As our national carrier has almost completely suspended operations this month, we decided it was a good time to reflect on some of the great history Singapore Airlines has enjoyed over the years, even in its early days of operation just a few years after splitting from Malaysia-Singapore Airlines (MSA) in 1972, the start of the process that made SIA what it is today.
Airline Timetable Images kindly hosts a scanned copy of the Singapore Airlines passenger and freighter timetable from summer 1976, which came into effect almost exactly 44 years ago.
Regrettably of course given the COVID-19 situation, it was a far bigger network in summer 1976 than the airline is currently flying, however it was a far cry from today’s ‘usual’ SIA with only 27 destinations compared with the normal 2020 network of 65+ global cities.
The fleet
Four years after splitting from MSA, the Singapore Airlines we all now know and love was still in its relative infancy during the May – October 1976 summer season.
At the time the airline operated an all-Boeing fleet totalling just 21 aircraft. It comprised 11 Boeing 707s, 5 Boeing 737s and 5 Boeing 747s.
Singapore Airlines Fleet (1976) |
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| Aircraft Type | In Fleet | Routes |
| Boeing 707-320B | 3 | Australia / NZ, North Asia, SE Asia, India, Middle East, Europe |
| Boeing 707-320C | 8 | |
| Boeing 737-100 | 5 | Regional (Bangkok, Brunei, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Medan) |
| Boeing 747-200 | 5 | Australia, North Asia, SE Asia, India, Middle East, Europe |