We’ve been keeping an eye on one of the more interesting and growing uses of the Singapore Airlines passenger fleet over the last couple of months – cargo-only services with no passengers. This is our third look at that part of the network, having previously studied what was operating in both April 2020 and May 2020.
Last week a total of 35 cities on the network received at least some flights with passenger aircraft carrying only belly-hold cargo, and that’s without even counting where the airline’s dedicated Boeing 747 freighters were flying.
We decided to take another look at the cargo-only routes this month. The significant ramp up is showing no signs of abating, with the number of passenger aircraft departing Changi carrying only cargo on board increasing by 23% since we checked last month.
SIA remains effectively a cargo airline
Just yesterday we updated on the lowest ever passenger numbers recorded across SIA’s skeleton network of 14 cities to and from Singapore in May 2020. On average just 280 customers travelled on these flights each day – a 99.5% reduction compared with the airline’s more typical daily total of 60,000 customers.
The airline’s passenger load factor also fell to just 9.2% during the month.
What continues to shift though is cargo, with a worldwide capacity shortage exacerbated by the grounding of almost all passenger flights.
While Singapore Airlines carried far less cargo in May 2020 compared to May 2019 for that very reason, cargo load factors on its flights increased from 60.5% to 74.9% year-on-year.
Fun fact: For every passenger carried, Singapore Airlines Group airlines used to carry 35kg of cargo (May 2019). Currently, they are shifting 4,708kg of cargo for every passenger carried (May 2020).
Fleet activity: June 2020
In our April 2020 analysis, at least 12 Singapore Airlines aircraft were departing Changi each day carrying only cargo, either in the underfloor holds of passenger aircraft or in one of the airline’s seven dedicated Boeing 747 freighter jets.
That increased to 18 in May 2020 and now averages 20 departures per day in June 2020.
On the busiest days 26 passenger aircraft depart with only cargo on board. Here’s how the airline’s 223 departures from Changi last week looked.
| Singapore Airlines SIN Departures (w/c 8th June 2020) |
|||
| Day | Passenger Aircraft |
Freighters |
|
| Pax + Cargo |
Cargo- only |
||
| Mon | 8 | 15 | 4 |
| Tue | 5 | 18 | 3 |
| Wed | 7 | 26 | 6 |
| Thu | 6 | 17 | 7 |
| Fri | 8 | 20 | 5 |
| Sat | 6 | 22 | 7 |
| Sun | 6 | 22 | 5 |
| Total | 46 | 140 | 37 |
SIA’s passenger departures from Changi are finally increasing this month, with last week marking the first flights under an increased schedule to 12 new cities. In total there were 46 Singapore Airlines passenger departures, a 50% increase compared to the 30 we saw in May 2020.
Cargo-only flights using the passenger fleet totalled between 15 and 26 daily departures from Changi, totalling 140 during the week. That’s a 23% increase since we checked last month.
Cargo-only operations by the passenger fleet currently outweigh passenger departures by around 3:1, making up over 60% of the airline’s flying activity.
Which routes?
Where are these 140 belly hold cargo services operating? We took a look at last week’s schedule and listed the departing flights from Changi in the following table, alongside the airline’s passenger services (which incidentally will also be carrying as much cargo as possible to maximise revenue).
