Straits Times. 12 December 2003
Travellers are back at Changi
Airport was used by more travellers last month than in November last year - the first year-on-year increase since March
By Karamjit Kaur And Goh Chin Lian
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/top...24857,00.html?
AFTER eight months of turmoil caused by the Sars outbreak, it's clear skies again for airlines, the latest figures from Changi Airport show.
More passengers used the airport last month than in November a year ago. This is the first year-on-year increase since March this year, said the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS).
Last month, Changi handled 2.4 million passengers, 2.3 per cent more than in November last year.
At the height of the Sars scare, the comparable numbers for April and May were down by nearly half.
No wonder CAAS director-general of civil aviation Wong Woon Liong was all smiles when he welcomed Qatar Airways on its first landing at Changi yesterday at 11am.
The CAAS said in a statement: 'The arrival of Qatar Airways marks a double joy for Changi Airport as we also celebrate an increase in our passenger traffic for November, the first year-on-year increase since Sars hit.'
The Sars scare all but emptied many flights, causing Asian carriers to lose more than $2.5 billion and forcing Singapore Airlines to axe more than a third of its flights.
With the arrival of Qatar Airways, Changi's fifth new customer this year, the airport now services 68 airlines and is linked to 150 cities in 51 countries. The other four are Xiamen Airlines, Air Hong Kong, Riau Airlines and Lion Air.
The addition of a new airline and a new link is significant, said the CAAS' Mr Wong, as it 'reinforces Singapore's position as an aviation hub in the region'.
In April, before the full impact of Sars hit, 64 airlines used Changi and connected Singapore to 134 cities. By June, the number had fallen to 56 carriers and 122 cities.
Qatar Airways will fly three times a week between Doha and Singapore.
Changi Airport handled just over 3,200 flights per week last month. It has some catching up to do. The week before Sars hit Singapore, there were 3,400 flights.
Since the CAAS earns its living mostly from food and beverage outlets - about 60 per cent of its revenue - the number of passengers handled is more significant.
Outside the airport, cash registers at restaurants, shops and hotels have also been ringing in the past months.
Since September, restaurants have seen more tourists, mainly from China, Indonesia and Japan, said Restaurant Association of Singapore president Lee Tong Soon.
Hotel Phoenix is 95 per cent full, the best this year, said general manager Noel Hawkes. 'We were chock-a-block with Indonesians during the Hari Raya period and there are a lot of corporate meetings.'
April was the lowest point, when occupancy plunged to 23 per cent.
The outlook for next year is positive, with three major events - Asian Aerospace 2004 in February, Food&HotelAsia 2004 in April and CommunicAsia2004 in June - expected to bring in about 55,000 business travellers.
Said Mr Hawkes: 'People are travelling again - barring any unforeseen circumstances, we'll have to say.'
Perhaps now SM Lee can be a little reassured that last quarter’s SIA $300m+ profit was not a flash in the pan and that things are now back on course?