We console ourselves as best we can. Recently, the Channel News Asia television channel was singing the praises of Singapore Changi. It has to be said that CNA is an emanation of the Singaporean government. So it's only right that the channel should support an institution like Changi. CNA headlined the fact that the 'zero covid' policy practised by its eternal rival Hong Kong was an opportunity to Singapore to become THE major international hub for Asia.
That's not entirely untrue, but Singapore's performance in 2021 is nothing to crow about. Changi to welcome 3.05 million passengers in 2021 compared with 68.3 million passengers in 2019. Sound traffic is therefore 95.5% lower than in the previous year. to what it was before the Covid crisis. This is worse than the average for airports in the region. At the end of November, the Association of Airports in Asia Pacific - ACI Asia Pacific - gave the following figures passenger traffic down 61.7% compared with 2019. Twice the world average...
Nevertheless, Changi's results seem almost miraculous compared with other airports in the region. At Bangkok Suvarnabhumi, passenger traffic for 2021 reached 5.66 million, down 66.5% on 2020.. But if we look at international traffic alone, the fall is abysmal. Thailand's airport handled just 1.31 million international passengers last year. This represents a reduction of 86.7% compared with 2020, a financial year already disrupted by the pandemic.
Kuala Lumpur did little better: the Malaysian capital's airport welcomed just over 4 million passengers, down 69.5%. And if we look at international traffic alone, KLIA welcomed 1.32 million passengers (down 83.9%). A unique event in the annals of air transport: Kuala Lumpur thus overtook Bangkok in international traffic. More surprisingly, KLIA's performance was only slightly below that of Hong Kong airport. Cathay Pacific's hub effectively pays the price of the "Zero Covid" policy of the Chinese government. HKIA recorded 1.35 million passengers in 2021. This is the same level of traffic as in... 1967 ! This is still 85% down on the pitiful performance of 2020 (8.84 million passengers) and a far cry from the 71.5 million recorded in 2019...
Asian none
According to the results reported by some of the region's airports, Asian airports recorded the worst performances in the world. Osaka Kansai welcomed 3.05 million passengers by 2021 (-53%), Seoul-Incheon 3.19 million (-73.3%) and Phnom Penh 0.25 million (-81%).. Perhaps the worst is Siem Reap airport, also in Cambodia. 2,000 passengers in 2021, compared with more than four million before the crisis.
In fact, the closure of the borders not only devastated local air traffic but also weakened the role of all these airports as hubs. In 2021, passengers who had to travel to Asia favoured the Middle East. Doha, Dubai and Istanbul have largely retained their extensive coverage of Asia..
While some European airports were also able to offer flights to a number of major destinations. These include Paris CDG, Frankfurt or even Helsinkithe European hub specialising in Europe-Asia connections. However, 2022 could see a return to favour for certain Asian hubs. Bangkok, Bombay, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Seoul or Singapore should be included, along with the easing of entry conditions for foreign travellers.
