Changi Airport beats total 2003 arrivals by October

Changi Airport beats total 2003 arrivals by October

Agence France-Presse Singapore

Singapore's Changi Airport welcomed 24.68 million passengers in the first 10 months of 2004, surpassing the total arrivals for all of 2003, aviation officials said on Friday.

The January-October 2004 arrivals were 26.2 percent higher over the same period last year, when the travel industry in East Asia was ravaged by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) health crisis.

Arrivals for all of 2003 totaled 24.67 million, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore said in a statement.

Compared to total arrivals in the first 10 months of 2002 -- regarded by the travel industry as a better benchmark to remove the SARS factor -- the January-October 2004 figures were 3.4 percent higher.

Air cargo volume also continued to rise steadily, reflecting Singapore's strong economic rebound.

From January to October this year, 1.47 million tonnes of air cargo were moved through Changi airport, 11 percent higher than in the same period in 2003 and 8.6 percent over the comparable 2002 period.

Singapore's gross domestic product is expected to grow by 8 percent to 8.5 percent this year, one of the highest in Asia, after coming off a low base in 2003.