Singapore Changi Airport reported flat air cargo volumes in March as global economic uncertainties continued to weigh on demand.

Airfreight throughput was 152,000 tonnes for the month, maintaining what was recorded for the same period last year. 

"From January to March 2023, airfreight movements totalled 417,000 tonnes, a decline of 9% year-on-year," Singapore Changi Airport said in a statement.

"Air cargo demand remained soft, especially in the first two months of the year, amid global economic uncertainty and inflationary pressures," it added.

For the period Singapore Changi Airport — one of the world's busiest air cargo hubs — said its top five air cargo markets comprised Australia, China, Hong Kong, India and the United States.

 Source: Singapore Changi Airport

Meanwhile, Singapore Changi Airport saw a continued recovery in passenger volumes — nearing levels seen before the Covid-19 pandemic.

The airport handled 4.63 million passenger movements in March 2023, or over 82% of its pre-Covid traffic in March 2019, the first time since the pandemic that it has crossed 80%.

Aircraft movements, which include landings and takeoffs, totalled 26,000, about 81% of March 2019 levels.

 Source: Singapore Changi Airport

For the first quarter of the year, Changi Airport clocked 13.0 million passenger movements, with 74,000 aircraft movements registered for the same period. The top five traffic markets for the quarter comprised Australia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. 

"Changi Airport continued to see strong performance across key source markets, with the strongest growth in North America, Southwest Pacific and Europe," it said, noting that passenger flows to and from Greater China (mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau) also showed a "strong recovery" with traffic doubling compared to the previous quarter, driven by the progressive resumption of scheduled passenger services.

"It is encouraging that passenger numbers at Changi Airport have crossed 80% of pre-Covid levels for the first time since the onset of the pandemic, representing a milestone in the recovery of Changi's traffic," said Lim Ching Kiat, Changi Airport Group's executive vice president for Air Hub and Cargo Development.

"As the world continues to gear up on travel, we look forward to more airlines resuming their services to cater to the growing appetite for travel, as well as bringing in new airlines to connect our passengers with more destinations in the coming months," he added.

As of April 1, 2023, 102 airlines operate over 6,000 weekly scheduled flights at Changi Airport, connecting Singapore to some 145 cities in 49 countries and territories worldwide.