Changi posts record traffic with India among top markets
Alexandra
This article reveals Changi Airport’s record passenger and cargo performance in 2025 and highlights India’s role among its top markets.
2025 at a glance: record traffic, new links and stronger cargo
Singapore’s Changi Airport recorded an all-time high of 69.98 million passenger movements in 2025, reflecting a year of steady growth and expanded connectivity. The airport added 13 new city links and handled notable gains in airfreight, making 2025 one of its best years for cargo throughput.
The airport’s top five passenger markets for the year were China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia and India, the latter now firmly positioned among the key sources of inbound travelers. On the cargo side, the leading markets were China, United States of America, Australia, Hong Kong and India, with airfreight throughput reaching 2.08 million tonnes, up 4.5% year-on-year.
📚 You may also like
| Metric | 2025 Value | Year-on-Year Change |
|---|---|---|
| Passenger movements | 69.98 million | +3.4% |
| Aircraft movements | 374,000 | +2.2% |
| Airfreight throughput | 2.08 million tonnes | +4.5% |
| New city links | 13 | Record number |
| Airlines operating | About 100 | — |
New destinations added in 2025
Changi expanded its route map with the following city links:
- China: Changchun, Harbin, Lanzhou, Yichang, Zhangjiajie
- Indonesia: Labuan Bajo, Padang, Semarang
- Austria: Vienna
- India: Vijayawada
- Malaysia: Kota Bharu
- Mongolia: Ulaanbaatar
- Vietnam: Nha Trang
Operational highlights and travel peaks
As of January 2026, approximately 100 airlines operated over 7,300 weekly scheduled flights from Changi, connecting Singapore to more than 170 cities across 50 countries and territories. December 2025 stood out as the busiest month, with around 6.3 million passenger movements, and the single busiest day was December 20, when more than 223,000 passengers passed through the terminals.
Implications for travelers and the aviation ecosystem
The growth in passenger traffic and expanded network influences travelers, airlines, and related industries in several tangible ways:
- Stronger connectivity to secondary cities encourages point-to-point travel and regional tourism.
- Increased flight frequencies provide more flexibility for business travel and leisure itineraries.
- Improved cargo throughput supports trade in high-value and time-sensitive goods, which benefits logistics partners across maritime and aviation sectors.
Why India’s rise matters
India’s placement among the top five passenger and cargo markets signals rising outbound and inbound demand between India and Southeast Asia. For airlines, it underlines the commercial rationale for launching new services and increasing seat capacity; for tourism economies, it promises heightened visitor flows and stronger cross-border activity.
Historical context: Changi’s role as a regional hub
Changi Airport has developed over decades into one of Asia’s premier aviation and logistics hubs. Its evolution has balanced passenger experience improvements, network growth and cargo facilities. The airport’s repeated investments in terminals, infrastructure and airline partnerships have historically resulted in greater resilience when global travel rebounds. That pattern—strategic network expansion paired with facility enhancements—continued into 2025.
From expanding runways to broader route maps
Over time, Changi shifted from being a national gateway to a full-service regional connector, hosting a wide range of international carriers and serving as a hub for transfer traffic across Asia, Oceania, and beyond. The steady addition of new city links reinforces Changi’s role as both a transit and destination airport, making it an important node in global aviation.
Outlook: what this means for tourism, yachting and coastal leisure
Stronger air links and higher passenger volumes typically stimulate tourism flows to nearby coastal and island destinations. Singapore’s connectivity boost and India’s growing share of passengers can influence the boating and yachting sectors in several ways:
- Greater visitor numbers fuel demand for coastal activities, beach excursions and marine charters.
- More direct flights to secondary cities can open access to regional marinas, fishing grounds and diving sites.
- Increased cargo capacity eases the logistics of marine equipment, spare parts and yacht provisioning via airfreight.
| Destination (new) | Marine or tourism appeal |
|---|---|
| Labuan Bajo | Gateway to island cruising, diving and national park excursions |
| Nha Trang | Beaches, coastal marinas and snorkeling opportunities |
| Vijayawada | Riverine and cultural tourism with potential linkages to coastal itineraries |
| Kota Bharu | Access to Malaysia’s northeast beaches and island trips |
Potential ripple effects for yachting businesses
When airports broaden reach and frequency, marinas, charter operators and waterfront hospitality often see follow-on benefits: higher berth demand, expanded charter seasons, more inbound sales of superyacht services and increased activity in supporting services such as captains, crew recruitment, maintenance and refit supply chains.
As Changi and airlines pursue connections to emerging secondary cities, coastal destinations across Southeast Asia and beyond may find fresh markets for boating and marine tourism. For operators and investors in yachting, this means new opportunities to design charters, shore excursions and cross-border itineraries that match growing traveler flows.
In summary, Changi Airport’s record performance in 2025 — including nearly 70 million passengers, expanded city links such as Vijayawada, and elevated cargo throughput — reinforces its strategic role in regional mobility and trade. These developments are likely to support wider tourism activity and feed demand for marine recreation, from day trips to superyacht charters. For travelers and industry stakeholders looking for boat, yacht and charter solutions in nearby destinations — whether to rent a sailing yacht for island hopping or to book a captain-led boating activity — GetBoat.com is an international marketplace for renting sailing boats and yachts, probably the best service to find options to suit every taste and budget across beaches, marinas and clearwater destinations.
