With strict border restrictions still in force both regionally and internationally, there has been no significant recovery for air traffic at Singapore Changi Airport lately, though statistics for June 2020 showed a nice increase from the May 2020 low point. This was no doubt helped by additional transit approvals for passengers on SIA Group itineraries.
July should be another growth month, albeit with small numbers, as additional transit approvals were secured and more airlines restarted services or lifted some frequencies.
Airlines continue to add services this month, including a return for Cebu Pacific, Finnair and Lufthansa, though Asiana is scaling back its services slightly.
Here’s a look at who’s flying where in August 2020.
Singapore carriers
First of all, here’s the schedule for our four ‘home’ airlines this month.
Jetstar
Jetstar Asia has been operating limited passenger services to and from Bangkok, Manila and Kuala Lumpur since 21st April 2020 (having been completely grounded from 23rd March to 20th April).
These flights continue through the end of August 2020, with the remainder of the airline’s services currently cancelled.
- Bangkok (2/wk)*
- Kuala Lumpur (2/wk)
- Manila (1/wk)
* Singapore – Bangkok flights are cargo-only due to Thai government restrictions.
That’s a total of 3 passenger departures per week from Changi.
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Jetstar Asia Changi Departures |
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| Jul 3/wk |
➔ | Aug 3/wk |
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SilkAir
In July 2020, SilkAir operated a network of three routes with seven weekly flights, using its Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
The airline is currently flying to:
- Chongqing (1/wk)
- Kuala Lumpur (4/wk)
- Medan (2/wk)
This schedule is maintained for August 2020.
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SilkAir Changi Departures |
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| Jul 7/wk |
➔ | Aug 7/wk |
|
Scoot
Scoot recently announced the addition of Clark to its schedule of passenger flights for August 2020, with 16 weekly departures from Changi to 12 cities:
- Clark (1/wk)
- Guangzhou (1/wk)
- Hong Kong (3/wk)
- Ipoh (1/wk)
- Kuala Lumpur (1/wk)
- Kuching (1/wk)
- Nanjing (1/wk)
- Penang (1/wk)
- Perth (3/wk)
- Surabaya (1/wk)
- Taipei / Seoul (2/wk)
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Scoot Changi Departures |
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| Jul 13/wk |
➔ | Aug 16/wk |
|
Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines expanded its schedule slightly from July 2020 and is currently flying 52 passenger departures per week from Changi, rather than the 49 per week we first reported for the month.
The expanded schedule continues for August 2020, with one additional Auckland flight added for a total of 62 weekly passenger departures from Singapore.
Here is the Singapore Airlines network for August 2020:
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* Cargo-only from Singapore due to government restrictions. Passengers carried to Singapore only.
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Singapore Airlines Changi Departures |
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| Jul 52/wk |
➔ | Aug 62/wk |
|
Additionally, the airline is flying cargo-only services to several cities, including to Bangkok, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh with passengers carried on inbound sectors back to Singapore in those three cases.
Overseas carriers
Important Note: This schedule data is correct at the time of writing (30-31 July 2020) and will not be updated with subsequent changes. Always check with your operating airline for the latest schedule.
Air China
Air China has been operating a once weekly (Monday) service from Singapore to Chengdu using the Airbus A330 since 11th May.
That service continues in August, supplemented by an additionally weekly (Friday) flight to Hangzhou.
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Air China Changi Departures |
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| Jul 1/wk |
➔ | Aug 2/wk |
|
The airline is provisionally re-adding daily Singapore – Beijing flights from 1st September 2020, though this is likely to be pushed back further.
Air France
In July Air France operated twice weekly passenger flights from Changi to Paris, using Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.
For August 2020, a third weekly flight has been added, for operation on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
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Air France Changi Departures |
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| Jul 2/wk |
➔ | Aug 3/wk |
|
Air France has also been operating some cargo-only services on this route.
Air Niugini
Air Niugini has been operating from Changi to Port Moresby four times weekly during June and July 2020 on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. This schedule continues during August 2020.
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Air Niugini Changi Departures |
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| Jul 4/wk |
➔ | Aug 4/wk |
|
Air Asia Group
Air Asia was planning an ambitious restart of operations at Changi Airport in both June and July 2020, however service resumption was postposed in both cases.
In the latest schedules, services are now planned to restart in mid-August to:
- Ipoh (14/wk from 15 Aug)
- Kota Kinabalu (2/wk from 15 Aug)
- Kuala Lumpur (28/wk fm 14 Aug)
- Penang (7/wk fm 14 Aug)
Given the repeat postponements, further schedule changes remain highly likely.
