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Singapore Airlines releases schedules to October 2020, including Istanbul

Singapore Airlines is adding Istanbul to its network, for a total of 29 passenger routes through to late October 2020

SQ A350 Small (motive56 SS)

Singapore Airlines and SilkAir have extended their existing published passenger flight schedules through to the end of the northern summer season on 25th October 2020. Following Perth joining the list of passenger routes on 18th August, Istanbul has also been added by the mainline carrier from 26th August.

Frequencies have also been increased to and from Seoul for the second consecutive month in October 2020, with passenger service to the South Korean capital ramping up to five days per week.

Daily connections are maintained to and from London, Hong Kong and at ‘group level’ to and from Kuala Lumpur (SIA and SilkAir combined).

Overall, schedules lift to around 8% of usual levels in October 2020.

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  Headline figures

In total SIA and SilkAir will fly 625 passenger flights between 1st – 24th October 2020, a 5% increase on the 594 services being operated over the same period in September 2020 (1st – 24th Sep).

“Singapore Airlines (SIA) and SilkAir have increased the frequency of selected services in their passenger network in August, September and October 2020, and reinstated flights to Cebu, Istanbul, Milan, Perth, Phnom Penh and Taipei. By the end of October 2020, the Group’s passenger capacity will reach approximately 8% of its pre-Covid-19 levels.”

Singapore Airlines, 7 August 2020

We already knew about Cebu, Milan, Perth, Phnom Penh and Taipei, so Istanbul is the only addition here, from late August 2020.

SIA’s low-cost subsidiary Scoot recently increased its August schedule by around a third to 140 passenger flights, reaching 2.5% of normal levels. The airline has yet to announce its September and October 2020 flight schedules.

Singapore Airlines flights

Singapore Airlines will operate the following passenger flight volumes in each month:

  • 583 in August 2020
  • 655 in September 2020
  • 554 in October 2020*

* 1st – 24th October only

Though this looks like a drop, schedules for October have only been loaded until 24th of that month (the end of the northern summer season), so in fact it’s an increase equivalent to around 690 flights for the full month of October 2020.

Unfortunately due to the strict travel restrictions still in force around the world as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, this is still a far cry from anything close to normal, and certainly not the ‘V-shaped’ recovery predicted by some when the crisis first hit earlier this year.

Existing routes with frequency changes in September 2020:

  • Auckland (3/wk > 4/wk)
  • Hong Kong (3/wk > 7/wk)
  • Seoul (2/wk > 3/wk)

Existing routes with frequency changes in October 2020:

  • Seoul (3/wk > 5/wk)

Here’s a map of the 19 Asia-Pacific destinations being served by Singapore Airlines in September 2020, including the soon to be reinstated Perth and Taipei routes.

SQ Routemap AugOct APAC
(click to enlarge)

In addition, a single US destination and nine European cities will be served (Singapore Airlines is classifying Istanbul as Europe in its updated schedule listing)

SQ Routemap AugOct EURUS
(click to enlarge)

Singapore Airlines will be operating the following passenger flights to and from 29 cities during the August to October 2020 period.

New services and increased frequencies are highlighted in yellow

  Newly added city (Aug – Oct)

SQtrans small

All flights not listed below are cancelled during this period, or will operate as cargo-only services.

Adelaide
Days Acft
M T W T F S S
SIN ➔ ADL
SQ279
359R
ADL ➔ SIN
SQ278
359R
Amsterdam
Days Acft
M T W T F S S
SIN ➔ AMS
SQ324
359
AMS ➔ SIN
SQ323
359
Auckland
Days Acft
M T W T F S S
SIN ➔ AKL
SQ281
359
AKL ➔ SIN
SQ282
359
SIN ➔ AKL
SQ283
359
SIN ➔ AKL
SQ285
359
AKL ➔ SIN
SQ286
359
Bangkok
Days Acft
M T W T F S S
BKK ➔ SIN
SQ979
787
Note: SQ976 SIN-BKK is a cargo-only service due to Thai government restrictions
Barcelona
Days Acft
M T W T F S S
SIN ➔ BCN
SQ378
359
BCN ➔ SIN
SQ377
359
Note: Some Singapore – Barcelona flights (and vice-versa) operate via Milan.
Brisbane
Days Acft
M T W T F S S
SIN ➔ BNE
via SYD
SQ288
359
BNE ➔ SIN
SQ288
359
Note: Singapore – Brisbane flights operate via Sydney as SQ288 (the previous Canberra flight number), then operating direct back to Singapore.
Christchurch
Days Acft
M T W T F S S
SIN ➔ CHC
SQ297
359
CHC ➔ SIN
SQ298

