What’s On The Horizon For: Changi Airport Group

Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) handled about 68 million passengers in 2024, marking a full recovery from pre-COVID levels. More than 150 cities are served from the airport through partnerships involving over 100 airlines.

Key milestones for SIN last year included the return of Air Canada’s 4X-weekly service to Vancouver in April 2024, marking the only nonstop flight between Singapore and Canada. The European market also experienced growth, with Singapore Airlines launching flights to Brussels in April and 5X-weekly service to London Gatwick from June.

Singapore Airlines’ LCC subsidiary Scoot expanded its footprint with new routes to Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and China, made possible by its new Embraer E190-E2 fleet. New routes include Malacca Airport (MKZ) and Subang Airport (SZB) in Malaysia; Kertajati International Airport (KJT) and Minangkabau International Airport (PDG) in Indonesia; and Phu Quoc International Airport (PQC) in Vietnam. The airline is also launching flights to Shantou in China from Jan. 16.

China remains a strong growth market for SIN, as Singapore continues to be a top destination for Chinese travelers. The airport currently offers direct flights from more than 30 Chinese cities and Lim Ching Kiat, Executive Vice President of Air Hub & Cargo Development at SIN told Routes the airport is confident to serve even more Chinese destinations in the coming years.

Japan has also delivered promising results, with Air Japan and Peach Aviation launching services to Singapore from Tokyo and Osaka in 2024.

Looking ahead, Ching Kiat highlighted Europe and emerging markets as key areas for future expansion. “For Europe, the passenger load factors are very high, meaning the supply is not keeping up with the demand,” he said. “There are some top cities we see on our data like Madrid, Vienna, Geneve and Warsaw where a direct flight should be possible in the near future.”

Emerging markets including Saudi Arabia, particularly Riyadh, and Central Asia are also targets.

Looking ahead, SIN plans to bolster capacity with the launch of Terminal 5 as part of the Changi East development by the mid-2030s. The terminal will increase capacity by an additional 50 million passenger movements annually, further solidifying SIN's position as a global hub.

SIN is also advancing sustainability efforts, aiming to achieve a 20% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030 and transition all airside vehicles to cleaner energy by the end of 2024. Investments in rooftop solar panels and EV charging infrastructure underscore the airport's commitment to environmentally responsible operations.

With these initiatives, SIN is poised to maintain its competitive edge while supporting global connectivity and sustainable growth.