The worst is over, as Changi gets ahead of pre-SARS levels

SINGAPORE. Following ten months of turmoil caused by SARS, the worst is finally over for Singapore’s Changi airport, as passenger numbers continued on the rise in September.

On 11 of the 30 days last month, passenger traffic at Changi equalled, and sometimes even surpassed pre-SARS levels. According to figures just released by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), passenger figures peaked on 9 September, rising +7.0% year-on-year.

During September, the airport recorded 2.2 million passengers, which was a -4.4% dip year-on-year. But this did mark a tremendous improvement on the -50% drops recorded at the height of the SARS outbreak in April and May.

During the SARS period, Asian carriers are estimated to have lost more than US$2.5 billion in revenues and were forced to cut more than 1,150 weekly flights in May. Subsequently, fare discounts and confidence in the control of the virus have combined to lure travellers back and increase flight schedules.

Singapore Airlines, which reported its first-ever quarterly loss of US$312 million at the end of June, recently resumed all flights to China. It has restored all 49 weekly flights to Jakarta and all 40 to Bangkok. More flights to Australia and New Zealand are also being introduced during the rest of the year, to meet the expected surge in holiday demand. Overall, the carrier – which cut flights by more than a third during SARS – is operating near its pre-SARS level.

Other airlines are also increasing flight frequencies at Changi airport, with the total number of weekly flights jumping from 2,161 a few months ago to 2,850 in September 2003, although that is still some way off the 3,400 recorded a week before SARS.

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