World’s best airport welcomes 17.6 million air passengers in first quarter despite Middle East crisis
Singapore’s Changi Airport, voted the world’s best this year by Skytrax, handled 17.6 million passengers in the first three months of 2026, a 2.3% rise year-on-year despite disruptions caused by the Middle East crisis.
Changi’s top five markets for the quarter were China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia and India, Changi Airport Group said in a statement as cited by Channel News Asia.
Among its 10 largest markets, Vietnam and China recorded the fastest growth, rising 26.5% and 17.7% respectively.
The busiest routes for the quarter were Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Jakarta, Tokyo and Hong Kong.
A passenger scans his fingerprint at an automated immigration control gate at Changi airport’s Terminal 4 in Singapore April 30, 2018. Photo by Reuters |
For the 12 months that ended March 2026, Changi handled 70.4 million passenger movements, a 2.9% increase year-on-year and the highest recorded over a one-year period.
The increase came despite a sharp drop in traffic on Middle Eastern routes after U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran on Feb. 28 triggered a wider regional conflict that disrupted air travel, The Straits Times reported.
In March, passenger traffic between Singapore and the Middle East plunged by 80% year-on-year as airlines cut or rerouted services amid ongoing instability.
A record 69.98 million passengers passed through Changi Airport in 2025.
Changi was named the world’s best airport for 2026 in the World Airport Awards by London-based leading aviation organization Skytrax, securing its second consecutive win after also topping the rankings in 2025. It had placed second in 2024.
The latest accolade brings Changi’s total to 14 wins, the most in the history of the awards, which began in 2000.
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