Changi prepares for birthday bonanza after S$1 billion spending high

SINGAPORE. A record number of travellers translated into record retail spending at Singapore Changi Airport last year, according to a report in today’s Straits Times.

The respected national newspaper, quoting Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) Chairman Liew Mun Leong Changi, said: “Changi’s 160 shops and 50 eateries, which offer anything from laptops to Gucci bags and Polar curry puffs, pulled in almost S$1 billion from more than 32 million travellers.”

The Chairman said that figure was +16% higher than in 2004. The average spend per customer – not per passenger – rose +7% last year.

Quoting CAAS, the report said that the S$240 million upgrading of Terminal 2 has paid off. The refurbishment added 20 stores to the terminal, including a range of mid-price retailers – an important target group for the authority as it has sought to diversify its price-points.