Changi Airport named overall winner at Routes Asia 2025 Awards
March 27, 2025
Singapore’s Changi Airport has been named the overall winner at the Routes Asia 2025 Awards, also securing the top prize in the over 20 million passengers category.
The annual awards, which recognise excellence in airport and destination marketing, were announced at Routes Asia 2025 in Perth, Australia.
Changi Airport’s vice president of market development, Peh Ke-Wei, said: “Together, we have made significant strides in taking Changi Airport’s passenger traffic to new heights and strategically expanding its global connectivity to provide travellers with more options.”
In 2024, Changi Airport handled 67.7 million passengers, reflecting a 15% year-on-year increase. The airport also saw a 15% rise in airfreight throughput, welcomed 10 new airlines—including Air Canada, Air Japan, and Peach—and introduced 20 new routes to cities such as Brussels, London Gatwick, and Vancouver.
Other winners included Cairns Airport, which took the under 5 million passengers category. The airport, a key gateway for one of Australia’s most aviation-dependent regions, secured new international services, including China Eastern’s Lunar New Year flights, AirAsia Indonesia’s market entry, and Fiji Airways’ direct Nadi service.
Adelaide Airport won the 5–20 million passengers category after achieving a record 8.5 million passengers in 2024, surpassing pre-pandemic levels. Key developments included the return of Emirates’ daily service, China Southern Airlines’ relaunch, and Jetstar’s new Whitsunday Coast route. QantasLink also upgraded to larger Q400 aircraft, strengthening regional connectivity.
The Philippine Department of Tourism won the destination award for its efforts to enhance air connectivity. Through targeted marketing campaigns and industry partnerships, it helped secure new routes to Cebu, Clark, and Davao. The department’s ‘Love the Philippines’ campaign also played a role in attracting new services, such as Air France’s Paris-Manila route and Vietnam Airlines’ Hanoi-Manila flights.
The airline category was awarded to Cebu Pacific, the Philippines’ largest low-cost carrier. The airline expanded aggressively in 2024, launching 31 new routes, including 19 domestic and 12 international. Cebu Pacific also placed the biggest aircraft order in Philippine aviation history, securing 152 Airbus jets in a $24 billion deal.
Finalists in the airport and destination categories were evaluated by a panel of airline judges, while the airline category was assessed by an editorial judging panel.
