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Changi voted Asia’s most connected airport again

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For the second year running, Changi Airport has been named Asia's most connected international airport.

But globally, it dropped two notches to eighth spot, with London's Heathrow Airport topping the chart, said industry consultancy OAG, which collates and analyses flight schedules, among other industry indicators.

The ranking looked at all international flights to and from the airports.

OAG noted that five other airports in the Asia-Pacific are among the Top 20 most connected in the world.

Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta is in 10th spot, Kuala Lumpur International in 12th, Hong Kong International in 13th, Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi in 14th and South Korea's Incheon in 15th place.

Mr Mayur Patel, OAG's regional sales director for Japan and the Asia-Pacific, attributes the expansion to "robust demand for international air travel making Asia-Pacific a pivotal region for connecting flights".

He said Asia's dominance is clear to see and there are likely to be some interesting movements when the new Beijing airport opens.

"With China driving air travel growth, we expect hub connectivity to Hong Kong will undoubtedly expand further," Mr Patel added, noting that Hong Kong is undergoing unprecedented growth driven by mainline operators Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon.

Experts say stiffer competition is in store for Changi, with airports in Asia embarking on ambitious plans.

On Sunday, Thailand's Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith told the Nikkei Asian Review that the country is undertaking a major expansion that aims to more than double the passenger capacity of airports in and around Bangkok.

The new U-Tapao airport, a former military air base south-east of Bangkok, will handle up to 60 million passengers a year once it is fully transformed into a civil airport.

The remake is expected to take 20 years.

Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang international airports will also be expanded to reach annual capacities of 90 million and 40 million passengers respectively, he added.

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