Singapore's Changi Airport passenger traffic hits record 58.7 million

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore's Changi Airport recorded an all-time high of 58.7 million passenger movements in 2016, a rise of 5.9 percent from a year ago, helped by strong growth in travellers from China.

Routes to southeast Asia, north east Asia and Oceania contributed 90 percent of the growth in passenger traffic, the airport's operator said on Monday.

China traffic grew 15 percent, becoming its third largest country market in 2016 after Indonesia and Malaysia.

The airport said it saw its busiest day in its history on Dec. 23 when 202,359 passengers passed through its gates.

"Despite a backdrop of economic and socio-political uncertainties, we maintain a positive outlook for the year ahead," Lee Seow Hiang, chief executive of Changi Airport Group, said in a statement on Monday.

Changi sees opportunities in emerging markets within Africa and eastern Europe. It will also continue to grow its long-haul routes to western Europe, and strengthen connectivity within the region to secondary cities in southeast Asia, China and India, he said.

Total cargo was a record 1.97 million tonnes for the year, a 6.3 percent rise.

Changi Airport is the world's sixth busiest for international traffic, based on 2015 figures, and is expected to open its fourth terminal later this year.

(Reporting by Aradhana Aravindan; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier)