Singapore Airlines has announced its flight schedules through to the end of October 2021, adding three months to the previously confirmed route list, which was published through to 31st July 2021.
With all former SilkAir routes now transferred to the mainline carrier, following the regional wing’s final passenger service in early May, there are currently 51 destinations on offer, with newly reinstated flights to Manchester and Rome planned from mid-July for a total of 53 cities served through to the end of the northern summer season.
The passenger network over the next four months continues to be served by the following aircraft types:
- Airbus A350-900s
- Boeing 737-800s
- Boeing 777-300ERs
- Boeing 787-10s
All planned Europe routes are back
The big news this month is that with a reinstatement of flights to Manchester from 16th July and an extension of the Copenhagen service to Rome on the same day, Singapore Airlines will serve all its planned European cities by late July 2021.
That’s because Stockholm and Dusseldorf will not return after COVID-19, while a planned return to Brussels last year never got off the ground and has now been shelved.
Frequencies, of course, are way down on pre-COVID levels, but this still represents the first region on the network where all cities have passenger service once again.
Singapore Airlines will also tap into what could become its first quarantine-free leisure route on the network (unless the Hong Kong ATB gets going first), with “fifth freedom” traffic rights on its flights between Copenhagen and Rome.
“We are very pleased to be able to offer Norwegian and Scandinavian customers a route to Rome. All our prices include luggage, refreshments and free entertainment.”
Erwin Widjaja, SIA General Manager Nordics
If you’re based in Europe, you may want to consider working this new flight into your summer travel plans, with great fares in Business Class for some rare long-haul comfort on these 2.5-hour intra-Europe services.
Headline figures
In total SIA and SilkAir will fly around 3,240 passenger flights each month between August 2021 and October 2021, its highest total since the pandemic slashed schedules in April 2020.
That compares to around 7,900 passenger flights in August 2019, the most representative pre-COVID measure for this period, meaning SIA will have restored 41% of its passenger capacity by flight volumes this summer, however this drops to 28% if you assume all former SilkAir flights will eventually be taken over by the mainline carrier.
The airline no longer quotes its planned passenger capacity percentage by the more accurate industry measure of available seat kilometres.
Here are the top five short-haul and long-haul routes on the network during this three-month period.
Top Routes
(August – October 2021)
Short-haul & Asia
- Jakarta: 21/wk
- Manila: 21/wk
- Kuala Lumpur: 18/wk
- Phuket: 14/wk
- Bangkok: 14/wk
Australia & Long-haul
- London: 18/wk
- Sydney: 17/wk
- Brisbane: 14/wk
- Melbourne: 14/wk
- Perth: 14/wk
These ten cities alone represent over 40% of all planned Singapore Airlines passenger services by flight frequency during this period (pre-COVID, they accounted for about 30%).
There are also an additional 18 routes served between 7-13 times a week (i.e. at least daily), as outlined in the tables below.
Singapore Airlines schedule
In the last update Singapore Airlines restarted twice weekly Cape Town flights, as an extension to its Johannesburg route, and this month there are three new additions:
- Kathmandu (transferred from SilkAir)
- Manchester
- Rome (via Copenhagen)
There are also significant frequency increases for flights to Manila (from 14 per week to 21 per week) and Phuket (from 7 per week to 14 per week).
Here’s a map of the Asia-Pacific destinations Singapore Airlines will be serving by late-July 2021.
In addition, three US destinations, 13 European cities, Dubai in the Middle East and both Cape Town and Johannesburg in South Africa will be served.
