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This month Singapore Airlines began to ramp up its passenger flying programme for the first time since early April 2020, while at the same time continuing to increase its cargo-only operations using passenger aircraft, necessitating reactivation of a number of Airbus A350s.
Despite the increased activity, the airline seems to be reducing its use of the less efficient Boeing 777-300 and Boeing 777-300ER aircraft types, though all 15 of its Boeing 787-10s remain in regular operation.
Overall, less than half the fleet remains flying, with the airline keeping 61 Airbus A350s, Boeing 777-300 / -300ERs and Boeing 787-10s active over the last few weeks. Five SIA aircraft types remain firmly out of service, including all Airbus A330s and Airbus A380s.
Headline numbers
Here are the Singapore Airlines passenger fleet totals at 20th June 2020.
| CAAS Database: | 130 | ||
| For disposal: | -3 | ||
| In Service: | 127 | ||
| In maintenance / stored: | -66 | ||
| Active: | 61 |
The official registered aircraft data in combination with analysis of actual flight movements over the last few weeks allows us to determine the actual ‘in service’ fleet (available to the airline) of 127 planes at 20th June 2020, 61 of which are currently active.
Click here to see the official CAAS list of registered aircraft in Singapore at 31st May 2020.
Singapore Airlines Fleet at 20th June 2020
This table shows the Singapore Airlines fleet including how many of each aircraft type are legally registered (‘Registered’), available to the airline (‘In Service’) and currently operating revenue passenger or cargo flights (‘Active’).
| Type |
Registered | In Service | Active |
A330-300 (full details) |
9 |
8 | 0 |
A350-900 (full details) |
26 | 26 | 21 |
| A350-900 Regional(full details) |
15 |
15 | 12 |
| A350-900 ULR(full details) |
7 | 7 | 0 |
A380-800 v1 (full details) |
6 | 6 | 0 |
| A380-800 v2(full details) |
6 | 6 | 0 |
| A380-800 v3(full details) |
7 | 7 | 0 |
777-200 (full details) |
3 | 1 | 0 |
| 777-200ER(full details) |
4 | 4 | 0 |
777-300 (full details) |
5 | 5 | 2 |
| 777-300ER(full details) |
27 | 27 | 11 |
787-10 (full details) |
15 | 15 | 15 |
| Total | 130 | 127 | 61 |
Correct at 20th June 2020.
Only five aircraft types remain in service with the airline, as shown in the table below outlining the number in use at each of our monthly ‘snapshots’.
| SIA fleet activity timeline | |||
| Aircraft | Apr 2020 | May 2020 | Jun 2020 |
| Airbus A350 | 16 | 14 | 21 |
| Airbus A350 Regional | 10 | 9 | 12 |
| Boeing 777-300 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Boeing 777-300ER | 18 | 18 | 11 |
| Boeing 787-10 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
All 15 Boeing 787-10s are in consistent use, with Airbus A350s ramping up in June 2020, while the use of Boeing 777-300s and -300ERs is being progressively reduced.
Five aircraft types in the Singapore Airlines fleet remain in storage this month and are not currently being flown at all, which has been the case since early April 2020:
- Airbus A330
- Airbus A350 ULR
- Airbus A380
- Boeing 777-200
- Boeing 777-200ER
Here are the differences between the registered and in service fleet totals in the table above:
No longer in service (but still legally registered)
- A330-300 9V-SSB has already stopped flying for return to lessor. Onward operator is HiFly Malta (with registration 9H-HFF), though it currently remains registered to SIA. Following a test flight on 8th May 2020, the aircraft was flown to Frankfurt on 5th June 2020 as SQ8893, still carrying its Singapore registration.
- 777-200 9V-SQJ has already stopped flying for disposal.
- 777-200 9V-SRM has already stopped flying for disposal. Following two test flights on 23rd April 2020 and 12th May 2020, the aircraft was flown to Phoenix Goodyear Airport as N777BC, for storage.
