Singapore’s Changi says Q2 pax traffic ‘broadly stable’

Singapore’s Changi Airport registered 17.2 million passenger movements from April to June 2026 (Q2). This was 1.5% lower than the same period last year. Passenger traffic for the first half of 2026 remained positive, growing 0.4% year-on-year. For the quarter, aircraft movements, comprising landings and take-offs, decreased by 1.3% year-on-year to 92,400. For the first half of 2026, aircraft movements totalled 188,000, similar to the same period last year. Traffic to and from Europe and Southwest Pacific increased 8.7% and 3.0% respectively during the quarter, as some airlines added capacity on services between Changi Airport and these regions to optimise their operations. Against a dynamic operating environment, airlines continued to navigate higher operating costs arising from elevated jet fuel prices and fuel supply constraints. This was reflected in reduced services especially on Southeast Asian routes which registered a 5.0% decline in traffic. Changi Airport’s top five passenger markets for the quarter were China, Indonesia, Australia, Malaysia and India. Vietnam and China maintained a strong growth momentum, recording year-on-year increases of 18.5% and 8.3% respectively, while Japan also saw healthy growth of 7.0%. Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Bangkok, Denpasar (Bali) and Tokyo were Changi’s top five busiest routes in Q2. Stronger passenger demand on the Shanghai, Taipei and Tokyo routes underpinned the 5.1% growth for Northeast Asia. In Q2, Changi Airport handled 567,000 tonnes of airfreight throughput, 9.8% higher than the same period last year. The strong performance was led by growth across all cargo flows, at the back of strong AI-related semiconductor and electronics shipments. Changi’s top five air cargo markets for the quarter were China, United States of America, Australia, Hong Kong and India. Lim Ching Kiat, Changi Airport Group’s Executive Vice President for Air Hub and Cargo Development said, “While airlines continue to adapt their services in response to evolving operating conditions, we are encouraged by the sustained demand for travel, particularly to and from Europe and Northeast Asia. With jet fuel prices having eased from their March peaks, we are in active discussions with our airline partners to restore some of the services that were suspended earlier. At the same time, we remain focused on building a more diversified and well-connected hub through route development and joint marketing efforts, while improving operational efficiency to help airlines manage costs and operate reliably at Changi.” Changi Airport continued to grow its connectivity in the second quarter of this year, with new passenger and cargo services further expanding its network. China Eastern started services to Dalian in April, while Scoot commenced services to Belitung and Pontianak in Indonesia in May and June respectively, further broadening Changi Airport’s network with three new city links. Changi Airport also welcomed two new passenger airlines during the quarter. They are Shanghai Airlines, which commenced daily services between Singapore and Shanghai on 10 June, as well as Oman Air which began operating four weekly services between Singapore and Oman’s capital, Muscat, from 2 July. On the air cargo front, Tianjin Air Cargo became Changi Airport’s newest freighter operator, when it commenced services between Singapore and Haikou on 15 June. For Editorial Inquiries Contact: Editor Matt Driskill at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Head of Sales Sally Passey at [email protected]