Despite Iran war impact, Changi Airport Q1 passenger traffic up 2.3% on North Asia, Europe demand

[SINGAPORE] Passenger traffic at Changi Airport rose 2.3 per cent year on year for the first quarter of 2026 despite the impact from the conflict in the Middle East.

The airport registered 17.6 million passenger movements from January to March, driven by strong demand to and from North Asia and Europe, said Changi Airport Group on Friday (Apr 17).

Passenger traffic for the 12 months ended March 2026 rose 2.9 per cent year on year to 70.4 million – the highest recorded traffic at the airport over a 12-month period.

For the quarter, aircraft movements, comprising landings and take-offs, totalled 95,300, up 1.4 per cent from the year-ago period.

Despite the improvements in Q1, passenger traffic between Singapore and the Middle East dived 80 per cent in March, as conflict erupted in the region after the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Feb 28.

For Q1, Changi Airport’s top five markets were China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia and India.

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Notably, Vietnam and China posted the strongest growth among the airport’s top 10 markets, rising 26.5 per cent and 17.7 per cent on the year, respectively.

The top five city links for Q1 were Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Jakarta, Tokyo and Hong Kong.

Shanghai, Taipei and Tokyo recorded the strongest growth among the 10 busiest routes.