Changi Airport sees strong cargo recovery as freight volumes reach pre-Covid-19 levels

Changi Airport is flying high again in air cargo flow, with two years of pandemic-induced global disruptions giving way to rising demand fuelled by supply chain disruptions and an online shopping boom. According to data provided by Changi Airport Group (CAG) on Friday, total airfreight throughput from January to November in 2021 hit 1.76m tonnes - 96% of the 1.84m tonnes reached over the same period in pre-pandemic 2019. It was also a 26% jump from the 1.4m tonnes moved from January to November 2020, when throughput for the full year fell to 1.54m tonnes - from 2.01m tonnes in 2019 - at the height of pandemic restrictions and lockdowns worldwide. CAG noted that throughput for September and October last year surpassed 2019 benchmarks, with air imports and exports from January to November last year exceeding pre-pandemic levels by 8%t. Air imports, exports and transshipments are the primary components of air cargo movements. As at the first week of December 2021, Changi Airport was registering some 1,000 weekly scheduled and charter cargo flights - including passenger aircraft converted to carry cargo in their holds - connecting the hub to more than 70 cities.<br/>