Video of the week: Singapore Changi may be a global hub, but it is still working to colour those network white spots

7 November, 2018

Singapore's Changi Airport is one of the world's most recognised hub airports and regularly recognised as a key transfer point across Asia, and a popular destination in its own right for both business and leisure travellers. But while it is among the world's top 15 airports in the world in terms of capacity and the top 20 in terms of passengers, there are still many markets both regionally and globally where it does not have non-stop connectivity.

Among those that have been added to the Changi route map in 2018 has been the well documented return of nonstop flights to Newark, the world's longest air route, but new flights have also been introduced to Berlin Tegel, Borjhar, Buluh Tumbang, Luang Prabang, Nanchang, Pune, Vijayawada and Warsaw, plus the return of services to Gullin in China.

This has seen the Changi network expand to over 160 nonstop markets. Speaking to CAPA TV on the sidelines of last month's CAPA - Centre for Aviation Low Cost Long Haul Global Summit in Seville, Ching Kiat Lim, managing director, air hub development, Changi Airport Group highlighted that there remain numerous white spots on its network that his team are actively working to colour.

In Europe its network currently encompasses 19 cities, but he identifies Madrid, the largest unserved O&D market from Changi, and Oslo, Brussels and Vienna as targets "top of the list in Europe". Looking wider, the airport does not have a direct link to Canada. "With new aircraft types coming along I think there are more options for a direct flight," he acknowledges.

Mr Lim also discussed how the Low Cost Long Haul sector could help the airport secure service to some of its strongest unserved markets. LCCs already account for one third of traffic at the major global hub and Low Cost Long Haul growth could grow that share in the future, in his opinion, subject to potential operational complexities.

LEARN MORE about the development plans of Changi Airport Group in this exclusive video interview recorded at the CAPA Low Cost Long Haul Global Summit in Oct-2018.