Singapore Changi Airport registered 17.4 million passenger movements from July to September 2026 (Q3). This was 0.4% higher than the same period last year. Aircraft movements, comprising landings and take-offs, totalled 93,900 for the quarter, an increase of 2.5% from Q3 2025.
The Europe, Northeast Asia and Southwest Pacific regions remained key drivers of passenger traffic growth during the quarter. The top five markets were China, Indonesia, Australia, Malaysia and India. Among the top 10 markets, Vietnam recorded the strongest year-on-year growth at 20.5%, while China grew by 10.4%. Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Denpasar (Bali), Bangkok and Shanghai were the five busiest routes in Q3. Among the 10 busiest routes, Tokyo and Melbourne recorded the strongest growth at 5.2% and 5.1%, respectively.
In Q3, Changi Airport handled 574,000 tonnes of airfreight throughput, an increase of 8.0% year-on-year. The growth was driven by healthy demand across export and import flows, particularly for AI-related semiconductor and electronics shipments. China, the United States, Australia, Hong Kong and India were the airport’s largest cargo markets during the quarter.
Mr Lim Ching Kiat, Changi Airport Group’s Executive Vice President for Air Hub and Cargo Development, said, “Demand for air travel remained resilient in the third quarter, with growth led by Europe and Northeast Asia. While airlines continue to navigate elevated fuel costs and other operational pressures, we remain focused on working with our partners to strengthen connectivity, grow promising routes and pursue new opportunities that enhance Changi’s position as a leading global air hub.”
New services and city links
Changi Airport welcomed four new passenger airlines during the quarter, including Oman Air, which began 4x weekly services to Muscat. Sun PhuQuoc Airways commenced daily services to Phu Quoc in Vietnam, while AirBorneo launched daily services to Kuching in Malaysia. 9 Air began new daily services between Singapore and Yinchuan via Guangzhou, adding Yinchuan as a new city link. Xiamen Airlines also commenced daily services to Changsha and Nanjing, broadening the airline’s network at Changi.
On the air cargo front, SF Airlines launched a new Shanghai-Singapore service in September, complementing its existing Shenzhen operations and strengthening connectivity for high-value technology shipments. DHL Global Forwarding also announced plans to establish the DHL Singapore Coldchain Hub facility at Changi Airfreight Centre, reinforcing Changi’s role as a regional gateway for the efficient handling and distribution of time- and temperature-sensitive shipments across Asia-Pacific and beyond.
