Singapore Airlines and SilkAir have extended their published passenger flight schedules until the end of 2020, with one of the most significant ramp-ups we’ve seem lately adding five routes and increasing frequencies on many existing services, including daily flights to Amsterdam and 10 flights per week to key metro cities like Jakarta and Hong Kong.
This extends the confirmed timetable through to 31st December 2020, sealing a year the national carrier would likely rather forget.
Melbourne is set to become the airline’s busiest route, with 13 weekly connections, ahead of London and Sydney each receiving 12 flights per week.
Overall, schedules will lift to around 15% of usual levels by December 2020.
Headline figures
In total SIA and SilkAir will fly 1,530 passenger flights during December 2020, a significant 70% increase on the 902 services being operated during October 2020.
“By the end of December 2020, the Group’s passenger capacity will reach approximately 15% of its pre-Covid-19 levels.”
Singapore Airlines, 2 October 2020
New routes
Singapore Airlines will add three routes in the coming months:
- Brunei (from 1 Nov)
- Dhaka (from 20 Oct)
- Fukuoka (from 5 Nov)
SilkAir meanwhile will add two routes:
- Kathmandu (from 10 Oct)
- Malé (from 1 Dec)
SilkAir will also restart its Penang flights from 25th October, which we already announced last month. The regional carrier will also operate services to and from Brunei on behalf of Singapore Airlines under its longstanding wet-lease arrangement, using Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
The Maldives allows tourism
The most interesting addition to the schedule is Malé in the Maldives, set to be served twice weekly by SilkAir using the Boeing 737-800 from December.
The Maldives has begun welcoming tourists again with its visa on arrival programme, subject to obtaining a medical certificate with a negative COVID-19 PCR test result conducted no more than 72 hours before departure.
There is no mandatory quarantine, passengers must be simply travelling as tourists and have a hotel stay booked for the duration of their visit. Details are available here.
Unfortunately for Singapore residents things aren’t so simple. Currently you can only get a voluntary pre-departure COVID-19 PCR test