With daily departing passengers on Singapore Airlines flights from Changi Airport now counted in the hundreds, plus the news that from this evening none of its flights will operate out of Terminal 2 until at least late 2021, it’s another unsurprising move to cut costs and ‘right-size’ the ground facilities from the national carrier today.
The airline usually operates seven of its own lounges at its home base across T2 and T3, catering for KrisFlyer Elite Gold members, Business Class passengers and PPS Club status holders, right through to those flying in its First Class and Suites cabins.
Only one lounge will remain open
Singapore Airlines has confirmed today that it will close all its lounges at Changi, with the exception of the SilverKris Business Class Lounge in Terminal 3.
The two KrisFlyer Gold lounges, T2 SilverKris First Class lounge and The Private Room had already been closed since 1st April 2020, and with the last SIA departure from Terminal 2 having already taken place, the SilverKris Business Class lounge there is now also shuttered.
Only two lounges therefore remained, however it is presumably an unjustifiable amount of space, cost and staffing to keep the Terminal 3 SilverKris First Class open alongside its Business Class counterpart, hence today’s announcement.
Singapore Airlines is now operating only four or five flights each day from the airport, with a theoretical capacity for around 1,500 passengers, but in reality the loads aren’t even half that.
This was therefore only a matter of time, given the almost non-existent passenger demand during what’s effectively become both a regional and international lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.