Key:
| ■ | Cargo-only flight |
| ■ | Passenger and cargo flight |
| ■ | Cargo outbound, pax and cargo inbound |
| Singapore Airlines Passenger Fleet Activity SIN Departures (w/c 8th June 2020) |
|||||||||
| South & South East Asia | |||||||||
| Dest | Flt | Days | Acft | ||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
| AMD | SQ530 | ■ | 77W | ||||||
| BKK | SQ976 | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | 787 | |
| BLR | SQ8004 | ■ | ■ | ■ | 359 | ||||
| BOM | SQ422 | ■ | 359 R | ||||||
| SQ8022 | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | 359 | |||
| CGK | SQ952 | ■ | 359 R | ||||||
| SQ960 | ■ | ■ | ■ | 787 | |||||
| SQ966 | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | 359 | |||
| ■ | ■ | 359 R | |||||||
| DAC | SQ446 | ■ | ■ | ■ | 359 R | ||||
| SQ8046 | ■ | 359 R | |||||||
| DEL | SQ8006 | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | 787 | ||
| HAN | SQ176 | ■ | ■ | ■ | 359 R | ||||
| KUL | SQ104 | ■ | ■ | ■ | 359 | ||||
| MAA | SQ8028 | ■ | ■ | 787 | |||||
| MNL | SQ910 | ■ | ■ | ■ | 359 R | ||||
| SQ912 | ■ | 787 | |||||||
| SGN | SQ178 | ■ | ■ | ■ | 787 | ||||
| SUB | SQ930 | ■ | 773 | ||||||
| North Asia | |||||||||
| Dest | Flt | Days | Acft | ||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
| CAN | SQ850 | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | 787 | |||
| FUK | SQ656 | ■ | 787 | ||||||
| HKG | SQ856 | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | 359 R | |||
| SQ890 | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | 787 | ||
| ICN | SQ600 | ■ | 787 | ||||||
| ■ | ■ | ■ | 359 R | ||||||
| KIX | SQ622 | ■ | ■ | ■ | 359 R | ||||
| NRT | SQ12 | ■ | ■ | ■ | 773 | ||||
| ■ | ■ | ■ | 787 | ||||||
| SQ638 | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | 787 | ||||
| PEK | SQ802 | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | 359 R |
| SQ806 | ■ | ■ | 77W | ||||||
| PVG | SQ826 | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | 787 |
| SQ830 | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | 787 | |
| SQ836 | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | 787 | ||||
| TPE | SQ876 | ■ | 787 | ||||||
| SQ878 | ■ | ■ | 787 | ||||||
| South West Pacific | |||||||||
| Dest | Flt | Days | Acft | ||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
| ADL | SQ279 | ■ | ■ | 359 R | |||||
| AKL | SQ281 | ■ | 359 | ||||||
| SQ285 | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | 359 | ||||
| ■ | 77W | ||||||||
| BNE | SQ265 | ■ | ■ | 359 R | |||||
| CHC | SQ297 | ■ | 359 | ||||||
| MEL | SQ207 | ■ | 359 R | ||||||
| SQ217 | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | 359 R | ||
| SQ237 | ■ | ■ | ■ | 359 R | |||||
| PER | SQ213 | ■ | 787 | ||||||
| SQ223 | ■ | ■ | ■ | 787 | |||||
| SYD |
SQ211 | ■ | 359 R | ||||||
| SQ221 | ■ | 787 | |||||||
| SQ231 | ■ | ■ | ■ | 359 | |||||
| SQ288 | ■ | ■ | 359 | ||||||
| SQ241 | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | 787 | |||
| Europe / S. Africa / USA | |||||||||
| Dest | Flt | Days | Acft | ||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
| AMS | SQ324 | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | 359 |
| BCN | SQ388 | ■ | ■ | 359 | |||||
| CPH | SQ352 | ■ | ■ | 359 | |||||
| FRA | SQ26 | ■ | ■ | 77W | |||||
| ■ | ■ | ■ | 359 | ||||||
| IST | SQ392 | ■ | 359 | ||||||
| JNB | SQ478 | ■ | ■ | ■ | 359 | ||||
| LAX | SQ38 | ■ | ■ | ■ | 359 | ||||
| LHR | SQ322 | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | ■ | 359 |
| SQ306 | ■ | 77W | |||||||
| ZRH | SQ346 | ■ | 77W | ||||||
| ■ | ■ | ■ | 359 | ||||||
Notably this month we saw a big shift away from from Shanghai (34 flights per week in May but only 17 flights last week), but a large increase in cargo-only flights to Europe (7 flights per week in May but 16 flights last week).
Amsterdam and London Heathrow are now effectively daily services, with the small number of passenger flights supplemented by dedicated cargo-only services on other days of the week.
Here are the top routes for cargo-only flights last week using the passenger fleet:
- Shanghai: 17/week
- Beijing: 9/week
- Melbourne: 8/week
- Tokyo: 7/week
- Hong Kong: 7/week
These are in addition to any passenger flights that may be flown on the same routes.
Aircraft types
Singapore Airlines continues to deploy its core fleet of three cargo-capable aircraft types on its freight-only services:
- Boeing 777-300s / -300ERs
- Boeing 787-10s
- Airbus A350-900s
These aircraft types have the largest underfloor cargo capacity and are therefore well equipped to be used for this purpose, despite very low passenger loads averaging just 29 per flight on the skeleton passenger network in May 2020.
| Singapore Airlines Fleet Underfloor cargo capacity (highest to lowest) |
||
| Aircraft Type | Cargo Capacity | |
| Bulk loading | LD3 containers |
|
| 777-300/-300ER | 201.6 cu m | 44 |
| 787-10 | 191.4 cu m | 40 |
| A380-800 | 175.2 cu m | 38 |
| A350-900 | 172.4 cu m | 36 |
| A330-300 | 158.4 cu m | 32 |
| 777-200/-200ER | 150.9 cu m | 32 |
| A350-900 ULR | 85.7 cu m | 16 |
Obviously the Airbus A380 has a reasonable cargo capacity, but at close to double the hourly operating cost of an A350 it makes no sense to use them for cargo-only flights, with the entire superjumbo fleet now stored either in Changi or at Alice Springs in Australia.
