Changi Airport, which handled a record number
of travellers last year, retained its position as the world's sixth
busiest for international passenger traffic.
The top three airports were Dubai International
Airport, London's Heathrow Airport and Hong Kong International
Airport.
Changi grew faster than both Heathrow and Hong Kong,
with traffic increasing by 6.1 per cent year-on-year to 58.2
million passengers, based on data compiled by Airports Council
International (ACI) - a trade body that represents airports.
In an update on Monday, the ACI said globally, airports
handled almost 7.7 billion travellers last year, registering
increases in all regions except Africa.
Asia again led the charge, accounting for more than a
third of the total traffic.
The air cargo sector held its own last year, with
markets experiencing a "revival" in the second half.
This was despite a backdrop of economic uncertainty
regarding trade policies in the United States and United Kingdom,
two of the world's largest aviation markets, the ACI said.
"When we look at the traffic data over the last two
decades, we get a sense that aviation has entered a new era of
unprecedented growth," said ACI director-general Angela
Gittens.
Historically low jet fuel prices and affordable air
travel on account of low-cost carriers on many short and
medium-haul routes have acted as catalysts in stimulating air
transport demand, she said.
Rapid urbanisation has also played a key role in the
growth.
Still, the industry must be aware that there are
impediments that could curtail the rise in demand, Ms Gittens
said.
"Specifically, these are related to geopolitical
unrest, terrorism and threats to security in certain parts of the
world.
"Physical capacity considerations and potential
bottlenecks in air transport infrastructure also pose challenges in
accommodating future air transport demand," she warned.
Airports like Changi are already preparing for the
future with capacity investments, experts said.
Terminal 4 will open on Oct 31. Meanwhile, a third
runway is being prepared for commercial flights and new measures,
such as reduced separation between flights, are being rolled out to
increase air traffic capacity.
Changi is moving in the right direction, said Mr
Ramanathan Mohandas, head of the diploma programme in aviation
management at Republic Polytechnic.
Apart from expanding capacity and investing in service
initiatives, the airport has also been reaching out to airlines to
launch new routes and products, he pointed out.
This month, European carrier Norwegian will launch
flights between London's Gatwick Airport and Singapore - the
longest budget flight ever operated.
The 10,841km trip will take just under 13 hours for
those travelling to Singapore, and about an hour longer from here
to Gatwick.
TNP