Singapore Airlines postpones Busan relaunch to August 2023

Back in November, Singapore Airlines announced a ramp-up of flight schedules in the region to support strong demand, including a return to South Korea’s second gateway city Busan from June 2023.

It’s a route the carrier took over from SilkAir in October 2019, but suspended in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The airline has now revealed that it will be postponing the restart of its non-stop flights to Busan, with a recent schedule update showing that the launch will now be delayed until late August 2023.

This will be the first time the airline has served Busan in over three years. The city has been served from Singapore by Jeju Air since June 2022 and is currently flown up to five times weekly by the South Korean low-cost carrier using Boeing 737-800s.

The schedule

The new route to Busan, which was set to operate four times a week from June, will provide a convenient link between Singapore and South Korea, but has now been postponed by 12 weeks.

This will see four times weekly services reinstated once again from 28th August 2023, albeit with the carrier’s smaller 154-seat Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft, bringing back around half the route’s pre-pandemic capacity, with 285-seat Airbus A330s plying the city pair four times a week prior to the suspension.

These SIA Busan services next summer have already been loaded into the reservation system, with the following planned schedule.

Singapore Airlines
Singapore ⇄ Busan Schedule
(28th August 2023 – 28th October 2023)

			Days
			M	T	W	T	F	S	S
	SQ616 737-8 MAX
SIN 23:15		PUS 06:30*
	SQ615 737-8 MAX
PUS 07:50		SIN 13:05

* Next day

Singapore – Busan flights depart Changi at 11.15pm and operate overnight, landing at 6.30am the following day. On the return leg, early morning departure from Busan sees you back in the Lion City in time for lunch at around 1pm.

Flight time is 6 hours 15 minutes in each direction, making this the airline’s second longest Boeing 737-8 MAX service after Cairns, which clocks in at 6 hours 45 minutes.

This effectively restores pre-COVID schedules on the route, though as mentioned before the downgauge from Airbus A330-300s to the Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft means only around 54% of the former seat capacity will be available.

That’s even more apparent in Business Class, with 10 seats per flights on the MAX, compared to 30 seats per flight on the A330 before COVID-19, a two-thirds reduction.

While Singapore Airlines has been quick to point out that it will have “resumed pre-pandemic flight frequency levels” to and from Busan, it’s important to note that’s only half the story! Capacity will still be well down.

Provisionally, four times weekly Singapore – Busan – Singapore flights using the MAX are also scheduled in the northern winter season from November 2023 onwards.

SIA’s 737 MAX cabin products

Singapore Airlines’ Boeing 737-8 MAX jets feature all-new narrow-body cabin products, including a flat-bed seat in Business Class, two “throne” seat options, and an upgraded experience in Economy Class including seat-back in-flight entertainment.

Wi-Fi is also available in both cabins, with an unlimited free allowance now offered for Business Class passengers and PPS Club members.

Here are our dedicated articles covering the new cabins, to help you know what to expect on board these reinstated Busan flights.

Do bear in mind that you’ll get a better experience in both cabins on SIA’s larger aircraft compared to the 737 MAX, like on the Airbus A350 Medium Haul and Boeing 787-10 aircraft being used to and from nearby Seoul.

The differences here include direct aisle access in Business Class with a wider seat, while in Economy Class there’s more legroom and recline, plus AC charging sockets, on the wide-body jets.

This may not make a huge difference on shorter routes, but with these Busan flights clocking in at over 6 hours, the differences are certainly worth noting when you have the alternative choice of heading to Seoul instead.

KrisFlyer redemptions

Here are the KrisFlyer award rates for the Singapore – Busan route, which match those for nearby Seoul services.

KrisFlyer Redemption Singapore ⇄ Busan
	Saver	Advantage
Economy	27,000	45,000
Business	52,000	70,000

If you already hold or intend to book a firm ticket in an eligible Economy booking class, here’s how many miles it will then cost you to upgrade to Business Class, assuming Saver upgrade award availability.

Upgrade using KrisFlyer miles Singapore ⇄ Busan
Upgrading to →	Business
Existing booking ↓
Economy Standard (Class: M, H, W)	42,500
Economy Flexi (Class: Y, B, E)	32,000

As usual, upgrading with miles is not a great deal unless your company is paying for an Economy Flexi fare.

Cash fares are now available on this route, starting at around S$600 return in Economy Class and S$2,290 return in Business Class based on travel in September 2023.

Award space is also loaded, with up to two Business Class Saver redemptions available on many dates.

Award space is dynamic and additional seats can be added closer to the departure date, so keep checking if you’re looking to redeem KrisFlyer miles to or from Busan later this year.

South Korea entry process

Back in October 2022, South Korea removed all inbound traveller restrictions, including the unpopular mandatory on-arrival PCR test, for worry-free trips without any vaccination requirements, testing or quarantine – just like the good old days.

This followed a scrapping of the pre-departure COVID-19 test requirement from September 2022, which in turn had happened three months after a removal of the vaccination mandate for travellers to the country, from June 2022.

Here’s the latest process for those travelling from Singapore (and other countries) quarantine-free to South Korea.

Eligibility & Process
Singapore South Korea

• Apply for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (K-ETA) or Visa in advance*
• Obtain a Q-code no more than 3 days before arrival (optional), which can be presented upon arrival and should accelerate your immigration clearance
• No further requirements or restrictions

* Not applicable for South Korean citizens or permanent residents

It costs KRW 10,000 (around S$10) to apply for a K-ETA. Once approved, this is valid for multiple entries over the next two years.

Remember there is no requirement to be vaccinated to travel to South Korea, with the country removing this requirement on 8th June 2022, so you don’t need to worry about uploading any certificates or even bringing them along with you.

For further information, check the embassy guide to quarantine-free Singapore – South Korea travel (though do note this still suggests the Q-code is mandatory – it is not).

The South Korean government encourages all arriving travellers to log their information in the Q-Code system prior to travel, but paper-based alternatives can be used instead, though this may result in a slower arrivals process.

Busan is South Korea’s second largest city and an important financial, R&D and MICE event location, but perhaps top of the list for many of our readers is that the city is home to some of South Korea’s best beaches.

Singapore Airlines was originally planning to restart non-stop services to Busan in June 2023, just in time for the peak summer season, but has now postponed this launch to late August 2023.

Flights will use the carrier’s new Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft with upgraded cabin products, including flat-bed seats in Business Class.

While that’s an upgrade on the Airbus A330s previously used on the route in terms of the seats themselves, only around 54% of pre-pandemic seat capacity is being restored at this stage.

Travel to and from South Korea is now practically pre-COVID, with no vaccination, testing or quarantine requirements, leaving just a K-ETA to apply for in advance, valid for multiple trips over the next two years.

(Cover Photo: Shutterstock)