Singapore Airlines has announced its flight schedules through to the end of the northern winter season on 26th March 2022, adding almost three months to the previously confirmed route list, which was published through to 31st December 2021.
Seasonal additions include Seattle and Vancouver, as recently announced, but also there’s a return to Houston on the cards from January 2022, three times weekly as an extension of existing Manchester flights.
Edit: Houston flights are now loaded from 1st December 2021.
As most of our readers will know, the Airbus A380 is finally back in business on daily London flights from 18th November, including Vaccinated Travel Lane services on the way back to Singapore. The superjumbo will also join the Kuala Lumpur route once per day from 4th November to 3rd December, for crew training and familiarisation.
Previously, the earliest the A380s appeared in the schedules was January 2022, so it’s good to see that border relaxations mean we’ll have these popular aircraft to look forward to sooner than expected.
The overall passenger network now stands at 56 cities, with some frequency and aircraft type adjustments since the last update.
Phuket gets A350s for two months
In our last update we reported how the Singapore – Phuket route was getting a capacity boost over the festive season between 17th December 2021 and 11th January 2022.
This has been extended and one of the two daily services will now see an A350 operating for all of December 2021 and all of January 2022.
These flights will operate alongside the usual Boeing 737-800 services, and will mean passengers can experience the latest flat-bed Business Class seats on this short route.
December 2021 flights (SQ728/727) will use A350 Long Haul aircraft with the 2013 Business Class seats installed, plus Economy Class passengers will get the option to sit in the Premium Economy cabin for an additional fee (free for PPS Club members).
January 2022 flights, which switch to the evening SQ738/735, will use two-class Airbus A350 Regional aircraft with the 2018 Business Class seats.
Singapore Airlines has flown flat-bed Business Class seat to Phuket before, using Boeing 777-200ERs on the route in late 2019 and early 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Let’s cross our fingers for a VTL expansion to include the Phuket and Koh Samui ‘sandbox’ schemes by then, so it’s not just transit passengers taking advantage!
Fifth freedom routes further extended
As expected, Singapore Airlines extended operation on its new (and therefore perhaps temporary) fifth freedom routes through the the end of the northern winter season:
- Copenhagen ⇄ Rome
- Taipei ⇄ Los Angeles
These services were originally loaded in the schedule until the end of December 2021, but both have been extended until at least 26th March 2022, with this latest update.
Non-stop flights from Singapore to Rome have therefore been provisionally pushed back until 27th March 2022.
SIA also reinstated service on two other longstanding fifth freedom routes recently, between Frankfurt and New York and between Hong Kong and San Francisco, while it continues to operate Tokyo – Los Angeles flights.
Houston & Manchester are non-VTL
For those eligible to travel under the latest Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) arrangements and arrive in Singapore quarantine-free, the addition of Houston flights to the network from December 2021 may have piqued your interest.
Unfortunately this is not set to be a VTL designated route on the Houston – Manchester – Singapore sectors. Residents returning to Singapore this way will unfortunately face the Category 2 arrival requirements, including 7 days of self-isolation at home and an additional COVID-19 test on Day 7, prior to freedom.
Singapore Airlines is presumably trying to maximise the appeal of this route’s transatlantic segment between Houston and Manchester, now that quarantine-free travel with the US will be possible for UK and European residents from 8th November 2021.
Adding an expensive and inconvenient pre-departure PCR test to the requirements for Houston – Manchester passengers would certainly stifle demand when other carriers on similar routes will not require this.
Of course with the USA and the UK both in the ‘VTL zone’, there’s nothing to stop you flying from Houston to Manchester, then taking a VTL flight from another city (e.g. London or Amsterdam) to Singapore.
See our full list of designated VTL flights for the quarantine-free return options from both the USA and the UK to Singapore.
Headline figures
In total Singapore Airlines will fly over 4,000 passenger flights per month by March 2022, its highest total since schedules were slashed in April 2020.
That’s around 36% of the pre-pandemic monthly total operated on the combined SilkAir / SIA network in early 2019. SilkAir has now been fully merged into SIA.
Singapore Airlines schedule
Here’s a map of the Asia-Pacific destinations Singapore Airlines will be serving between November 2021 and 26th March 2022.
In addition, six North America 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 November 2021 and 26th March 2022.
Links to the VTL designated flight schedule have been provided for routes with VTL options.
All routes not listed below are cancelled during this period, or will have cargo-only operation.
