With Australia starting to reopen its borders for international travel, and a Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) or similar ‘bubble’ arrangement between the country and Singapore due to be announced imminently, the Qantas Group is making a return to Changi earlier than planned.
Passenger flights are back on three routes to and from Singapore, including options with the group’s full-service and low-cost carriers, following a long 600-day absence due to the effects of the pandemic.
Melbourne
Melbourne is first out of the starting blocks for Qantas from Singapore, following an announcement by Victoria’s Government that fully vaccinated Australian citizens and permanent residents will be able to arrive quarantine-free in the city from next month.
[Melbourne – Singapore] flights will be brought forward to 22 November 2021, three weeks ahead of schedule, operating three days per week with A330 aircraft and ramping up to daily from 18 December.
Qantas
On 22nd November QF35 from Melbourne will therefore be the first Qantas passenger flight to arrive at Changi Airport since the pandemic took hold in March 2020.
The Airbus A330 will depart back to Melbourne the following evening on 23rd November as QF36, representing a 608-day gap in operation for the carrier since the last passenger flight, QF52 to Brisbane, departed Changi on 25th March 2020.
Singapore Melbourne
23rd November to
17th December
| Days | |||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
 |
QF36 A330 |
||||||||
| SIN 20:30 |
MEL 07:00* |
||||||||
* Next day
Note: A one-time QF36 service also operates on Tuesday 23rd November
From 19th December
| Days | |||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
|
QF36 A330 |
||||||||
| SIN 19:40 |
MEL 06:10* |
||||||||
Note: No service on Tuesday 21st December
Melbourne Singapore
22nd November to
18th December
| Days | |||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
|
QF35 A330 |
||||||||
| MEL 11:50 |
SIN 16:45 |
||||||||
* Next day
From 18th December
| Days | |||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
|
QF35 A330 |
||||||||
| MEL 12:10 |
SIN 17:05 |
||||||||
Note: No service on Sunday 19th December
There will also be a low-cost option between Singapore and Melbourne, with Jetstar restarting four times weekly flights on the route using its Boeing 787.
Jetstar will also recommence flying four times a week between Melbourne and Singapore using 787 aircraft, a route it hasn’t flown since 2019.
Qantas
These services will restart a little later – from 16th December 2021, the same week Qantas will ramp up to daily Melbourne flights.
Singapore Melbourne
From 16th December
| Days | |||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
 |
JQ8 787-8 |
||||||||
| SIN 21:00 |
MEL 07:20* |
||||||||
* Next day
Note: A one-time JQ8 service operates on Thursday 16th December, instead of Friday 17th December
Melbourne Singapore
From 16th December
| Days | |||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
|
JQ7 787-8 |
||||||||
| MEL 13:00 |
SIN 17:50 |
||||||||
* Next day
Note: A one-time JQ7 service operates on Thursday 16th December, instead of Friday 17th December
Sydney
The Singapore – Sydney route is naturally up there in the initial Qantas flights ramp-up, and like Melbourne it will also use Airbus A330s initially.
Qantas [Sydney – Singapore] flights will resume on 23 November 2021, four weeks earlier than scheduled, operating three days per week with A330 aircraft. Services will ramp up to daily from 18 December 2021.
Qantas
Schedules show that daily operation has already been brought forward on this route by two weeks since the Qantas announcement, now taking effect from 5th December 2021.
Singapore Sydney
24th November to
5th December
| Days | |||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
|
QF82 A330 |
||||||||
| SIN 20:30 |
SYD 07:30* |
||||||||
* Next day
Note: A one-time QF82 service also operates on Wednesday 24th November
From 6th December
| Days | |||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
|
QF82 A330 |
||||||||
| SIN 20:30 |
SYD 07:30* |
||||||||
Sydney Singapore
23rd November to
5th December
| Days | |||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
|
QF81 A330 |
||||||||
| SYD 11:20 |
SIN 16:45 |
||||||||
* Next day
Note: A one-time QF81 service also operates on Tuesday 23rd November
From 6th December
| Days | |||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
|
QF81 A330 |
||||||||
| SYD 11:20 |
SIN 16:45 |
||||||||
Darwin
While the Northern Territory Government has not yet announced a date for allowing international travellers to arrive quarantine-free, Jetstar will also restart its Singapore – Darwin route three times per week from 20th December.
Singapore Darwin
From 20th December
| Days | |||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
|
3K161 A320 |
||||||||
| SIN 22:40 |
DRW 04:45* |
||||||||
* Next day
Darwin Singapore
From 21st December
| Days | |||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
|
3K162 A320 |
||||||||
| DRW 05:30 |
SIN 08:30 |
||||||||
Singapore – Darwin flights will be operated by the group’s Singapore subsidiary Jetstar Asia. Services are slated to increase to four times weekly from mid-January 2022.
Other routes
Despite not being part of the recent announcement, Qantas is also loading regular schedules from Singapore to two other cities in the coming months:
- Brisbane: From 18th December 2021
- Perth: From 27th March 2022
These are probably subject to change, based on state border restrictions, with Queensland and Western Australia lagging a month or two behind the likes of New South Wales and Victoria in terms of the 80%+ vaccination rate target.
One regular pre-COVID route Qantas isn’t scheduling through its Changi hub for the time being is the daily QF1/2 Sydney – Singapore – London service.
This flight will operate via Darwin using Boeing 787s when it restarts on 1st November, while Melbourne – London will also take a similar routing from 6th November.
The stopover in Singapore is currently scheduled for April 2022 at the earliest.
What are the restrictions?
A two-way quarantine-free VTL or ‘travel bubble’ arrangement is on the cards between Singapore and Australia, with Qantas certain to be part of the scheme, but until that’s announced these flights will only be for Australian citizens and permanent residents.
Both Qantas and the Australian Government have imposed some tight restrictions on those travelling, most or all of which we are also likely to see as part of the general travel reopening with Singapore in due course.
- All passengers aged 12 and older on Qantas and Jetstar international flights must be fully vaccinated with a TGA-approved vaccine, unless they have a medical exemption.
- Passengers will be required to possess a negative COV