ASIA PACIFIC AIRPORTS have experienced significant increases in traffic in recent years, and Singapore’s Changi International Airport is no exception. As the primary civilian airport for Singapore, a popular destination for business and leisure, the airport is now the world’s sixth-busiest for international traffic.

In 2016 Changi handled 58.7 million passengers, a growth of 5.9 percent from 2015 and an all-time high for the airport. The month of December alone saw a total of 5.68 million passengers, up 7.2 percent from December 2015. In addition to the increase in passenger numbers, aircraft movements are 4.8 percent higher than last year.

Ninety percent of the growth in Changi’s passenger traffic is attributed to routes to Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia and Oceania; Jakarta (CGK) was named busiest route for the airport in 2016, followed by Kuala Lumpur (KUL, SZB) and Bangkok (DMK, BKK).

To accommodate these rapidly growing numbers and increased demand, the airport is making headway on several expansion projects. The end of 2016 saw completion of the two-story passenger Terminal 4, including the development of two multistory parking lots, a two-story taxi holding area and three car and pedestrian bridges. The terminal is scheduled to open in the second half of 2017.

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This year the airport will implement a new airfield lighting control and monitoring system by Honeywell to improve aircraft movement efficiency and safety. The multimillion-dollar, multi-year contract is intended to safely and efficiently accommodate increasing aircraft traffic. The project is part of expansion efforts at the airport, including the new terminal and the development of a three-runway system. The new lighting and monitoring system will cover all three runways, taxiways and taxi lanes.

Also in 2017, Changi will implement Fast and Seamless Travel initiatives to enhance passenger experience and operational efficiency. This includes self-service technologies and automated options for check-in, bag drop, immigration clearance and boarding.

Its FAST initiative isn’t the only high-tech activation Changi will put into place. Due to its high passenger traffic, Changi also serves as a valuable test bed for local companies to conceptualize and pilot innovative tech solutions out of Singapore in a new program called The Changi Airport Living Lab. The lab, announced in January, is a $50 million program in partnership with the Singapore Economic Development Board aimed at driving innovation in robotics. The program’s goal is to discover new solutions to keep the airport modern and competitive.

According to a recent statement from Lee Seow, CEO, Changi Airport Group, the airport looks forward to continued growth this year with several new opportunities in emerging markets within Africa and Eastern Europe. These emerging markets and Changi’s innovative efforts in technology, customer service and airport operations will likely yield a bright future for the forward-thinking airport.