Singapore Airlines and SilkAir have announced their flight schedules through to the end of May 2021, adding an additional month to the previously confirmed route list, which was had been published through to 30th April 2021.
Besides some route transfers from SilkAir to the mainline carrier, including Phuket and Malé, there are no new routes planned, meaning a total of 42 cities linked by SIA and four by SilkAir through to the end of the new schedule period.
The passenger network over the next three months is set to be served by the following aircraft types:
- Airbus A350-900s
- Boeing 737-800s
- Boeing 777-300ERs
- Boeing 787-10s
Overall the SIA Group will operate 25% of its pre-COVID passenger capacity by May 2021, its largest schedule since the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
Sydney is set to become the airline’s busiest passenger route with 17 weekly flights from April 2021, followed by Jakarta and London with 14 flights per week.
There are also now nearly 20 cities with daily service, including Amsterdam, Frankfurt and New York.
Headline figures
In total SIA and SilkAir will fly over 2,200 passenger flights during May 2021, in common with April 2021 as the highest total since the pandemic hit.
“The Group’s passenger capacity will reach approximately 25% of its pre-Covid-19 levels by the end of May 2021.”
Singapore Airlines, 26 February 2021
Singapore Airlines Schedule
The most significant change for Singapore Airlines in the coming months is the addition of four new routes as a consequence of the SilkAir – SIA merger, which is now entering its final stages and involves the transfer of nine Boeing 737-800s into the mainline operation.
This will mark a new era for the carrier as it introduces narrow-body aircraft service for the first time in over 30 years, with the following routes in the initial tranche to move across:
- Chongqing
- Malé
- Phnom Penh
- Phuket
Here’s a map of the Asia-Pacific destinations Singapore Airlines will be serving by May 2021.
In addition, three US destinations, 11 European cities, Dubai in the Middle East and Johannesburg in South Africa will continue to be served.
Singapore Airlines will be running the following passenger route network between March 2021 and May 2021.
All routes not listed below are cancelled during this period, or will have cargo-only operation.
= Newly added
| Singapore Airlines Routes Short-haul & Asia (Mar – May 2021) |
||||
| City | Month | Acft | ||
| Mar | Apr | May | ||
| Bangkok | 7/wk | 7/wk | 7/wk | 77W |
| Brunei | 3/wk | 3/wk | 3/wk | 738 |
| Chongqing | 1/wk | 1/wk | 1/wk | 738 |
| Colombo | 3/wk | 3/wk | 3/wk | 359R |
| Dhaka | 4/wk |
5/wk | 5/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 77W |
| Kuala Lumpur | 7/wk | 7/wk | 7/wk | 77W |
| Malé | — | 3/wk | 3/wk | 738 |
| Manila | 7/wk | 7/wk | 4/wk | 359R |
| Nagoya | 3/wk | 3/wk | 3/wk | 787 |
| Osaka | 7/wk | 7/wk | 7/wk | 359R |
| Phnom Penh | 7/wk (fm 17/3) |
7/wk | 7/wk | 738 |
| Phuket | 2/wk |
2/wk | 2/wk | 738 |
| Seoul | 6/wk |
6/wk | 6/wk | 787 |
| Shanghai | 1/wk | 1/wk | 1/wk | 787 |
| Taipei | — | 3/wk | 3/wk | 787 |
| Tokyo Haneda | 3/wk |
7/wk | 7/wk | 359R |
| Tokyo Narita | 7/wk | 7/wk | 7/wk | 787 |
| Total | 104/wk |
108/wk | 105/wk | |
The latest updated schedules including days of operation is available at this dedicated page on the Singapore Airlines website.
A rare drop in flights to and from Manila is programmed in May 2021, reducing SIA service on the route from daily to four times weekly. The city is also served five times weekly from Singapore by Jetstar.
