Airlines operating at Singapore's Changi Airport enjoy cost-savings, Transport Minister Yeo Cheow Tong said Wednesday night at the inaugural Changi Airline Awards ceremony.

He revealed that new procedures for the management of air traffic in Changi's airspace will be implemented in June this year to enhance the airport's efficiency and airspace capacity, which is expected to further reduce airlines's operating costs.

"Though important as pre-requisites, an airport's success is not solely determined by its infrastructure or technical excellence. Rather, it is the quality of an airport's relationship with its partners that distinguish outstanding airports from mediocre ones," Yeo stressed.

He added that Changi Airport maintains good and healthy relationship with its key partners and tries to create a conducive environment for the growth of airlines through minimizing their operating costs wherever possible.

Airlines at Changi Airport enjoy the lowest fuel costs and the second lowest aeronautical charges in Asia, said Yeo, adding that they also benefit from the liberalization of the ground handling market here.

In 2005, Changi Airport received record-breaking 32.4 million passengers and 1.83 million tons of cargo, up 7 percent and 3.3 percent respectively over the previous year. It was ranked as the sixth busiest airport for international passenger and airfreight movements for the year.

Currently, the airport is served by 82 airlines connecting to more than 180 cities worldwide with some 4,100 weekly flights.

Source: Xinhua