Tony Davis of Tiger Airways: the low-cost carrier is the BT’s prime tenant and is especially active in adding new destinations

Singapore's Budget Terminal celebrates first year

The Budget Terminal at Singapore Changi Airport has just celebrated its first anniversary, and signs are that the budget terminal model helps promote rapid growth in low-cost carriers (LCCs), according to Singapore aviation authorities.

In a single year the new terminal processed more than 1.36 million passengers, while weekly flights increased 120 percent, from 124 at the opening to 276. The two LCC tenants, Tiger Airways and Cebu Pacific Airways, now have links to 18 cities. The monthly volume of passengers has risen about 80 percent, from 72,000 to more than 130,000. As of March 1, LCC flights accounted for 14.6 of Changi’s total passenger flights, at 566 every week.

A press report in The Straits Times noted that theBT’s inception had been greeted with skepticism, but that its performance had proven the naysayers wrong. While correspondent Karamjit Kaur noted that many LCCs still operate from the more expensive main terminals at the airport, Singapore’s transport ministry is planning to expand the terminal to meet future demand.