Singapore Airlines has made a major change to its northern winter flight schedule on the Delhi route, removing its Airbus A380 superjumbos from the city pair starting in December 2022, and replacing them with four-class Boeing 777-300ERs instead.
While this isn’t a huge deal for those booked in Business Class, Premium Economy or Economy Class, if you snagged a Suites award or forked out cash for this exclusive cabin, the alternative seat you’ll now have isn’t quite on-par.
Additionally, with an 11th refitted A380 joining the Singapore Airlines fleet soon, this withdrawal from a daily flight looks set to mean there’s more news to come for the type’s deployment this winter.
This could potentially include an extra Sydney rotation, and perhaps even a Tokyo or Hong Kong connection, now that borders have been relaxed.
Delhi schedule
Singapore Airlines reintroduced its Airbus A380s on India flights in mid-April 2022, following border relaxations in both countries.
Here’s how SIA’s Singapore – Delhi route currently looks in the schedules, with twice daily flights in both directions, including the daily Airbus A380 option.
Singapore Airlines Delhi Schedule
(until 30th November 2022)
| Days | |||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
 |
SQ402 787-10 |
||||||||
| SIN 02:25 |
DEL 05:55 |
||||||||
|
SQ406 A380 |
||||||||
| SIN 16:25 |
DEL 20:00 |
||||||||
|
SQ401 787-10 |
||||||||
| DEL 09:55 |
SIN 18:15 |
||||||||
|
SQ403 A380 |
||||||||
| DEL 21:50 |
SIN 06:05* |
||||||||
* Next day
From December 2022 the afternoon SQ406 flight, which returns to Changi overnight for an early morning touchdown in the Lion City, will be downgauged from the Airbus A380 to the Boeing 777-300ER, as shown in the following schedule.
Singapore Airlines Delhi Schedule
(from 1st December 2022)
Boeing 777-300ER flights highlighted
| Days | |||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
|
SQ402 787-10 |
||||||||
| SIN 02:25 |
DEL 05:55 |
||||||||
|
SQ406 777-300ER |
||||||||
| SIN 16:25 |
DEL 20:00 |
||||||||
|
SQ401 787-10 |
||||||||
| DEL 09:55 |
SIN 18:15 |
||||||||
|
SQ403 777-300ER |
||||||||
| DEL 21:50 |
SIN 06:05* |
||||||||
* Next day
The aircraft change on this route comes a month after Singapore Airlines restores double daily London flights using Airbus A380 aircraft, with daily SQ308/319 flights upgrading to the superjumbo from late October, a move we first announced back in July.
SIA’s A380 service to and from Mumbai each day is not affected by these changes.
Cabin products
The biggest selling point of the newly-configured A380s currently plying the SQ406/403 Delhi flights is the latest Suites cabin, located on the forward upper deck with a capacity of just six, three either side of a central aisle.
Two of the Suite pairs (1A/2A and 1F/2F) can even combine to form a double suite, if you are travelling with a companion.
The Boeing 777-300ER, on the other hand, has a four-seat First Class cabin, arranged in a single row at the front of the jet in a 1-2-1 configuration.
This product, combined with SIA’s excellent service, always provides a fantastic trip in our experience, but sadly it doesn’t match “suite standards”, which is probably what you would have been expecting if you’re booked in the First Class cabin on this route after December.
Do check out our recent review of the Boeing 777-300ER First Class on the Frankfurt – Singapore route.
Further behind the First Class section, Singapore Airlines’ Boeing 777-300ERs offer the 2013 Business Class seat, rather than the A380’s newer 2017 Business Class, with the Premium Economy and Economy Class cabins being largely comparable between the two types.
The news should mean new A380 flights
Singapore Airlines currently has 10 Airbus A380s in service, including those that ply the daily SQ406/403 Delhi services, as shown in the following table.
Singapore Airlines A380 Fleet
(as of 28th September 2022)
 |
|||
| Aircraft | Current Location |
Version | Status |
| 9V-SKM | SIN | V3^ | In Service |
| 9V-SKN | SIN | V3^ | In Service |
| 9V-SKP | SIN | V2 (V3 pending) |
Refit & Re-entry |
| 9V-SKQ | SIN | V3^ | Pending Re-entry |
| 9V-SKR | SIN | V3^ | In Service |
| 9V-SKS | SIN | V3^ | In Service |
| 9V-SKT | SIN | V3^ | In Service |
| 9V-SKU | SIN | V3 | In Service |
| 9V-SKV | SIN | V3 | In Service |
| 9V-SKW | SIN | V3 | In Service |
| 9V-SKY | SIN | V3 | In Service |
| 9V-SKZ | SIN | V3 | In Service |
Sources have told Mainly Miles that 9V-SKQ, which was returned from storage in Australia back to Changi in February 2021 for refit into the newest cabin configuration, is set to return to service next month, which would bring the airline’s fleet of active superjumbos to 11.