Flight tests
Singapore Airlines has conducted at least six test flights on its (previously stored) Airbus A350s this month, before returning them to passenger and cargo service.
This is presumably a requirement because the aircraft in question had been disused or in storage for an extended period.
| A350 Test Flights | |||
| Aircraft | Ground Time | Test Flight | Return to Service |
| 9V-SMC | 75 days | 10 Jun 2020 | 12 Jun 2020 to KUL |
| 9V-SMF | 83 days | 16 Jun 2020 | 17 Jun 2020 to AKL |
| 9V-SMI | 71 days | 13 Jun 2020 | 14 Jun 2020 to BLR |
| 9V-SHB | 82 days | 11 Jun 2020 | 12 Jun 2020 to MEL |
| 9V-SHC | 84 days | 12 Jun 2020 | 15 Jun 2020 to MEL |
| 9V-SHH | 82 days | 12 Jun 2020 | 17 Jun 2020 to ICN |
Other Airbus A350s returned to service in June without making a test flight had been on the ground for between 56 and 66 days, leading us to assume that once an aircraft has been grounded for approximately 70 days or more, a test flight is required.
If that’s the case, expect to see more of these test flights over the coming weeks and months.
Test flights seem to last just over one hour and involve flying the aircraft up to around 35,000ft before returning to Changi.
The flying network
June 2020 saw the first uptick for Singapore Airlines passenger services in over two months, with 10 cities added to the network for a total of 24 routes.
Services were restarted to cities including Amsterdam, Osaka, Barcelona and Melbourne.
This increase means there are now 106 weekly passenger services across the network for the rest of June and through 31st July 2020.
There are also four SilkAir routes in June and July (an expansion from a single route previously), plus six Scoot routes (an expansion from two routes previously).
Fun fact: For every passenger flight operated by Singapore Airlines at the moment there are three cargo-only flights using passenger aircraft, covering a much wider network of cities.
The storage report: June 2020
Here’s how the fleet activity looked on 18th June 2020, which gives us an indication of which aircraft are stored (last flew > 14 days ago), compared to those in ‘active storage’ (last flew more recently).
| Last flew > 60 days ago | |
| Last flew 14-59 days ago | |
| Last flew < 14 days ago |
‘Last flew’ dates relate to the aircraft’s last revenue passenger or cargo-only flight.
Airbus A330-300
All the airline’s available A330 aircraft remain stored in Singapore. None have flown for well over two months.
 |
|||
| Aircraft | Location | Last flew | Days ago |
| 9V-STC | SIN | 2 Apr 20 | 78 |
| 9V-SSC | SIN | 27 Mar 20 | 84 |
| 9V-SSD | SIN | 31 Mar 20 | 80 |
| 9V-SSE | SIN | 27 Mar 20 | 84 |
| 9V-SSF | SIN | 13 Mar 20 | 98 |
| 9V-SSG | SIN | 23 Mar 20 | 88 |
| 9V-SSH | SIN | 28 Mar 20 | 83 |
| 9V-SSI | SIN | 25 Nov 19 | 207 |
9V-SSI has not made an appearance, even on a test flight, since sustaining tail damage during a landing accident in November 2019.
Airbus A350-900
Seven of SIA’s 3-class (long-haul) Airbus A350s have been activated since our update in May 2020, meaning there are now only five of the type stored in Singapore.
The other 21 aircraft are in ‘active storage’, continuing to fly an average of around 2 flights per week (one return service each) since the start of April 2020.
