Singapore Airlines has loaded another significant schedule increase for its passenger network from mid-January 2021, adding another 5% of pre-COVID capacity by boosting frequencies and restarting flights to more cities to support gradually increasing passenger numbers and buoyant cargo demand.
From January 2021, SIA will reinstate services to Dubai, Tokyo-Haneda, Moscow and Munich, and increase the frequency of its existing services to points in the United States, Europe and South Africa.
Singapore Airlines, 18 December 2020
Once these increases take effect, Singapore Airlines will fly over 2,100 passenger flights per month through to the end of March 2021, its highest total since the pandemic hit and schedules were slashed to just 4% of usual capacity back in April 2020.
The Group’s passenger capacity will reach approximately 25% of its pre-Covid-19 levels by the end of March 2021.
Singapore Airlines, 18 December 2020
New routes
Singapore Airlines will reintroduce passenger service to three former cities on its network during January 2021.
Dubai
(from 18th January 2021)
| Days | |||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
 |
SQ494 A350 Regional |
||||||||
| SIN 15:05 |
DXB 18:45 |
||||||||
|
SQ495 A350 Regional |
||||||||
| DXB 20:00 |
SIN 07:15(+1) |
||||||||
Dubai was previously operated by the Boeing 777-300ER, but has now been scheduled using the Airbus A350 Regional with the 2018 RJ seats in Business Class.
Moscow
(from 20th January 2021)
| Days | |||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
|
SQ362 A350 Long Haul |
||||||||
| SIN 00:05 |
DME 06:10 |
||||||||
|
SQ361 A350 Long Haul |
||||||||
| DME 15:20 |
SIN 06:40 |
||||||||
Note that this route is not yet on sale. Moscow services will no longer continue to Stockholm, after Singapore Airlines announced that it does not intend to return to the Swedish capital after COVID-19.
Tokyo-Haneda
(from 18th January 9th February 2021)
Edit: Tokyo-Haneda flights are now planned three times weekly from 9th February 2021, increasing to daily from 1st March 2021.
| Days | |||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
|
SQ634 A350 Regional |
||||||||
| SIN 14:05 |
HND 21:40 |
||||||||
|
SQ635 A350 Regional |
||||||||
| HND 22:55 |
SIN 05:15(+1) |
||||||||
Tokyo-Haneda
(from 1st March 2021)
| Days | |||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
|
SQ634 A350 Regional |
||||||||
| SIN 14:05 |
HND 21:40 |
||||||||
|
SQ635 A350 Regional |
||||||||
| HND 22:55 |
SIN 05:15(+1) |
||||||||
Together with SIA’s existing daily Tokyo-Narita flights, this Haneda service will lift SIA’s total frequencies to and from the Japanese capital to 14 per week from mid-January March 2021.
USA frequency increases
Singapore Airlines will significantly increase the frequency of existing flights to and from the USA starting in mid-January:
- Los Angeles (5/wk Daily)
- New York-JFK (3/wk Daily)
- San Francisco (3/wk Daily)
At the same time, New York JFK flights will switch from their existing 3-class Airbus A350 operation to the 2-class Airbus A350ULR, a type already used on the San Francisco route.
This aircraft type change will take effect from 16th January 2021, while the frequency hikes on all three routes commence from 18th January 2021.
Los Angeles flights will continue to be served by the 3-class Airbus A350, making it the airline’s sole USA route featuring Economy Class.
Overall Singapore Airlines will offer 21 flights per week to and from the USA once these frequency changes take effect. Before COVID-19 the carrier flew 57 flights per week to the US, though remember this dropped to just 3 per week for some time after the schedules were originally cut when the pandemic began.
Newark will be back
Singapore Airlines has chosen not to split its non-stop New York operations between JFK and Newark airports at this stage, though the carrier admitted this was an option.
“From a schedule and economies-of-scale perspective, it made sense to scale up JFK to daily before returning to Newark.”
Joey Seow, Regional Vice President Americas, Singapore Airlines
On the plus side this confirms there is an intention to return daily non-stop services to Newark, at a later date.
“We are not at all abandoning Newark”, SIA’s Regional Vice President Americas Joey Seow told The Points Guy.
Indeed we have been informed that the non-stop JFK route was always on the cards from October 2020, occupying the pair of Airbus A350ULRs that were to be released from other duties, and that twice daily non-stop New York (one EWR, one JFK) plus a daily non-stop Los Angeles flight was the intended distribution for these seven aircraft from the northern winter 2020 season.
Meanwhile, the Singapore – Frankfurt – JFK route was likely to see a downgrade to Boeing 777-300ER operation.
We wouldn’t be surprised if this is still the longer-term plan for SIA’s New York services post-COVID, especially as the A380 fleet is trimmed from 19 to 12.
Europe and South Africa frequency increases
From mid-January 2021 there are also several frequency increases on Europe and South Africa routes:
- Barcelona (1/wk 3/wk)
- Frankfurt (5/wk Daily)
- Johannesburg (3/wk 5/wk)
- Milan (1/wk 3/wk)
- Paris (3/wk Daily)
- Zurich (4/wk Daily)
These are in addition to the previously announced reinstatement of three times weekly Munich flights from 20th January 2021.
Full SIA schedules
Here’s a map of the 24 Asia-Pacific destinations Singapore Airlines will be serving by March 2021.
In addition, three US destinations, 12 Europe / Middle East cities and Johannesburg in South Africa will be served.
Singapore Airlines will be running the following passenger route network between 1st January 2021 and 27th March 2021, with 39 cities (and 40 airports) served.
