Singapore’s Changi sees uptick in pax, plane movements in Q3

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. 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.” 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 a 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. CAI launches APEX centre to help airports tackle pavement challenges Changi Airports International announced the establishment of the Airport Pavement Centre of Excellence (APEX), a platform aimed at helping airports address growing infrastructure challenges arising from climate change, increasing air traffic demand, and heavier aircraft operations. Bringing together airport practitioners, academia, and pavement specialists, APEX will accelerate the translation of research, innovation and operational experience into practical solutions that improve the safety, reliability and sustainability of airport pavements. Airport pavements are among the most critical assets in aviation infrastructure. Every aircraft take-off, landing and turnaround relies on the safe and reliable performance of runways, taxiways and aircraft stands. Yet, airports face mounting pressure as rising traffic volumes, heavier aircraft and more extreme weather place greater stress on pavement infrastructure. Unplanned runway and taxiway closures caused by pavement deterioration can disrupt operations, constrain airport capacity and result in significant economic impact. While many airports face similar challenges, industry knowledge remains fragmented, and no single pavement solution can be applied universally across different climates, materials and operating environments. APEX is thus established to address these gaps. APEX is set up as a centre of excellence to address airport pavement challenges. Through research collaboration, technical exchange and industry engagement, APEX will help airport operators translate emerging research into practical solutions for pavement planning, construction, maintenance and rehabilitation. APEX’s inaugural steering committee comprises five distinguished industry leaders, who will drive the centre’s direction: Emeritus Professor Fwa Tien Fang, National University of Singapore (NUS) and Distinguished Professor, Chang’An University, China; Associate Professor Raymond Ong, Dean’s Chair and Deputy Head (Research and Enterprise), Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, NUS; Associate Professor Wong Yiik Diew, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University (NTU); Mr. Koh Ming Sue, Executive Vice President, Engineering & Development, Changi Airport Group (CAG); and Mr. How Choon Onn, Senior Engineering Director, International Projects, CAI. The committee will advance airport pavement innovation through research, industry partnership and technology development. This includes conducting research and presenting key findings at industry forums, partnering industry stakeholders such as the Pavement Engineering Society (Singapore) to organise airport pavement technology related conferences, and deriving new Polymer Modified Bitumen (PMB) formulations with superior specifications for selected geographical areas to enhance airport pavement durability and performance. In the near term, APEX will work with established authorities, such as the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), to uplift regional airport pavement standards. “As airports around the world contend with increasing intensity of traffic demand and harsher weather conditions, building resilience into airfield infrastructure has become more important than ever. At Changi Airport, leveraging our past 40 over years of aircraft pavement design and operating experience plus our strong partnerships with both the academia and practising industry experts, we have been taking proactive steps to strengthen performance while optimising resources in this field. Through the setup of APEX, we hope to continue to experiment, learn more and to share our knowledge and innovations to benefit the wider airport community and to meet evolving challenges,” said Mr. Koh Ming Sue, Executive Vice President, Engineering & Development, CAG. Launching APEX at the 2nd International Conference on Sustainable Airport Pavement Management reflects the centre’s purpose: to spark dialogue, deepen collaboration and build momentum around a shared ambition for better-performing, more sustainable airport infrastructure. As 200 delegates across Asia-Pacific and Europe gathered in Singapore to exchange ideas and practical insights at the event, APEX invites the industry to help shape the next chapter of airport pavement excellence. For Editorial Inquiries Contact: Editor Matt Driskill at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Head of Sales Sally Passey at [email protected]