SINGAPORE - More than 510,000 passengers travelled between Singapore and China in August, making it the first month passenger traffic between the two countries exceeded 500,000 since the Covid-19 pandemic struck.
Based on figures released by airport operator Changi Airport Group (CAG) on Sunday, passenger traffic to and from China rebounded in August to 72 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. In August 2019, there were 713,000 passenger movements between the two countries.
The August passenger traffic figures were also more than seven times that for January, when there were just 69,000 passenger movements between Singapore and China.
In August, there were about 2,600 scheduled passenger flights between Singapore and China that departed from or landed at Changi Airport. That represents a 76 per cent recovery from pre-Covid-19 levels.
This surge in passenger traffic came after the reopening of China’s borders and the lifting of its quarantine restrictions in January.
Changi’s top three markets by traffic for the first eight months of 2023 were Indonesia, Malaysia and China.
This comes close to its 11 per cent share of the airport’s total traffic in 2019, when it was Changi’s second-largest market after Indonesia.
In August, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing, Hangzhou and Nanjing were the five Chinese cities with the highest volumes of passenger movements.
As at September, passengers can fly to 25 Chinese cities from Changi and vice versa, compared with 37 in January 2020.
Here are the Chinese cities passengers can get to from Changi:
- Beijing
- Changsha
- Chengdu
- Chongqing
- Fuzhou
- Guangzhou
- Haikou
- Hangzhou
- Hefei
- Jinan
- Kunming
- Nanchang
- Nanjing
- Nanning
- Ningbo
- Qingdao
- Shanghai
- Shenyang
- Shenzhen
- Tianjin
- Wuhan
- Xiamen
- Xian
- Yantai
- Zhengzhou
At present, 12 airlines operate routes to and from China, compared with 16 in January 2020:
- Air China
- China Eastern Airlines
- China Southern Airlines
- Chongqing Airlines
- Hainan Airlines
- Jetstar Asia
- Juneyao Air
- Scoot
- Shenzhen Airlines
- Sichuan Airlines
- Singapore Airlines
- Xiamen Airlines
Four airlines are not operating services to China. They are Guangxi Beibu Gulf Airlines, Hebei Airlines, Spring Airlines and Urumqi Air.
China’s gradual easing of Covid-19 controls propelled the growth of Changi’s passenger traffic to and from China.
In February, Singapore was one of the first countries China allowed its citizens to travel to in tour groups.
This was followed by other moves, such as the reintroduction of visa-free travel to Hainan province for citizens of 59 countries, including Singapore, in March.
From July 26, China reinstated 15-day visa-free entry for Singaporeans.
Mr Lim Ching Kiat, executive vice-president for air hub and cargo development at CAG, noted that the reinstatement of visa-free travel for Singaporeans has fuelled a strong rebound in demand for travel to China.
Sales of China tour packages, he added, are expected to recover to 50 per cent to 80 per cent of pre-pandemic levels in the next few months.
He said CAG has also observed a growth of online travel agents in Singapore.
These agents encourage free independent travellers – people who plan their own trips without travelling with group tours – to explore China.
Mr Lim added: “In the coming months, we plan to launch a marketing campaign to introduce unique attractions and experiences of selected Chinese cities to Singapore residents.
“With the joint efforts of the industry, we are optimistic that the travel demand for the China market will continue to grow steadily.”
At Changi, other regions have also recorded a strong recovery in passenger traffic, with movements to North America surpassing pre-Covid-19 levels in 2022.
Traffic to the South-west Pacific, which includes places such as Australia and New Zealand, also outstripped 2019 levels in the first quarter of 2023, said CAG.
Source from Straits Times
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