Singapore Airlines will be running the following passenger route network between July 2021 and October 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 (Jul – Oct 2021) |
|||
| City | Month(s) | Acft | |
| Jul | Aug – Oct | ||
| Bangkok | 14/wk | 14/wk | 359 359R |
| Brunei | 3/wk | 3/wk | 738 |
| Chongqing | 1/wk | 1/wk | 787 |
| Colombo | 5/wk | 5/wk | 359R |
| Denpasar | — | 2/wk | 787 |
| Dhaka | 5/wk (was 7/wk) |
7/wk | 359R |
| Fukuoka | 2/wk | 2/wk | 787 |
| Hanoi* | 10/wk (was 14/wk) |
10/wk | 359R |
| Ho Chi Minh* | 10/wk | 10/wk | 359 359R |
| Hong Kong | 7/wk | 7/wk | 77W |
| Jakarta | 21/wk | 21/wk | 359 77W |
| Kathmandu | 4/wk |
4/wk | 738 |
| Kuala Lumpur | 18/wk | 18/wk | 359 738 |
| Malé | 7/wk | 7/wk | 738 |
| Manila | 21/wk (was 14/wk) |
21/wk | 359R |
| Medan | 2/wk | 2/wk | 738 |
| Nagoya | 3/wk | 3/wk | 787 |
| Osaka | 7/wk | 7/wk | 359R |
| Phnom Penh | 9/wk (was 7/wk) |
9/wk | 738 |
| Phuket | 7/wk (till 18/7) 14/wk (fm 19/7) |
14/wk | 738 |
| Seoul | 7/wk (was 6/wk) |
7/wk | 787 |
| Shanghai | 1/wk | 1/wk | 787 |
| Shenzhen | 1/wk | 1/wk | 359R |
| Taipei | 7/wk | 7/wk | 787 |
| Tokyo Haneda | 3/wk | 3/wk | 359R |
| Tokyo Narita | 11/wk |
11/wk | 77W 787 |
| Yangon* | 2/wk | 2/wk | 359R |
| Total | 195/wk (fm 19/7) |
199/wk |
|
* Cargo-only from Singapore, passengers and cargo back to Singapore
The latest updated schedules including days of operation is available at this dedicated page on the Singapore Airlines website.
Regionally, it’s interesting to note that Singapore Airlines has upgraded former SilkAir Chongqing flights from the Boeing 737-800 to the Boeing 787-10. There’s no shortage of 737s in the fleet, so this must point to healthy passenger or cargo demand for this once weekly service.
Also the proposed Bali (Denpasar) launch has been pushed back to August, with twice weekly Boeing 787-10 service pencilled in for now.
With Phuket‘s launch of quarantine-free tourist visits from 1st July 2021, SIA is doubling services to 14 times per week (twice per day in each direction) from mid-July.
However, with SHN requirements still in place for Singapore residents returning from Thailand, these flights are largely catering to transit passengers (e.g. from Europe).
Fun fact: According to ExpertFlyer seat maps, SIA’s seven Singapore – Phuket flights have an overall 25% load factor in the first week of July 2021 (64% in Business Class). Quite respectable given the airline’s latest East Asia average load factor of 13%.= Newly added
| Singapore Airlines Routes Australia & Long-haul (Jul – Oct 2021) |
|||
| City | Month | Acft | |
| Jul | Aug – Oct | ||
| Adelaide | 3/wk | 3/wk | 359R |
| Amsterdam | 7/wk | 7/wk | 359 |
| Auckland | 10/wk | 10/wk | 359 |
| Barcelona (via MXP) |
3/wk | 3/wk | 359 |
| Brisbane | 14/wk | 14/wk | 359R |
| Cape Town (via JNB) |
2/wk | 2/wk | 359 |
| Christchurch | 4/wk | 4/wk | 359 |
| Copenhagen | 3/wk | 3/wk | 359 |
| Dubai | 5/wk | 5/wk | 359R |
| Frankfurt | 10/wk | 10/wk | 359 |
| Istanbul | 2/wk | 2/wk | 359 |
| Johannesburg | 5/wk |
5/wk | 359 |
| London | 18/wk | 18/wk | 359 77W |
| Los Angeles (77W via NRT) |
10/wk (was 12/wk) |
10/wk | 359 77W |
| Manchester | 3/wk (fm 16/7) |
3/wk | 359 |
| Melbourne | 14/wk | 14/wk | 359R |
| Milan | 3/wk | 3/wk | 359 |
| Moscow | 3/wk | 3/wk | 359 |
| Munich | 3/wk |
3/wk | 359 |
| New York JFK | 7/wk |
7/wk |
359ULR |
| Paris | 7/wk | 7/wk | 359 |
| Perth | 14/wk (was 11/wk) |
14/wk | 787 |
| Rome (via CPH) |
3/wk (fm 16/7) |
3/wk | 359 |
| San Francisco | 7/wk | 7/wk | 359ULR |
| Sydney | 17/wk (was 16/wk) |
17/wk | 359R 77W 787 |
| Zurich | 7/wk | 7/wk | 359 |
| Total | 184/wk (fm 16/7) |
184/wk |
|
The latest updated schedules including days of operation is available at this dedicated page on the Singapore Airlines website.
