Singapore's Changi Airport registered 16.5 million passenger movements from January to March, surpassing the passenger volume in the first quarter of 2019 by 0.5 percent, the airport said in a statement Thursday.

The airport recorded 89,400 landings and taking-offs in the first three months.

Changi Airport's top five passenger markets in the first quarter were China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia, and Thailand, said the statement.

The mutual 30-day visa-exemption arrangement between Singapore and China has boosted travel between the two countries, propelling China as Changi's top market, the airport noted.

The airfreight throughput in Changi Airport totaled 475,000 tons in the first quarter, up 14 percent year-on-year.