Aircraft returned to service this month are:
- 9V-SMC
- 9V-SMD
- 9V-SMF
- 9V-SMG
- 9V-SMH
- 9V-SMI
- 9V-SMP
 |
|||
| Aircraft | Location | Last flew | Days ago |
| 9V-SMA | SIN | 25 Mar 20 | 86 |
| 9V-SMB | SIN | 29 Mar 20 | 82 |
| 9V-SMC | SIN | 18 Jun 20 | 1 |
| 9V-SMD | SIN | 17 Jun 20 | 2 |
| 9V-SME | SIN | 25 Mar 20 | 86 |
| 9V-SMF | SIN | 17 Jun 20 | 2 |
| 9V-SMG | SIN | 15 Jun 20 | 4 |
| 9V-SMH | SIN | 18 Jun 20 | 1 |
| 9V-SMI | SIN | 18 Jun 20 | 1 |
| 9V-SMJ | SIN | 15 Jun 20 | 4 |
| 9V-SMK | SIN | 18 Jun 20 | 1 |
| 9V-SML | SIN | 18 Jun 20 | 1 |
| 9V-SMM | SIN | 20 Apr 20 | 60 |
| 9V-SMN | SIN | 24 Apr 20 | 56 |
| 9V-SMO | SIN | 9 Jun 20 | 10 |
| 9V-SMP | SIN | 18 Jun 20 | 1 |
| 9V-SMQ | SIN | 17 Jun 20 | 2 |
| 9V-SMR | SIN | 17 Jun 20 | 2 |
| 9V-SMS | SIN | 16 Jun 20 | 3 |
| 9V-SMT | SIN | 16 Jun 20 | 3 |
| 9V-SMU | SIN | 17 Jun 20 | 2 |
| 9V-SMV | SIN | 18 Jun 20 | 1 |
| 9V-SMW | SIN | 18 Jun 20 | 1 |
| 9V-SMY | SIN | 17 Jun 20 | 2 |
| 9V-SMZ | SIN | 17 Jun 20 | 2 |
| 9V-SJA | SIN | 18 Jun 20 | 1 |
Airbus A350-900 Regional
3 more Airbus A350 Regional models returned to the skies in June:
- 9V-SHB
- 9V-SHC
- 9V-SHH
This leaves only 3 of the type stored in Singapore.
 |
|||
| Aircraft | Location | Last flew | Days ago |
| 9V-SHA | SIN | 21 Mar 20 | 90 |
| 9V-SHB | SIN | 18 Jun 20 | 1 |
| 9V-SHC | SIN | 18 Jun 20 | 1 |
| 9V-SHD | SIN | 18 Jun 20 | 1 |
| 9V-SHE | SIN | 18 Jun 20 | 1 |
| 9V-SHF | SIN | 17 Jun 20 | 2 |
| 9V-SHG | SIN | 25 Apr 20 | 55 |
| 9V-SHH | SIN | 17 Jun 20 | 2 |
| 9V-SHI | SIN | 24 Mar 20 | 87 |
| 9V-SHJ | SIN | 17 Jun 20 | 2 |
| 9V-SHK | SIN | 18 Jun 20 | 1 |
| 9V-SHL | SIN | 18 Jun 20 | 1 |
| 9V-SHM | SIN | 12 Jun 20 | 7 |
| 9V-SHN | SIN | 18 Jun 20 | 1 |
| 9V-SHO | SIN | 14 Jun 20 | 5 |
Airbus A350-900 ULR
All the airline’s 7 Airbus A350-900 ULR aircraft remain stored in Singapore, having not flown at all since March 2020.
 |
|||
| Aircraft | Location | Last flew | Days ago |
| 9V-SGA | SIN | 25 Mar 20 | 86 |
| 9V-SGB | SIN | 22 Mar 20 | 89 |
| 9V-SGC | SIN | 30 Mar 20 | 81 |
| 9V-SGD | SIN | 25 Mar 20 | 86 |
| 9V-SGE | SIN | 24 Mar 20 | 87 |
| 9V-SGF | SIN | 27 Mar 20 | 84 |
| 9V-SGG | SIN | 23 Mar 20 | 88 |
Non-stop SIA flights to and from Los Angeles continue to be operated by 3-class long-haul Airbus A350-900s, which are coping with the non-stop westbound LAX-SIN flight against the headwinds without issue, probably due to low payload allowing more fuel to be carried.