Original plans to serve Los Angeles via Tokyo Narita using the Boeing 777-300ER five times per week have been trimmed slightly, with the service now scaled back to three times weekly, in addition to the daily non-stop SIN-LAX flight.
Australia routes get a small hike from our previous update, with Perth having already increased to 14 times weekly flights earlier this month and Sydney gaining an extra weekly service to maintain its position as the second busiest long-haul route on the network with 17 flights per week.
London remains the busiest long-haul route, with 18 weekly services, including a First Class option on Boeing 777-300ERs once per day.
Speaking of First Class on the Boeing 777s, this cabin continues to be available as follows during the July to October 2021 period:
- Hong Kong (SQ882/883)
- Jakarta (SQ950/953/964/965)
- London (SQ322/317)
- Los Angeles (SQ12/11)
- Sydney (SQ231/222)
- Tokyo (SQ12/11)
Hopefully a long-awaited launch of the Singapore – Hong Kong Air Travel Bubble will mean many readers can experience the cabin on this short flight at some point this summer.
Farewell SilkAir
SilkAir’s operations came to an unceremonious end last month when its final passenger flight, MI411 from Kathmandu to Singapore on 6th May 2021, arrived to little fanfare.
The transfer of this route across to Singapore Airlines now marks the end of the airline from a customer perspective, with its Air Operator Certificate only now being used for empty ferry / test flights, including the continued return of 737 MAX aircraft from Alice Springs to Changi.
Don’t miss our tribute to SilkAir, including many details of its long history, some of which may surprise you.
Which routes are left?
With 53 destinations across the Singapore Airlines and former SilkAir network reinstated by mid-July, it’s interesting to consider which cities or airports are still to be added to the list (or not, as the case may be).
Here’s the latest rundown.
| City / Airport | |
| Pending reinstatement (SIA route)
|
|
| Pending reinstatement (former SilkAir route)
|
|
| Transferred to Scoot (and still pending reinstatement)
|
|
| Discontinued since COVID-19 (no planned reinstatement) |
|
Summary
Singapore Airlines is now the sole full-service carrier in the SIA Group, and by mid-July 2021 it will have reinstated passenger flights to 53 of the cities on the former combined SIA / SilkAir network.
For the most part frequencies are increasing, and SIA is focusing on small pockets of opportunity where quarantine-free leisure travel is now available to many travellers (even if not for Singapore residents yet), like Copenhagen to Rome and Singapore to Phuket.
Even the carrier’s return to non-stop Manchester flights has factored in a rest time of 80 hours a week for the aircraft in the UK – perfect for the route’s former Houston extension to be reactivated once transatlantic leisure travel opens up again.
Meanwhile SIA has extended its flight schedules to the end of the northern summer season in October 2021 at this stage, though with recent hints that quarantine restrictions for vaccinated travellers may start to be relaxed – or done away with completely in some cases – stay tuned for more schedule news as it inevitably comes through between now and then.
(Cover Photo: Dillon Chong)
Wasn’t Hiroshima suspended since March 2020?
Wow you’re quick! Yes it was, thank you sir. Corrected.
Can I TRANSIT via CHANGI,SINGAPORE to MELBOURNE from OLIVER TAMBO, SOUTH AFRICA?
Yes. You must book the whole ticket on SIA, however (JNB-SIN-MEL)