VTL flights exist on this route
New route
| Singapore Airlines Routes Short-haul & Asia (Nov 2021 – Mar 2022) |
|||
| City | Month(s) | Acft | |
| Nov-Dec ’21 | Jan-Mar ’22 | ||
| Bangkok | 21/wk (was 18/wk) |
21/wk | 359 359R |
| Brunei | 3/wk | 3/wk | 738 |
| ↳ | Check VTL flights on this route | ||
| Chongqing | 1/wk | 1/wk | 787 |
| Colombo | 5/wk | 5/wk | 359R |
| Denpasar | 7/wk (fm 16/11) |
7/wk | 787 |
| Dhaka | 7/wk | 7/wk | 359R |
| Fukuoka | 2/wk | 2/wk | 787 |
| Hanoi* | 10/wk |
10/wk | 359 359R |
| Ho Chi Minh* | 10/wk | 10/wk | 359 359R |
| Hong Kong | 14/wk | 14/wk | 359 77W |
| Jakarta | 28/wk (was 24/wk) |
28/wk | 359 77W |
| Kathmandu* | 4/wk | 4/wk | 738 |
| Kuala Lumpur | 18/wk | 18/wk | 359 388 738 |
| Malé | 7/wk | 13/wk | 738 |
| Manila | 21/wk | 21/wk | 359R |
| Medan | 2/wk | 2/wk | 738 |
| Nagoya | 3/wk | 3/wk | 787 |
| Osaka | 7/wk | 7/wk | 359R |
| Phnom Penh | 12/wk (was 9/wk) |
12/wk | 738 |
| Phuket | 14/wk | 14/wk | 359 738 |
| Seoul | 6/wk | 6/wk | 787 |
| ↳ | Check VTL flights on this route | ||
| Shanghai | 1/wk | 1/wk | 787 |
| Shenzhen | 1/wk | 1/wk | 359R |
| Taipei | 7/wk | 7/wk | 359 787 |
| Tokyo Haneda | 3/wk | 3/wk | 359R |
| Tokyo Narita | 11/wk |
11/wk | 77W 787 |
| Yangon* | 2/wk | 2/wk | 359R |
| Total | 227/wk |
233/wk |
|
* Cargo-only from Singapore, pax and cargo back to Singapore
The latest updated schedules including days of operation is available at this dedicated page on the Singapore Airlines website.
VTL flights exist on this route
New route
| Singapore Airlines Routes Australia & Long-haul (Nov 2021 – Mar 2022) |
|||
| City | Month | Acft | |
| Nov-Dec ’21 | Jan-Mar ’22 | ||
| Adelaide | 5/wk (was 3/wk) |
5/wk | 359R |
| Amsterdam | 7/wk | 7/wk | 359 |
| ↳ | Check VTL flights on this route | ||
| Auckland | 10/wk | 10/wk | 359 |
| Barcelona (via MXP) |
5/wk (was 3/wk) |
5/wk | 359 |
| ↳ | Check VTL flights on this route | ||
| Brisbane | 14/wk | 14/wk | 359R |
| Cape Town (via JNB) |
2/wk | 2/wk | 359 |
| Christchurch | 4/wk | 4/wk | 359 |
| Copenhagen | 4/wk (was 3/wk) |
4/wk |
359 |
| ↳ | Check VTL flights on this route | ||
| Dubai | 5/wk | 5/wk | 359R |
| Frankfurt | 14/wk (was 10/wk) |
14/wk | 77W |
| ↳ | Check VTL flights on this route | ||
| Houston (via MAN) |
3/wk (fm 1/12) |
3/wk | 359 |
| Istanbul | 3/wk (was 2/wk) |
3/wk | 359 |
| Johannesburg | 5/wk |
5/wk | 359 |
| London | 21/wk (was 18/wk) |
21/wk | 359 388 |
| ↳ | Check VTL flights on this route | ||
| Los Angeles^ (incl. via NRT/TPE) |
13/wk | 13/wk | 359 77W |
| ↳ | Check VTL flights on this route | ||
| Manchester | 3/wk | 3/wk | 359 |
| Melbourne | 14/wk | 14/wk | 359R |
| Milan | 5/wk (was 3/wk) |
5/wk | 359 |
| ↳ | Check VTL flights on this route | ||
| Moscow | 3/wk | 3/wk | 359 |
| Munich | 6/wk (was 5/wk) |
6/wk | 359 |
| ↳ | Check VTL flights on this route | ||
| New York JFK (incl. via FRA) |
14/wk (was 7/wk) |
14/wk | 359ULR 77W |
| ↳ | Check VTL flights on this route | ||
| Paris | 7/wk | 7/wk | 77W |
| ↳ | Check VTL flights on this route | ||
| Perth | 14/wk | 14/wk | 787 |
| Rome (via CPH) |
4/wk (was 3/wk) |
4/wk | 359 |
| ↳ | Check VTL flights on this route | ||
| San Francisco (incl. via HKG) |
10/wk (was 7/wk) |
10/wk | 359ULR 77W |
| ↳ | Check VTL flights on this route | ||
| Seattle (via YVR) |
4/wk (fm 2/12) |
4/wk (till 15/2) |
359 |
| ↳ | Check VTL flights on this route | ||
| Sydney | 17/wk | 17/wk | 359R 388 77W 787 |
| Vancouver | 4/wk (fm 2/12) |
4/wk (till 15/2) |
359 |
| ↳ | Check VTL flights on this route | ||
| Zurich | 7/wk | 7/wk | 359 |
| Total | 227/wk |
227/wk |
|
^ Passengers cannot travel from Singapore to Los Angeles via Taipei due to transit restrictions. TPE-LAX traffic only on this route.
