Source: Channel NewsAsia Author: Julia Ng 05/26/2009
Subject Concerned: Airlines Cargo Airport
The global downturn has clipped the wings of the Singapore's aviation industry. In the first quarter of this year, Changi's passenger traffic fell 8.4 per cent while air freight throughput declined 22.5 per cent compared to the same period last year.
Speaking at the Changi Airlines Awards on the evening of May 26, Transport Minister Raymond Lim said Changi Airport ended the year of 2008 well.
As of May this year, Changi Airport is served by 84 scheduled airlines operating over 4,570 weekly flights to 193 cities in 60 countries.
Much of that growth is attributed to low-cost carriers, or LCCs.
Their contribution to Changi Airport's total passenger throughput rose steadily in the past five years from just 1.7 per cent in 2004, to 12.3 per cent last year.
In terms of number of weekly flights, LCCs' contribution also soared from six per cent in 2004 to almost 20 per cent last year.
But with the double whammy of the global downturn and the fallout from the Influenza A (H1N1) outbreak, Mr Lim warned of challenging times ahead.
And so he urged airlines at Changi to forge stronger partnerships with one another to boost passenger and freight load.
Mr Lim said: "For the airlines, I see the current downturn as an opportunity for you to develop stronger partnerships with one another. In trying times like this, airlines can tap into one another's available capacity for greater traffic feed.
"Specifically, for airlines operating regional long-haul services, such as between Europe and Singapore, Changi's excellent regional connectivity will allow you to carry your long-haul passengers beyond Singapore to the rest of the region.
"Likewise, regional and low cost carriers are well positioned to capitalise on such traffic growth opportunities to expand traffic reach via Singapore to the other parts of the world."
More than 30 awards were presented to the "Top 10 Airlines by Passenger Carriage", "Top 10 Airlines by Cargo Carriage", "Top 5 Airlines by Growth in Passenger Carriage" and "Top 5 Airlines by Growth in Cargo Carriage".