Both Singapore Airlines and Scoot now have regulatory approval to carry additional cargo in their main cabins on these cargo-only flights using passenger aircraft, following a successful trial in April.
Indeed 14 of the group’s aircraft are now set aside for this purpose, comprising Airbus A320s, Airbus A350s, Boeing 777s and Boeing 787s.
SIA group airlines can add up to 30% more cargo capacity this way, by utilising overhead locker space and strapping cargo to passenger seats, which have protective covers and netting installed to keep cargo securely in place.
A further step, removing the physical passenger seats themselves for additional cargo space, is also being explored by the group.
Where are the Boeing 747 freighters flying?
All seven of the Boeing 747-400 freighter aircraft in SIA’s fleet were busy flying last week.
Routes include the regular cities in Europe, the Middle East, Australia, New Zealand and the USA.
For those interested in what the freighters were up to last week, here are the (sometimes mammoth) journeys they took:
Monday 8th June 2020
- Singapore – Delhi – Singapore
- Singapore – Hong Kong – Anchorage – Los Angeles – Brussels – Mumbai – Singapore
- Singapore – Bengaluru – Sharjah – Amsterdam – Sharjah – Singapore
- Singapore – Hong Kong – Singapore
Tuesday 9th June 2020
- Singapore – Guangzhou – Singapore
- Singapore – Sydney – Auckland – Melbourne – Singapore
- Singapore – Shanghai – Singapore
- Singapore – Hong Kong – Singapore
Wednesday 10th June 2020
- Singapore – Chennai – Sharjah – Amsterdam – Sharjah – Singapore
- Singapore – Sydney – Melbourne – Auckland – Singapore
- Singapore – Hong Kong – Anchorage – Los Angeles – Brussels – Sharjah – Singapore
- Singapore – Shanghai – Singapore
- Singapore – Hong Kong – Singapore
Thursday 11th June 2020
- Singapore – Hong Kong – Singapore
- Singapore – Hong Kong – Anchorage – Dallas – Brussels – Mumbai – Singapore
- Singapore – Sydney – Singapore
- Singapore – Guangzhou – Singapore
- Singapore – Sharjah – London – Amsterdam – Sharjah – Singapore
- Singapore – Shanghai – Singapore
Friday 12th June 2020
- Singapore – Delhi – Singapore
- Singapore – Hong Kong – Singapore (x2)
- Singapore – Hong Kong – Anchorage – Los Angeles – Anchorage – Hong Kong – Singapore
- Singapore – Shanghai – Singapore
Saturday 13th June 2020
- Singapore – Sydney – Singapore
- Singapore – Hong Kong – Anchorage – Dallas – Brussels – Sharjah – Singapore
- Singapore – Sharjah – London – Amsterdam – Sharjah – Singapore
- Singapore – Melbourne – Auckland – Melbourne – Singapore
Sunday 14th June 2020
- Singapore – Hong Kong – Singapore
- Singapore – Hong Kong – Anchorage – Los Angeles – Amsterdam – Sharjah – Singapore
- Singapore – Chennai – Amsterdam – Sharjah – Singapore
- Singapore – Sydney – Melbourne – Singapore
- Singapore – Shanghai – Singapore
Summary
With 280 passengers per day in April, but nearly 1.5 million tonnes of daily freight in the same month, Singapore Airlines remained effectively a cargo carrier for the second consecutive month in May 2020.
Passenger flights are finally seeing an uptick this month, though a 23% month-on-month increase in cargo-only flights also continues.
It will be interesting to see how the disparity between passenger and cargo traffic evolves when the June 2020 operating statistics are released next month, given that the increased passenger services themselves will of course also carry underfloor freight.
For the rest of June, it looks as though around three-quarters of Singapore Airlines passenger aircraft flights are still carrying cargo-only, including some with cargo in the passenger cabin.
Click here to see the full passenger flight schedules operated by Singapore Airlines and SilkAir in June and July 2020.
(Cover Photo: Uwe Aranas / Shutterstock)