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Air Asia Changi Departures |
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| Jul None |
➔ | Aug (fm 14th) 51/wk |
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Air Asia will be operating from Terminal 1 when it restarts operations at Changi, following the temporary closure of Terminal 4 in May 2020.
ANA
ANA has been flying three times weekly service to Tokyo Narita during July 2020 – on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Despite provisionally scheduling its regular full schedule (three times daily / 21 times weekly) from 1st August 2020, the reduced three times weekly service will continue this month.
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ANA Changi Departures |
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| Jul 3/wk |
➔ | Aug 3/wk |
|
Full schedule now resumes from 1st September 2020, subject to further (downward) adjustment.
Asiana
This is the first airline we know of to have reinstated flight frequencies since COVID-19, only then to reduce them. In August 2020, Asiana scales back to one weekly service on Fridays using Airbus A330s, from two Airbus A350 services previously.
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Asiana Changi Departures |
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| Jul 2/wk |
➔ | Aug 1/wk |
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British Airways
British Airways has been operating out of Changi to London on alternate days in June and July 2020.
This has been altered to a four times weekly schedule on fixed days (Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays) during August 2020.
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British Airways Changi Departures |
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| Jul 3-4/wk |
➔ | Aug 4/wk |
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Services from Singapore to Sydney ended on 8th April 2020 and are not scheduled to restart until 25th October 2020 at this stage, though that provisional date continues to slip.
Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific is now operating from Terminal 1 at Changi, and is currently flying 3 times weekly to Hong Kong.
This schedule continues in August 2020.
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Cathay Pacific Changi Departures |
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| Jul 3/wk |
➔ | Aug 3/wk |
|
Cathay’s usual daily flight from Singapore to Bangkok is currently suspended until at least 1st September 2020.
Cebu Pacific
Cebu Pacific stopped flying from Changi on 18th March 2020.
The airline will re-start Singapore – Manila flights twice per week using Airbus A321 aircraft in August, on Fridays and Sundays.
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Cebu Pacific Changi Departures |
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| Jul None |
➔ | Aug 2/wk |
|
Cebu will operate from Terminal 1 when it restarts operations at Changi, following the temporary closure of Terminal 4 in May 2020.
China Airlines
China Airlines has been operating twice weekly Airbus A330 passenger services from Changi to Taipei since mid-July 2020.
These flights continue, on Wednesdays and Sundays, during August 2020.
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China Airlines Changi Departures |
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| Jul 1/wk |
➔ | Aug 2/wk |
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China Eastern Airlines
China Eastern Airlines will operate once weekly (Thursday) Boeing 787-9 flights from Changi to Shanghai in August 2020, the same schedule it has been flying during July 2020.
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China Eastern Airlines Changi Departures |
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| Jul 1/wk |
➔ | Aug 1/wk |
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China Southern Airlines
China Southern Airlines has been flying once weekly (Tuesday) Boeing 787 services from Changi to Guangzhou. This schedule continues for August 2020.
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China Southern Airlines Changi Departures |
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| Jul 1/wk |
➔ | Aug 1/wk |
|
Emirates
Emirates is currently serving its Singapore – Dubai route three times weekly. Despite proposed increases, the airline is continuing to settle on this schedule during August.
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Emirates Changi Departures |
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| Jul 3/wk |
➔ | Aug 3/wk |
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Emirates is currently flying its latest Boeing 777-300ER aircraft on all flights to and from Changi including in August 2020, featuring its brand new First Class Suites and latest Business Class seats.
Etihad Airways
Etihad continues to operate four times weekly Boeing 787-9 flights between Changi and Abu Dhabi in August 2020, as it did in July 2020.
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Etihad Airways Changi Departures |
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| Jul 4/wk |
➔ | Aug 4/wk |
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EVA Air
EVA Air will continue its twice weekly passenger operation on the Singapore – Taipei route in August 2020, on Wednesdays and Sundays using Boeing 777-300ER aircraft
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EVA Air Changi Departures |
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| Jul 2/wk |
➔ | Aug 2/wk |
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Finnair
Finnair stopped flying its Helsinki flights from Changi on 19th March 2020.
Cargo-only services were reinstated from late May 2020, approximately twice weekly, however the airline is restarting passenger operations on the route in August 2020 on Fridays and Sundays.
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Finnair Changi Departures |
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| Jul None |
➔ | Aug 2/wk |
|
Five times weekly services are provisionally scheduled from early September 2020.
Garuda Indonesia
Garuda Indonesia’s five times weekly Jakarta service continues in August 2020, as it did the previous month. A mixture of Boeing 737-800 and Airbus A330 aircraft are used.
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Garuda Indonesia Changi Departures |
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| Jul 5/wk |
➔ | Aug 5/wk |
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The airline’s Bali and Surabaya flights from Singapore continue to be suspended.