359
Copenhagen
Days Acft
M T W T F S S
SIN ➔ CPH
SQ352
359
CPH ➔ SIN
SQ351
359
Frankfurt
Days Acft
M T W T F S S
SIN ➔ FRA
SQ26
359
FRA ➔ SIN
SQ25
359
Hanoi
Days Acft
M T W T F S S
HAN ➔ SIN
SQ175
359R
Note: Singapore – Hanoi flights operate as cargo-only. Passengers are carried solely on the return service.
Ho Chi Minh
Days Acft
M T W T F S S
SGN ➔ SIN
SQ177
787
Note: Singapore – Ho Chi Minh flights operate as cargo-only. Passengers are carried solely on the return service.
Hong Kong
(highlighted flights added in September)
Days Acft
M T W T F S S
SIN ➔ HKG
SQ890
787
HKG ➔ SIN
SQ891
787
Istanbul
(from 26 Aug)
Days Acft
M T W T F S S
SIN ➔ IST
SQ392
359
IST ➔ SIN
SQ391
359
Jakarta
Days Acft
M T W T F S S
SIN ➔ CGK
SQ966
359
CGK ➔ SIN
SQ967
359
Kuala Lumpur
Days Acft
M T W T F S S
SIN ➔ KUL
SQ104
359
KUL ➔ SIN
SQ105
359
London
Days Acft
M T W T F S S
SIN ➔ LHR
SQ322
359
LHR ➔ SIN
SQ317
359
Los Angeles
Days Acft
M T W T F S S
SIN ➔ LAX
SQ38
359
LAX ➔ SIN
SQ37
359
Manila
Days Acft
M T W T F S S
SIN ➔ MNL
SQ910
359R
MNL ➔ SIN
SQ917
359R
Melbourne
Days Acft
M T W T F S S
SIN ➔ MEL
SQ217
359
MEL ➔ SIN
SQ218
359
SIN ➔ MEL
SQ237
359
MEL ➔ SIN
SQ238
359
Milan
(from 20 Aug)
Days Acft
M T W T F S S
SIN ➔ MXP
SQ378
    359
MXP ➔ SIN
SQ377
359
Osaka
Days Acft
M T W T F S S
SIN ➔ KIX
SQ622
359R
KIX ➔ SIN
SQ623
359R
Paris
Days Acft
M T W T F S S
SIN ➔ CDG
SQ336
359
CDG ➔ SIN
SQ335
359
Perth
(from 18 Aug)
Days Acft
M T W T F S S
SIN ➔ PER
SQ223
787
PER ➔ SIN
SQ214
787
Shanghai
Days Acft
M T W T F S S
SIN ➔ PVG
SQ830
787
PVG ➔ SIN
SQ833
787
Seoul
(highlighted flights added in September / October*)
Days Acft
M T W T F S S
SIN ➔ ICN
SQ600
787
ICN ➔ SIN
SQ609
787

* Note: Saturday service added in September, Tuesday and Thursday services added in October

Sydney
Days Acft
M T W T F S S
SIN ➔ SYD
SQ231
359
SYD ➔ SIN
SQ232
359
SIN ➔ SYD
SQ288
359
SYD ➔ SIN
via BNE
SQ288
359
Note: SQ288 Sydney to Singapore flights (the old Canberra flight number) operate via Brisbane on the journey back to Singapore.
Taipei
(from 5 Sep)
Days Acft
M T W T F S S
SIN ➔ TPE
SQ876
787
TPE ➔ SIN
SQ877
787
SIN ➔ TPE
SQ878
787
TPE ➔ SIN
SQ879
787
Tokyo
Days Acft
M T W T F S S
SIN ➔ NRT
SQ638
787
NRT ➔ SIN
SQ637
787
Zurich
Days Acft
M T W T F S S
SIN ➔ ZRH
SQ346
359
ZRH ➔ SIN
SQ345
359

As you can see Singapore Airlines is continuing to dedicate its passenger flights to two aircraft types through to late October – the Airbus A350 (3-class and Regional variants) and Boeing 787-10.