Plans for Malé to have five flights per week from April 2021 (from two per week under SilkAir in March) have been tempered slightly, and the route will be flown three times per week by SIA.
| Singapore Airlines Routes Australia & Long-haul (Mar – May 2021) |
||||
| City | Month | Acft | ||
| Mar | Apr | May | ||
| Adelaide | 3/wk | 3/wk | 3/wk | 359* 359R |
| Amsterdam | 7/wk | 7/wk | 7/wk | 359 |
| Auckland | 7/wk | 7/wk | 7/wk | 359 |
| Barcelona | 3/wk | 3/wk | 3/wk | 359 |
| Brisbane | 6/wk | 7/wk | 7/wk | 359 359R |
| Christchurch | 3/wk | 3/wk | 3/wk | 359 |
| Copenhagen | 3/wk | 3/wk | 3/wk | 359 |
| Dubai | 5/wk | 5/wk | 5/wk | 359R |
| Frankfurt | 7/wk | 7/wk | 7/wk | 359 |
| Istanbul | 1/wk | 1/wk | 1/wk | 359 |
| Johannesburg | 5/wk |
5/wk | 5/wk | 359 |
| London | 14/wk | 14/wk | 14/wk | 359 |
| Los Angeles | 7/wk | 7/wk | 7/wk | 359 |
| Melbourne | 7/wk | 7/wk | 7/wk | 359 359R |
| Milan | 3/wk | 3/wk | 3/wk | 359 |
| Moscow | 3/wk | 3/wk | 3/wk | 359 |
| Munich | 3/wk |
3/wk | 3/wk | 359 |
| New York JFK | 7/wk |
7/wk |
7/wk | 359ULR |
| Paris | 7/wk | 7/wk | 7/wk | 359 |
| Perth | 7/wk | 7/wk | 7/wk | 359* 787 |
| San Francisco | 7/wk | 7/wk | 7/wk | 359ULR |
| Sydney | 14/wk | 17/wk | 17/wk | 359 359R 787 |
| Zurich | 7/wk | 7/wk | 7/wk | 359 |
| Total | 136/wk |
140/wk | 140/wk | |
* Selected through-flights from London carrying transit passengers from the UK use 3-class A350s
The latest updated schedules including days of operation is available at this dedicated page on the Singapore Airlines website.
Brisbane and Sydney both get frequency increases over the coming months, with the latter taking top spot for total weekly passenger flights by the airline.
London Heathrow remains the carrier’s busiest European route, with twice daily service.
SilkAir Schedule
SilkAir is being gradually wound down as aircraft and routes move across to Singapore Airlines, however the carrier is still operating and will continue to serve four routes over the coming months with its own flight numbers.
All other SilkAir routes not listed below are cancelled during this period.
| SilkAir Routes (Mar – May 2021) |
||||
| City | Month | Acft | ||
| Mar | Apr | May | ||
| Cebu | 1/wk | 1/wk | 1/wk | 738 |
| Chongqing | Transfer to SIA | 738 | ||
| Kathmandu | 2/wk |
2/wk | 3/wk | 738 |
| Kuala Lumpur | 7/wk | 7/wk | 7/wk | 738 |
| Malé | 2/wk | Transfer to SIA | 738 | |
| Medan | 1/wk | 2/wk | 2/wk | 738 |
| Phnom Penh | 7/wk (till 16/3) |
Transfer to SIA | 738 | |
| Phuket | Transfer to SIA | 738 | ||
| Total | 20/wk |
12/wk | 13/wk | |
The latest updated schedules including days of operation is available at this dedicated page on the Singapore Airlines website.
Kathmandu sees another increase to three times weekly in May 2021, having already been lifted from one to two services each week, while Medan returns to twice weekly from April.
As the SilkAir – SIA merger progresses, don’t miss our full rundown of what to expect on board the narrow-body Boeing 737 aircraft from March 2021.
Summary
This month sees the first former SilkAir Boeing 737-800s joining the Singapore Airlines fleet, meaning routes like Phuket and Chongqing moving across to mainline operation.
Aside from some minor frequency changes to and from other cities, the airline is maintaining more or less the same schedule across the period, with 25% of pre-COVID passenger capacity offered, though actual passenger numbers remain extremely low at around 3% of usual levels, based on January 2021 data.
With COVID-19 border restrictions remaining in force there is some light at the end of the tunnel as vaccinations roll out and countries like Australia and Thailand begin pointing towards relaxations for vaccinated travellers later in 2021.
Realistically though there is likely to be little discretionary travel opportunity until the second half of this year, so any significant further SIA schedule expansion between now and then seems unlikely.
(Cover Photo: AirImages / Shutterstock)
I like a quote for Singapore airlines in July round trip first class
from RDU to Frankfurt