Dhaka: Singapore’s Changi Airport handled 17.3 million passenger movements in the third quarter of 2025, up 3.1pc year-on-year, as travel demand across Asia remained strong, the airport operator said on Monday (Oct 27).

Aircraft movements – including landings and take-offs – totalled 91,600, roughly on par with the same period last year.

Changi’s top five markets were China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia and India, while China and Vietnam posted the fastest growth among the top 10 markets, at 9.7pc and 11.3pc respectively.

The Singapore–Jakarta route saw double-digit growth and remained one of the top five city links alongside Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Denpasar (Bali) and Shanghai.

The airport also handled 531,000 tonnes of airfreight in Q3, a 3.7pc increase from a year earlier. Imports rose 10pc compared with 2024 levels, driven by stronger air trade flows.

The top five cargo markets were China, the United States, Australia, Hong Kong and India.

“Changi Airport continues to build on the positive momentum in travel demand this quarter,” said Lim Ching Kiat, Executive Vice President for Air Hub and Cargo Development at Changi Airport Group (CAG).

“As we gear up for the year-end travel season, travellers can look forward to greater convenience and more ways to explore both new and familiar destinations.”

New carriers and routes boosted Changi’s network. Pelita Air began daily Singapore–Jakarta services on Aug. 11, while Hainan Airlines launched Singapore–Haikou–Changchun flights on Sept. 22 and Loong Air started services to Zhangjiajie on Oct. 9, expanding Changi’s China network to 35 cities.

Batik Air Malaysia will launch new daily flights to Ipoh, Penang and Subang from Dec. 8, with the Lion Group’s airlines moving operations to Terminal 4 from Nov. 11.

Scoot announced new routes to Labuan Bajo, Medan, Palembang and Semarang, with the latter two cities new to Changi’s network.

On the cargo front, JD Airlines began thrice-weekly Shenzhen freighter services, enhancing Southeast Asia–China connectivity.

As of Oct. 1, around 100 airlines operated about 7,000 weekly scheduled flights at Changi, connecting Singapore to over 160 cities in 50 countries and territories.

-B