Changi Airport continues to increase its cargo throughput

Not missing a beat from last year, Changi Airport is off to strong start in 2018 for cargo handling. The Singapore-based hub’s January 2018 numbers indicated a 10.7 percent rise in throughput, year-over-year, processing 175,590 tonnes during the month.

This monthly increase follows record-breaking yearly totals for 2017, when the major hub broke the 2 million tonne mark for the first time – but don’t pop the champagne just yet.

While Changi’s numbers may be a clue that last year’s surge in the industry will bleed into 2018, we could also be witnessing symptoms of the annual pre-Chinese Lunar New Year holiday surge, when shippers across the logistics supply chain scramble to schedule cargo earlier, in anticipation of the annual lull surrounding the celebration, which fell later than usual this year, on Feb. 16.

Better insight will be garnered following the “Year of the Dog” festivities, as we watch demand trends continue to evolve. It is left to be seen whether the y-o-y increase is an indicator of another potentially record-breaking year or simply a temporary bump in demand.