Japan Airlines
JAL flew from Singapore to Tokyo twice per week in July 2020 on Wednesdays and Saturdays, using Boeing 777 aircraft.
This schedule continues for August 2020.
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Japan Airlines Changi Departures |
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| Jul 2/wk |
➔ | Aug 2/wk |
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Juneyao Airlines
Juneyao restarted once weekly Boeing 787-9 service each Friday to Shanghai in June 2020.
This was supposed to increase to twice weekly in July 2020, however that never happened and Friday only operation continued, as it does in August 2020.
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Juneyao Airlines Changi Departures |
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| Jul 1/wk |
➔ | Aug 1/wk |
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Services are temporarily operating from Terminal 1 (previously, Juneyao used T4).
KLM
KLM continues daily service from Changi to Amsterdam in August 2020 using Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.
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KLM Changi Departures |
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| Jul 7/wk |
➔ | Aug 7/wk |
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The airline is not currently extending its daily flight between Singapore and Bali, which ended on 23rd March.
Korean Air
Korean Air operated twice weekly passenger flights from Changi to Seoul during July 2020. This service increases to three times weekly in August 2020 every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, using Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.
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Korean Air Changi Departures |
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| Jul 2/wk |
➔ | Aug 3/wk |
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Korean Air is temporarily operating out of Terminal 3, having previously been in T4.
Lufthansa
Lufthansa stopped flying its Airbus A380 Frankfurt flights from Changi on 14th March 2020.
Frankfurt flights resume on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays during August, using Airbus A340-300 aircraft.
This will be the first appearance for the airline’s Airbus A340-300 aircraft at Changi for many years!
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Lufthansa Changi Departures |
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| Jul None |
➔ | Aug 3/wk |
|
Lufthansa flights are operating from Terminal 3 at Changi, following the closure of Terminal 2 on 1st May 2020.
The carrier’s Airbus A350 Munich flights are not due to restart until 25th October 2020 at this stage.
Philippine Airlines
Last month PAL proposed four times weekly services to Manila for July 2020, but in fact only operated three flights per week.
For August 2020 the airline is maintaining these to Manila on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, though it once again proposed flights four times per week including a Saturday service from 22nd August 2020.
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Philippine Airlines Changi Departures |
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| Jul 3/wk |
➔ | Aug (fm 22nd) 4/wk |
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Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways operated a single daily service from Singapore to Doha in July 2020, using a mixture of Airbus A350-1000 (all of which have Qsuite) and Qsuite-equipped Airbus A350-900 aircraft.
From 11th August 2020 this is supplemented by a second daily service.
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Qatar Airways Changi Departures |
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| Jul 7/wk |
➔ | Aug (fm 11th) 14/wk |
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Qatar Airways is one of the few airlines still providing full onboard service despite the COVID-19 pandemic, with crew continuing to provide the regular food and beverage selection while wearing full body PPE.
The only difference you’ll notice in Business Class is that your meal will be served on a tray, with cutlery and utensils in a sealed pack.
Royal Brunei Airlines
RBA has been continuing to serve its Singapore – Brunei route twice per week between May and July 2020, with Boeing 787-8 aircraft.
This schedule continues during August 2020, on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
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Royal Brunei Changi Departures |
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| Jul 2/wk |
➔ | Aug 2/wk |
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Swiss International Air Lines
Swiss flew three of its Singapore – Zurich services per week in July 2020. This was supposed to increase to daily service in the middle of that month, however the reduced frequency was retained.
In August 2020, three times weekly flights continue on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
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Swiss Int’l Changi Departures |
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| Jul 3/wk |
➔ | Aug 3/wk |
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Turkish Airlines
Turkish Airlines restarted services to and from Changi on 18th July 2020, with twice weekly Istanbul flights on Tuesdays and Saturdays using Boeing 787-9 aircraft.
This picks up to a five times weekly service in August 2020. Boeing 787-9 remains in use.
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Turkish Airlines Changi Departures |
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| Jul 2/wk |
➔ | Aug 5/wk |
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US-Bangla Airlines
US-Bangla Airlines suspended Singapore – Dhaka flights on 22nd March 2020, however the carrier is re-launching service four times weekly from 18th August 2020 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
| US-Bangla | US-Bangla Changi Departures |
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| Jul None |
➔ | Aug (fm 18th) 4/wk |
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A similar proposal was established for June and July 2020, however neither materialised, so expect further postponement here.
Xiamen Air
Xiamen Air is commencing once weekly service to Fuzhou on Tuesdays in August 2020.
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Xiamen Air Changi Departures |
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| Jul None |
➔ | Aug 1/wk |
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Where did United go?