Airbus A380-800
Four of the airline’s A380 Version 3 aircraft remain in long-term storage at Alice Springs, with the other 15 aircraft stored at Changi.
No revenue flights with the A380s have been flown since March 2020, and they are not being used in the current schedule through 31st July 2020.
 |
|||
| Aircraft | Location | Last flew | Days ago |
| 9V-SKF | SIN | 24 Mar 20 | 87 |
| 9V-SKG | SIN | 25 Mar 20 | 86 |
| 9V-SKH | SIN | 22 Mar 20 | 89 |
| 9V-SKI | SIN | 20 Mar 20 | 91 |
| 9V-SKJ | SIN | 20 Mar 20 | 91 |
| 9V-SKK | SIN | 21 Mar 20 | 90 |
| 9V-SKL | SIN | 27 Mar 20 | 84 |
| 9V-SKM | SIN | 21 Mar 20 | 90 |
| 9V-SKN | SIN | 15 Oct 19 | 248 |
| 9V-SKP | SIN | 24 Mar 20 | 87 |
| 9V-SKQ | SIN | 26 Mar 20 | 85 |
| 9V-SKR | SIN | 19 Mar 20 | 92 |
| 9V-SKS | SIN | 12 Mar 20 | 99 |
| 9V-SKT | ASP | 18 Mar 20 | 93 |
| 9V-SKU | SIN | 25 Mar 20 | 86 |
| 9V-SKV | SIN | 28 Mar 20 | 83 |
| 9V-SKW | ASP | 26 Mar 20 | 85 |
| 9V-SKY | ASP | 27 Mar 20 | 84 |
| 9V-SKZ | ASP | 30 Mar 20 | 81 |
9V-SKN, in maintenance since October 2019, has now almost certainly had its cabin refit to Version 3 completed. We expect it may make a test flight in the coming weeks.
Boeing 777-200
The single Boeing 777-200 available to SIA, 9V-SQN, is stored at Changi having not flown any passenger flights since mid-March.
The aircraft flew a short test flight on 1st May 2020, but has since flown a longer two-hour test flight on 14th May 2020.
 |
|||
| Aircraft | Location | Last flew | Days ago |
| 9V-SQN | SIN | 20 Mar 20 | 91 |
It is almost certainly for disposal.
Boeing 777-200ER
3 of the airline’s Boeing 777-200ERs are stored in Alice Springs, likely to be a long-term arrangement, while its sole remaining aircraft (9V-SVM) is still in Changi.
The aircraft last flew passengers in February 2020, but it flew a 2-hour test flight on 8th June 2020. It is likely for disposal.
 |
|||
| Aircraft | Location | Last flew | Days ago |
| 9V-SVB | ASP | 17 Mar 20 | 94 |
| 9V-SVC | ASP | 19 Mar 20 | 92 |
| 9V-SVE | ASP | 21 Mar 20 | 90 |
| 9V-SVM | SIN | 29 Feb 20 | 111 |
In its recent analyst briefing, Singapore Airlines effectively wrote off the Boeing 777-200 and -200ERs, with no chance for their return to the active fleet.
Boeing 777-300
9V-SYH has joined 9V-SYF and 9V-SYI in storage at Changi this month, reducing the number of active Boeing 777-300 aircraft from 3 to 2.
The remaining two in in ‘active storage’ are solely flying cargo-only services.
 |
|||
| Aircraft | Location | Last flew | Days ago |
| 9V-SYF | SIN | 10 Apr 20 | 70 |
| 9V-SYH | SIN | 5 May 20 | 45 |
| 9V-SYI | SIN | 22 Mar 20 | 89 |
| 9V-SYJ | SIN | 10 Jun 20 | 9 |
| 9V-SYL | SIN | 17 Jun 20 | 2 |
Lately these aircraft are making only occasional flights to Tokyo Narita, Yangon and Surabaya.
Boeing 777-300ER
Singapore Airlines has stopped flying 7 of the 18 Boeing 777-300ERs that were operating in May 2020, meaning only 11 are now active in the last two weeks with 16 stored at Changi, having not flown for over a month in most cases.
