As the pandemic ended, the aviation industry went into a frenzy with passengers eager to fly, and the airlines and airports became overcrowded with passenger traffic. While some airports in Europe, the US, and Australia which had cut short the staff during the pandemic buckled under the air traffic recovery, some airports like the Changi airport came out of the situation with flying colors. Changi airport managed to avoid the passenger queues, baggage handling problems, pilot strikes, and staff walkouts completely.
When asked about the reason behind Changi’s efficient management Jayson Goh, Changi Airport Group’s managing director of airport operations, said: “It was holding regular meetings with airlines and key suppliers like baggage handling, cleaning, and catering companies to ensure that flight increases could be accommodated without affecting service levels. That has sometimes resulted in measures like changing flight times rather than stopping plans to add services.”
As per the government, the Changi airport reached 56% of its pre-pandemic passenger traffic in August 2022. Going ahead the government expects the number of flights to cross at least 80% of the 2019 mark by the end of 2022.
Apart from the above measures various other things added up to the efficiency in airport operations like the retainment of about 25,000 to 35,000 workers by the contractors with financial aid from the government in spite of the drop in passenger traffic and shutting down of operations during the pandemic.
“The airport has also added about 4,000 staff since Singapore reopened its borders and another 6,000 are being recruited, some from overseas, Goh added.
A few months back Changi airport conducted an employment drive in which various eligible candidates were invited from overseas to apply for jobs like ground handling, ramp agents, baggage handling, AMEs, pilots, cabin crew, etc.
Subhas Menon, director general of the Association of Asia-Pacific Airlines said: “Singapore had benefited from its hub status as travel demand returned but many non-stop flights between destinations had not yet been restored. Singapore being an international hub, can capitalize on the traffic that is coming from everywhere. Hong Kong would have benefited but it is closed.”
Another major step of efficient management was the step-wise opening of different terminals at Changi airport. Initially, only terminals one, two, and three were operational. Just last week terminal 4 was opened for passenger traffic. This steady segregation of crowds helped the airport avoid crowds and long queues.
Recently, the Schiphol airport had to cancel flights due to workforce shortage after many months of the mismanaged situation adding to passenger and airline woes.