United Airlines had planned to convert its cargo-only flights between Singapore and Hong Kong, which continued to San Francisco with passengers on board, to complete passenger services from 8th July 2020.
This never happened and the airline even suspended its cargo services at Changi, with aircraft instead terminating in Hong Kong after arriving from San Francisco.
These five times weekly flights including passenger service will now restart in September 2020, according to GDS schedules.
Totals
If all of these service changes recorded at the time of writing do indeed transpire at Changi in August 2020, here’s how the weekly passenger flight departure totals will look over the month.
- Currently: 139/wk
- Aug week 1: 159/wk
- Aug week 2: 173/wk
- Aug week 3: 227/wk
- Aug week 4: 228/wk
Of course this doesn’t come close to the usual 3,800 weekly passenger departures from Changi, based on August 2019 data, however it is a step in the right direction.
A word of caution
Not all of these planned flights and frequency increases will actually happen. Many are in anticipation of lockdown rules and travel restrictions easing, so we expect some airlines to push back their plans even further into September and potentially beyond that.
The large jump in flights in the third and fourth week of August are somewhat dependent on the ambitious Air Asia schedule of 51 weekly flights being added, which has been planned a couple of times already but hasn’t then transpired.
Some airlines cancel their flights a little more proactively with many weeks’ notice, while others are happy to sell you tickets on flights ‘leaving’ in a fortnight or less, and then suddenly push back their plans by a month!
Remember this ‘snapshot’ schedule data is correct at the time of writing (30-31 July 2020) and unfortunately we don’t have time to make continual changes so it will not be updated. Always check with your operating airline for the latest schedule.
Airlines not operating at Changi in August
The following airlines are not currently operating passenger services at Changi and have no such flights planned for the month of August 2020.
We have also indicated the provisional planned service resumption date where known, though do remember this is subject to change depending on any shift in travel restrictions.
| Airline | Planned restart | Airline | Planned restart |
| Air India | TBC | LOT Polish | 26 Oct 2020 |
| Air India Express | TBC | Malindo Air | 1 Sep 2020 |
| Air Mauritius | 1 Oct 2020 | Myanmar Airways International | 2 Sep 2020 |
| Air New Zealand | 25 Oct 2020 | Myanmar National | 21 Sep 2020 |
| Air Timor* | TBC | Qantas | TBC |
| Bangkok Airways | TBC | Regent Airways | TBC |
| Batik Air | TBC | Saudia | 26 Oct 2020 |
| Biman Bangladesh | 12 Oct 2020 | Shenzhen Airlines | 25 Oct 2020 |
| Chongqing Airlines | TBC | Sichuan Airlines | TBC |
| Druk Air | TBC | Spring Airlines | TBC |
| Ethiopian Airlines | 3 Sep 2020 | SriLankan Airlines | 1 Sep 2020 |
| Fiji Airways | TBC | Thai Airways | 2 Oct 2020 |
| GX Airlines | TBC | Thai Lion Air | 26 Oct 2020 |
| Hainan Airlines | TBC |
United Airlines | 1 Sep 2020 |
| Hebei Airlines | TBC | VietJet Air | 16 Sep 2020 |
| IndiGo | 1 Sep 2020 | Vietnam Airlines | 25 Oct 2020 |
| Jeju Air | 2 Sep 2020 | Vistara | 1 Sep 2020 |
| Lion Air | TBC |
* Operated by Druk Air
Summary
With travel restrictions remaining in force globally, there is set to be no quick recovery from the minimal passenger traffic levels we are currently seeing passing through Changi Airport, despite some increases in June 2020.
The good news is airlines are starting to return, with Cebu Pacific, Finnair and Lufthansa all restarting flights in August 2020. Other airlines, like Qatar Airways, are increasing frequencies too.
Unfortunately this is slightly tempered by airlines like Asiana and United reducing or withdrawing passenger flights, however the overall trend remains positive.
SIA Group transit passenger approval through the airport since June 2020 has continued to be supplemented with additional ‘valid cities’ on the list, which should also help passenger numbers increase this month.
Even if all these listed flights do materialise by the end of August 2020, they still represent only around 6% of usual passenger departures, so there remains a long way to go once travel restrictions are eased.
There are still 35 regular airlines not planning any return to Singapore until at least 1st September 2020, and in many cases even later in the year or with no firm date for restarting services at this stage.
Bottom line: Remember this is a ‘snapshot’ schedule as loaded in GDS and airline reservation systems at the time of writing (30-31 July 2020). We unfortunately don’t have time to keep the listing actively updated, so please check with your operating airline for the latest schedule.
(Cover Photo: Qatar Airways)