The latest updated schedules including days of operation is available at this dedicated page on the Singapore Airlines website.
Beyond its seasonal service in December, January and February, we had expected to see non-stop Seattle flights back on the route map, but this has not been programmed at the time of writing.
London remains the busiest long-haul route, now boasting 21 weekly services, including a Suites option on Airbus A380s once per day.
Remembering SilkAir
SilkAir’s passenger operations came to an end in May 2021, with the airline now only operating empty test flights and all passenger routes transferred to Singapore Airlines.
Don’t miss our tribute to the ‘Regional Wing’, including many details of its long history, some of which may surprise you.
Which routes are left?
With 56 destinations across the Singapore Airlines and former SilkAir network now reinstated, 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
There have certainly been a raft of announcements and route updates recently from Singapore Airlines, including the return of Frankfurt – New York and Hong Kong – San Francisco services, plus of course the significant expansion of the quarantine-free VTL scheme, which now includes 11 countries.
While this schedule extension through to March 2022 is a nice baseline, we can expect more short-term additions to the list as borders are continually relaxed in the weeks and months ahead, with Japan and Australia already known to be VTL expansion targets, potentially this year.
It will also be interesting to see whether deployment of Airbus A380s is rolled out to the parts of the network.
Stay tuned for more SIA schedule developments no doubt still to come.
(Cover Photo: Peter Gronemann)
Since both USA and UK are VTL countries, Houston flight could transfer via Manchester to catch the VTL flight from London to Singapore to be quarantine free. No?
Yes you can do that. May have to factor in a pre departure PCR test in the UK in that case due to timing.
Thanks. In that case it will be more sensible to fly from Houston to any SQ VTL cities in USA to get back to SG quarantine free.
Yes that does sound easier, unless London or maybe Amsterdam or similar is the only VTL you can get!
In your list of former silkair flight you do not mention either Cebu and Davao. Do we know if they will be reinstated or no planned reinstatement
Believe these were both transferred to Scoot and reinstated?
From What I read before bot CEB and DVO are supposed to moved to SIA.
I don’t understand your rationale for IAH-MAN-SIN being non VTL so that pre departure PCR isn’t required for IAH-MAN. Surely at check in, those who fly IAH-MAN only would not have to show a PCR if it’s not required so long as they are not continuing to SIN if the flight was VTL. Reason I ask is because I am doing a 5th freedom flight between FCO and CPH on SQ, surely there’s no pre departure test requirement if I am only travelling on this segment, even if the continuing CPH-SIN flight is VTL.
In terms of schedule, a bit surprised SQ hasn’t dumped more capacity into SYD or at least redirected it from other Aus ports given the expected quarantine free entry through SYD versus say MEL or BNE.
Yes that’s an interesting disparity.
I don’t know why they would allow those who don’t meet the VTL requirements to fly on a VTL flight from Rome to Copenhagen (alongside passengers on the same flight who do have to comply as they are continuing to Singapore), but would then not allow this same rule to apply for example on the first sector of JFK-FRA-SIN or IAH-MAN-SIN.
So perhaps there is chance for these flights to upgrade to VTL status soon?
Singapore have added 787 flights to Kathmandu until March recently too, not just 738R.