines in the region, he said.
But the group is hopeful that 2015 will be a better year, Lee said, with travel demand recovering steadily in markets like Thailand and China. Lower fuel costs will also help to alleviate cost pressures for airlines, he added.
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