These aircraft are now dedicated to cargo-only operation in the current schedule through 31st July 2020, having ceased passenger services earlier in June 2020.
 |
|||
| Aircraft | Location | Last flew | Days ago |
| 9V-SWA | SIN | 29 Mar 20 | 82 |
| 9V-SWB | SIN | 24 Mar 20 | 87 |
| 9V-SWD | SIN | 19 Mar 20 | 92 |
| 9V-SWE | SIN | 2 Jun 20 | 17 |
| 9V-SWF | SIN | 17 Jun 20 | 2 |
| 9V-SWG | SIN | 30 May 20 | 20 |
| 9V-SWH | SIN | 18 Jun 20 | 1 |
| 9V-SWI | SIN | 6 May 20 | 44 |
| 9V-SWJ | SIN | 4 May 20 | 46 |
| 9V-SWK | SIN | 4 May 20 | 46 |
| 9V-SWL | SIN | 6 May 20 | 44 |
| 9V-SWM | SIN | 2 May 20 | 48 |
| 9V-SWN | SIN | 16 Jun 20 | 3 |
| 9V-SWO | SIN | 2 Apr 20 | 78 |
| 9V-SWP | SIN | 29 Mar 20 | 82 |
| 9V-SWQ | SIN | 18 Jun 20 | 1 |
| 9V-SWR | SIN | 16 Jun 20 | 3 |
| 9V-SWS | SIN | 5 Apr 20 | 75 |
| 9V-SWT | SIN | 23 Mar 20 | 88 |
| 9V-SWU | SIN | 30 Apr 20 | 50 |
| 9V-SWV | SIN | 12 Jun 20 | 7 |
| 9V-SWW | SIN | 13 Jun 20 | 6 |
| 9V-SWY | SIN | 8 Jun 20 | 11 |
| 9V-SWZ | SIN | 9 Jun 20 | 10 |
| 9V-SNA | SIN | 8 Jun 20 | 11 |
| 9V-SNB | SIN | 16 Mar 20 | 95 |
| 9V-SNC | SIN | 14 Jun 20 | 5 |
Looking at the last 7 days in isolation, only 8 Boeing 777-300ERs are more recently active, suggesting additional aircraft are being stored at the time of writing.
Boeing 787-10
All 15 of the airline’s Boeing 787-10s are still flying in active storage mode.
 |
|||
| Aircraft | Location | Last flew | Days ago |
| 9V-SCA | SIN | 18 Jun 20 | 1 |
| 9V-SCB | SIN | 17 Jun 20 | 2 |
| 9V-SCC | SIN | 18 Jun 20 | 1 |
| 9V-SCD | SIN | 15 Jun 20 | 4 |
| 9V-SCE | SIN | 18 Jun 20 | 1 |
| 9V-SCF | SIN | 18 Jun 20 | 1 |
| 9V-SCG | SIN | 18 Jun 20 | 1 |
| 9V-SCH | SIN | 18 Jun 20 | 1 |
| 9V-SCI | SIN | 18 Jun 20 | 1 |
| 9V-SCJ | SIN | 18 Jun 20 | 1 |
| 9V-SCK | SIN | 18 Jun 20 | 1 |
| 9V-SCL | SIN | 18 Jun 20 | 1 |
| 9V-SCM | SIN | 17 Jun 20 | 2 |
| 9V-SCN | SIN | 18 Jun 20 | 1 |
| 9V-SCO | SIN | 17 Jun 20 | 2 |
This remains by far the busiest fleet in the airline at the moment, with each aircraft flying around six return flights per week on average, close to two-thirds of the type’s usual utilisation.
With the exception of a few routes, Boeing 787s are being used predominantly on cargo-only services. Earlier this week we noted in our analysis that over 86% of SIA Boeing 787 flights (119 out of 138) were cargo-only services.
It’s largely due to services like Shanghai, Sydney and Perth still supporting regular flights but only with belly hold cargo.