As we already identified earlier this year, completion of 9V-SKQ and 9V-SKP’s refits isn’t even necessary for the carrier to launch twice daily London flights with the type from late October.
The removal of Delhi from the superjumbo’s roster in December and the addition of 9V-SKQ back to the fleet should therefore pave the way for new Airbus A380 flights on other parts of the network, just in time for the busy Christmas, New Year and Lunar New Year travel seasons.
With aircraft 11 coming back online soon, and one less route to serve, at least two more daily rotations with the type could be slotted in, while still retaining a spare aircraft to cover operational disruptions.
Here’s where SIA was operating the superjumbo prior to COVID-19, but has yet to return to with the type.
- Auckland
- Beijing
- Hong Kong
- Melbourne
- Osaka (seasonal)
- Tokyo
- Zurich
Thanks to recent border relaxations, Hong Kong and Tokyo could be good options, though we’d expect the carrier to perhaps make a return to double daily Sydney services (i.e. adding the A380 to SQ221/232) at some stage too.
Where else is the A380 flying?
While there’s almost inevitably more to come, here’s where you’ll find the Singapore Airlines superjumbo fleet deployed this winter, based on confirmed schedules at the time of writing.
Singapore Airlines A380 Flights
(as of 28th September 2022)
| Current Flights | ||
| Route | Commenced | Frequency |
| London SQ322/317 |
18 Nov 2021 | 7 x weekly |
| Sydney SQ231/222 |
1 Dec 2021 | 7 x weekly |
| Mumbai SQ424/423 |
14 Mar 2022 | 7 x weekly |
| Frankfurt SQ26/25 |
27 Mar 2022 | 7 x weekly |
| New York JFK* SQ26/25 |
27 Mar 2022 | 7 x weekly |
| Shanghai SQ830/833 |
4 Jul 2022 | 1 x weekly |
| Delhi SQ406/403 |
15 Apr 2022 (ends 30 Nov 2022) |
7 x weekly |
| Future Flights | ||
| Route | Starts | Frequency |
 London SQ308/319 (in addition to SQ322/317) |
30 Oct 2022 | 7 x weekly |
* via Frankfurt
In total there will only be 43 weekly Singapore Airlines A380 departures from Changi Airport from 1st December 2022, way too few for an operational fleet of 11 of the type, so watch this space for future route announcements.
Summary
Singapore Airlines will withdraw its Airbus A380s from daily flights to and from Delhi starting in December this year, which isn’t good news if you snagged a Suites booking on these services, since the older 2013 First Class cabin will now be in store.
With an extra A380 coming online soon, and one less route to serve, perhaps the most exciting news is that we should now see confirmation that the popular type will make its way onto other services this winter.
With borders relaxed, that could even include Tokyo or Hong Kong, which would potentially offer more affordable redemptions into the carrier’s latest cabin products.
Where do you think SIA will fly its A380s this winter? Let us know in the comments section below.
(Cover Photo: Grirk / Shutterstock)
It makes sense to fly HKG if the remaining restrictions especially the testing regime are totally lifted.
But we all really want Tokyo, right?! 😂
Definitely HKG.
Why not LAX?
Hkg
It’s certainly not a good news. I have travelled the SIN-DEL-SIN route many times on A380, and I avoid the B787 day flight to fly in my favourite aircraft A380 and in the upper deck business class cabin. Such good memories and especially the one from last month from DEL to SIN on business class I was offered to try the Comtes de Champagne from the First Class and I had 4 flutes of that.
The thing is India is a low field market, especially as compared to TYO and HKG
Tokyo definitely
Tokyo.
Who will go HK when you can’t eat out at restaurants and cafe the first 3 days with an Amber code on app? And pity if test +ve during those 3 days after arrival …….
Given HKG was 8x daily and is now only 1x daily, it only makes sense to send it to HKG. Tokyo already has 4x daily. HKG is still a big financial hub for many business travellers.
Only place they might go is Tokyo. HK is a Total Waste.
If it’s 2 more, probably Zurich or maybe Paris (daily instead of 14x weekly). It may help to free up some 77W in the event SIN-HKG-SFO does return
Or better yet, Melbourne, which does not have an A380, maybe send it on 217/218 like previous times.
Maybe Melbourne. Pre-covid SQ A380s were going there on a seasonal basis in the summer periods.
LONDON SQ306
Tokyo New York
Ah yes, the fifth freedom route approval everyone has forgotten about!
most pathetic customer service by an airline, booked SQ suites (specifically chose both a380 flights to be in suites) from SYD to Sin and from Sin to Del, on Syd to Sin, due to some technical error while booking I am on waitlist, and on SIN Del where I had correct confirmed suites, they downgrade the aircraft and on calling them, are asking me to prove it was supposed to be a380 earlier and saying no change of aircraft, haha, I had to send them my tickets I booked in September and even they are not agreeing inspite of their tickets to the change of aircraft, customer care agents dont have any idea, email of any top board member is not available on website, would appreciate if someone can give me the emails of the CEO or someone top, the call centre staff is beyond useless.