That means no more First Class or Suites cabins for the foreseeable future, with Airbus A380s, Boeing 777-300s and Boeing 777-300ERs all in storage either at Changi or in Alice Springs, Australia.

Note: Some aircraft types in GDS and at SingaporeAir.com still reflect their originally planned variants. This will be updated in the coming days.

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SilkAir

SilkAir has brought forward its Cebu route, a destination originally planned for June but never actually restarted then announced again for September. Those flights will now start in August.

Otherwise it’s the same network for the regional carrier, with Phnom Penh added from September as previously announced, for a total of five cities served.

MI Routemap AugOct
(click to enlarge)

SilkAir will be running the following passenger flights during the August – October 2020 period.

New services or increased frequencies are highlighted in yellow

  Newly added city (Aug – Oct)

MI logo

All SilkAir flights not listed below are cancelled during this period.

Cebu
(from 2 Aug)
Days Acft
M T W T F S S
SIN ➔ CEB
MI560
738
CEB ➔ SIN
MI559
738
Chongqing
Days Acft
M T W T F S S
SIN ➔ CKG
MI972
738
CKG ➔ SIN
MI971
738
Kuala Lumpur
Days Acft
M T W T F S S
SIN ➔ KUL
MI324
738
KUL ➔ SIN
MI323
738
Medan
Days Acft
M T W T F S S
SIN ➔ KNO
MI234
738
KNO ➔ SIN
MI233

738
Phnom Penh
(from 1 Sep)
Days Acft
M T W T F S S
SIN ➔ PNH
MI608
738
PNH ➔ SIN
MI607
738
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Full schedules

Full flight schedules for SIA and SilkAir during the August to October 2020 period are now available at the Singapore Airlines website.

These are regularly updated, so do check for the latest changes.

  SIA and SilkAir August – October Flight Schedules

Scoot

SIA’s low cost subsidiary Scoot expended its route network to 12 cities in August 2020, with 140 services planned, its highest capacity by flight volumes since the airline imposed a skeleton schedule in April 2020.

Scoot tends to hold back on its schedule announcements until closer to the time and has not yet confirmed whether further frequencies and destinations will be added in September or October 2020.

Hopefully we can bring you more news on that from mid-August.

What if your flight has been cancelled?

You may be protected by SIA’s latest travel waiver policy, in which case you can:

  • Apply for a full cash refund; or
  • Receive a travel credit voucher including a bonus credit against a future booking

See our article here covering the latest travel waiver policy for details, or check the SIA website here.

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Late October onwards

As with previous months, Singapore Airlines continues to load practically its full schedule in GDS from the start of the northern winter season on 25th October 2020. It will then later announce which services will actually go ahead.

Do remember that these forward plans (25th October 2020 onwards) are subject to significant further cuts based on the coronavirus situation closer to the time, so we expect a revised service operation list to be announced closer to the time.

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Summary

A new connection to Istanbul and increased frequencies to Seoul are really the only news in this update, with little to no passenger market for the SIA Group to serve other than a limited (albeit important) opportunity for transit passengers to move around the world.

Without any relaxation of border restrictions, leisure travel is certainly looking like a 2021 prospect for most of our readers based in Asia.

SQ A350 Pushback (Alan Wilson)
Singapore Airlines has added Perth and Istanbul to its August 2020 schedule. (Photo: Alan Wilson)

We can’t realistically see Singapore Airlines returning to 10%+ of normal capacity levels in the coming months without significant progress to agree at least some form of common travel corridors and / or regular international tourist activity.

Let’s see what the northern winter schedule brings from late October 2020.

(Cover Photo: Shutterstock)

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