Alice Springs storage
Seven Singapore Airlines aircraft are now in long-term storage at Alice Springs airport in Australia, where the hot, dry climate is fare more conducive to preservation.
They are joined by six SilkAir Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, four Scoot Airbus A320s and two NokScoot Boeing 777-200ERs
| SIA and Scoot-branded aircraft stored in Alice Springs |
||
| Airline | Aircraft | Total |
 |
Airbus A380 | 4 |
| Boeing 777-200ER | 3 | |
 |
Boeing 737 MAX 8 | 6 |
 |
Airbus A320 | 4 |
 |
Boeing 777-200ER | 2 |
The NokScoot Boeing 777-200ERs were former Singapore Airlines aircraft:
- HS-XBB (formerly 9V-SRG with SIA then 9V-OTF with Scoot)
- HS-XBC (formerly 9V-SRH with SIA)
Mainly Miles understands there are slots for more SIA Group aircraft at Alice Springs, with the next batch flying there in late June 2020.
These could potentially include the other three Airbus A380 Version 3 models (9V-SKS, -SKU and -SKV).
It would be logical for Singapore Airlines to preserve all its A380 Version 3 aircraft in Alice Springs, as these are likely the ones they will wish to use long-term when demand recovers.
Asia Pacific Aircraft Storage in Alice Springs is expanding its capacity to house at least 70 aircraft.
Cargo is now big business
Earlier this week we updated our analysis of the airline’s current cargo-only operations, now a significant part of the business for SIA.
“On the cargo front, the significant reduction in belly hold capacity globally has resulted in strong demand for freighter services. We have accordingly focused our efforts on maximising freighter utilisation, and continuing to supplement freighter capacity with the deployment of passenger aircraft operating cargo-only flights to meet the demand from global supply chains.”
Singapore Airlines trading update, 8th May 2020
As our recent analysis showed, there are now 140 departures per week from Changi flying with passenger aircraft utilising only belly hold cargo (no passengers), more than three times the 46 departures per week flying the very limited passenger operation.
The airline is focusing these flights using passenger aircraft with the highest underfloor cargo capacity – the Boeing 777-300 / -300ER, Boeing 787-10 and Airbus A350 (non-ULR).
That’s in addition to the busy global schedule being flown by the airline’s dedicated Boeing 747-400 Freighter aircraft.
Future aircraft deliveries
The SIA Group still has large order books with Airbus and Boeing for its fleet modernisation and replacement strategy over the next few years. These comprise:
Additionally, Scoot is taking 10 Airbus A321neo aircraft through leasing companies over the coming years.
Singapore Airlines is currently in negotiations with Airbus and Boeing to reduce its new aircraft intake, potentially spreading out this large commitment for 140 additional new aircraft across a longer time period.
“We are in negotiations with aircraft manufacturers to adjust our delivery stream for existing aircraft orders, in view of prevailing market conditions, balancing that with our longer term fleet renewal programme”
Singapore Airlines trading update, 8th May 2020
At least 12 Airbus A350s and 3 Boeing 787-10s alone were originally scheduled to join the fleet during this financial year. We wouldn’t be surprised to see those totals more than halved, given what other airlines seem to be negotiating with the manufacturers.
There’s still no official word from the airline on how its capital expenditure on new aircraft purchases has been reduced yet, but we’ll be sure to report once they do so, hopefully with some concrete fleet numbers.
Full details
As always you can see full details of each aircraft type in the Singapore Airlines fleet at the following links, including aircraft registrations specific to each configuration.
- Airbus A330
- Airbus A350 (3 versions)
- Airbus A380 (3 versions)
- Boeing 777-200
- Boeing 777-200ER
- Boeing 777-300
- Boeing 777-300ER
- Boeing 787-10
If the seat types and routes interest you more – see our Seats Guide.
Stay tuned for the next fleet (and aircraft storage) update in July 2020.
(Cover Photo: Shutterstock)