All routes not listed below are cancelled during this period, or will have cargo-only operation.
= Newly added
Frequency changes highlighted.
| Singapore Airlines Routes Short-haul & Asia (Jan – Mar 2021) |
||||
| City | Month | Acft | ||
| Jan | Feb | Mar | ||
| Bangkok | 7/wk | 7/wk | 7/wk | 77W |
| Brunei | 3/wk | 3/wk | 3/wk | 738 |
| Colombo | 3/wk | 3/wk | 3/wk | 359R |
| Dhaka | 4/wk |
4/wk | 4/wk | 359R |
| Fukuoka | 1/wk | 1/wk | 1/wk | 787 |
| Hanoi | 7/wk | 7/wk | 7/wk | 359R |
| Ho Chi Minh | 7/wk | 7/wk | 7/wk | 77W |
| Hong Kong | 7/wk | 7/wk | 7/wk | 359 |
| Jakarta | 14/wk | 14/wk | 14/wk | 359 |
| Kuala Lumpur | 7/wk | 7/wk | 7/wk | 77W |
| Manila | 7/wk | 7/wk | 7/wk | 359R |
| Nagoya | 3/wk | 3/wk | 3/wk | 787 |
| Osaka | 7/wk | 7/wk | 7/wk | 359R |
| Seoul | 6/wk 7/wk (fm 18/1) |
7/wk | 7/wk | 787 |
| Shanghai | 1/wk | 1/wk | 1/wk | 787 |
| Shenzhen | 1/wk | 1/wk | 1/wk | 359R |
| Tokyo Haneda | – | 3/wk (fm 9/2) |
7/wk | 359R |
| Tokyo Narita | 7/wk | 7/wk | 7/wk | 787 |
| Total | 92/wk to 93/wk |
96/wk | 100/wk | |
The latest updated schedules including days of operation is available at this dedicated page on the Singapore Airlines website.
= Newly added
Frequency changes highlighted.
| Singapore Airlines Routes Australia & Long-haul (Jan – Mar 2021) |
||||
| City | Month | Acft | ||
| Jan | Feb | Mar | ||
| Adelaide | 3/wk | 3/wk | 3/wk | 359R |
| Amsterdam | 7/wk | 7/wk | 7/wk | 359 |
| Auckland | 6/wk | 7/wk | 7/wk | 359 |
| Barcelona | 1/wk 3/wk (fm 19/1) |
3/wk | 3/wk | 359 |
| Brisbane | 6/wk | 6/wk | 6/wk | 359R |
| Christchurch | 3/wk | 3/wk | 3/wk | 359 |
| Copenhagen | 3/wk | 3/wk | 3/wk | 359 |
| Dubai | 5/wk (fm 18/1) |
5/wk | 5/wk | 359R |
| Frankfurt | 5/wk 7/wk (fm 14/1) |
7/wk | 7/wk | 359 |
| Istanbul | 1/wk | 1/wk | 1/wk | 359 |
| Johannesburg | 3/wk 5/wk (fm 18/1) |
5/wk | 5/wk | 359 |
| London | 14/wk | 14/wk | 14/wk | 359 |
| Los Angeles | 5/wk 7/wk (fm 18/1) |
7/wk | 7/wk | 359 |
| Melbourne | 7/wk | 7/wk | 7/wk | 359R |
| Milan | 1/wk 3/wk (fm 19/1) |
3/wk | 3/wk | 359 |
| Moscow | 3/wk (fm 20/1) |
3/wk | 3/wk | 359 |
| Munich | 3/wk (fm 20/1) |
3/wk | 3/wk | 359 |
| New York JFK | 3/wk (till 17/1) |
– |
– | 359 |
| 7/wk (fm 18/1) |
7/wk |
7/wk | 359ULR | |
| Paris | 3/wk 7/wk (fm 19/1) |
7/wk | 7/wk | 359 |
| Perth | 7/wk | 7/wk | 7/wk | 787 |
| San Francisco | 3/wk 7/wk (fm 18/1) |
7/wk | 7/wk | 359ULR |
| Sydney | 14/wk | 15/wk | 15/wk | 359R |
| Zurich | 4/wk 7/wk (fm 19/1) |
7/wk | 7/wk | 359 |
| Total | 99/wk to 135/wk |
137/wk | 137/wk | |
The latest updated schedules including days of operation is available at this dedicated page on the Singapore Airlines website.
Summary
This is the biggest single increase in capacity we have seen Singapore Airlines inject into its passenger network since COVID-19 hit in early 2020, with an additional 5% of pre-COVID flying representing nearly 500 additional monthly flights added to the schedules by February 2021.
US and Europe routes pick up big frequency increases, while Dubai and Moscow rejoin the network.
New York flights will also pick up the more suitable Airbus A350ULR aircraft from mid-January, leaving Los Angeles as the carrier’s sole US destination with an Economy Class option offered.
With transit approval through Changi on almost all SIA city pairs, these increases will help SIA tap into more connecting demand, while also improving cargo capacity, even while overall passenger totals to and from Singapore itself remains low.
(Cover Photo: Shutterstock)
Erm… this is a pretty dramatic increase in capacity. What are they seeing? Or what do they know? Without an equally dramatic change in border restrictions there’s no way these will be sustainable…
There is still cargo space below deck. In times like these cargo probably fetches more money than passengers. Flights can continue to operate as cargo only flights.
The world is starting to open up. Singapore will probably remain ring fenced until December 2021.