NATIONAL carrier Singapore Airlines (SIA) and its low-cost arm Scoot carried more passengers and cargo in January 2025 compared with the same period a year ago, according to SIA Group’s latest operating update released on Monday (Feb 17).
Last month, group passenger traffic rose 8.6 per cent year on year, outpacing a capacity increase of 5.5 per cent, on the back of robust travel demand supported by the Chinese New Year holiday season, said the monthly note released after market close.
Passenger traffic, which measures the demand for an airline’s service and is derived by multiplying the number of paying passengers by the distance they have travelled, came in at 13.7 billion for the month, compared with 12.6 billion a year ago.
SIA carried 2.4 million passengers in January 2025, up from 2.1 million in the same period last year. Scoot ferried 1.2 million passengers last month, up from 1.1 million in the corresponding period in the prior year.
The combined passenger carriage was 9.1 per cent higher at 3.5 million.
Group passenger capacity, measured by multiplying the number of seats available on a flight by the distance flown, grew 5.5 per cent in January on the year.
BT in your inbox
Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.
Cargo growth
Cargo loads grew 2.6 per cent year on year, tracking below the 9.5 per cent expansion in cargo capacity.
“Inventory stocking was less pronounced ahead of the holiday period, leading to relatively subdued cargo demand, with the consequent factory closures during the period further reducing cargo movement,” said the group.
As a result, the cargo load factor – referring to the cargo and mail load expressed as a percentage of gross capacity – was 3.4 percentage points lower at 51.1 per cent, compared with 54.5 per cent the same period a year ago.
At the end of January, the group’s passenger network spanned 131 destinations in 36 countries and territories.
SIA served 80 destinations, and Scoot – which launched passenger services to Indonesia’s Padang and China’s Shantou during the month – served 74 destinations.
The cargo network covered 135 destinations in 37 countries and territories.
Shares of SIA rose S$0.04 or 0.6 per cent to close at S$6.42 on Monday.
