Changi Airport Group (CAG) recognised its top airline partners during the Changi Airline Awards 2017, where a total of 25 awards were presented to airlines whose efforts over the past year contributed significantly to the growth and development of the Singapore air hub. The 12th annual awards event was graced by Ng Chee Meng, Minister for Education (Schools) and Second Minister for Transport, at The St Regis Singapore.
Awards were presented in six categories – Top Airlines & Airline Groups by Passenger Carriage and Cargo Carriage, Top Airlines by Absolute Passenger Growth and Absolute Cargo Growth, Best Airline Marketing, and the Partner of the Year.
The Partner of the Year award was presented to DHL Express, in recognition of their strong partnership with CAG to grow and strengthen Changi Airport's air cargo hub status. DHL Express launched their fully-automated South Asia Hub at Changi Airfreight Centre in October 2016, which tripled their cargo handling capacity. DHL Express also added new flights through its joint venture (JV) airlines and other airline partners.
Sean Wall, Executive Vice President, Network Operations and Aviation, DHL Express Asia Pacific said, “The successful launch of our South Asia Hub last year was made possible thanks to the close collaboration we had with Changi Airport Group as well as the Singapore Government. As the heart of our DHL network in South and Southeast Asia, the South Asia Hub in Singapore has allowed us to add more network flights in and out of the country to meet our customers’ needs, and to further capitalise on the country’s prime position for regional and global trade.”
For passenger carriers, the top five airlines and airline groups operating at Changi Airport in 2016 were Singapore Airlines Group, Jetstar Group, AirAsia Group, Cathay Pacific Airways and Lion Group. On the cargo front, Singapore Airlines Group continued to head the list with the highest cargo volume, followed by Cathay Pacific Airways, FedEx Express, China Airlines and EVA Air.
Speaking at the event, Lee Seow Hiang, CEO of CAG said, “As we celebrate our successes, we will continue to transform Changi Airport, in preparation for challenges in the future. We will do so by catering supply for future growth, as well as working with our partners to grow sustainable demand for aviation services.”
Jet Airways won the best airline in ‘Absolute Growth in Passenger Carriage – South Asia’ and ‘Absolute Cargo Growth’ categories. Paul Wu, General Manager – Singapore and Oceania, Jet Airways, received the award from Lee Seow Hiang at the ceremony.
Jayaraj Shanmugam, Chief Commercial Officer, Jet Airways, said "Singapore is a key Eastern gateway for Jet Airways and well connected by direct daily flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru. Complementing the rising traffic are growing cargo shipments, testifying the surge in economic ties between India and the Asia-Pacific region.”
The Changi Airline Awards are held each year in Singapore to celebrate partnerships between airlines and airports, and to give recognition to the airline partners for their contribution towards the growth of Changi Airport as an important global hub.