Singapore Airlines is ramping up its capacity to and from China’s largest cities, Beijing and Shanghai, as the country relaxes border restrictions for its own citizens, and in advance of an inevitable reintroduction of free-and-easy travel for foreign tourists in the months ahead.
Overall, capacity on these two routes will be hiked to around three-quarters of pre-COVID levels, with Shanghai seeing a full restoration of capacity by October.
On the flip side, SIA will suspend its regular flights to Chongqing, Shenzhen and Xiamen in late March 2023, for what the carrier describes as “regulatory reasons”, but with the intention to restore service to these three cities as soon as possible.
Beijing and Shanghai boost
Singapore Airlines currently operates to its two primary destinations in China as follows:
- Beijing: Daily (7/wk)
- Shanghai: Twice daily (14/wk)
From 1st June 2023, each city gets an extra daily flight:
- Beijing: Twice daily (14/wk)
- Shanghai: Three times daily (21/wk)
From 1st October 2023, there’s s further boost for Shanghai, bringing the route back to pre-pandemic operation:
- Shanghai: Four times daily (28/wk)
SIA passenger flights to Beijing were suspended between March 2020 and December 2022, but the airline never stopped serving Shanghai during the pandemic, maintaining a once-weekly skeleton service for most of the last three years.
Here’s how the schedules look on these routes during the upcoming northern summer season, from 26th March 2023.
Singapore Airlines
Singapore ⇄ Beijing Schedule
(26th March 2023 – 28th October 2023)
| Days | Dates | |||
 |
SQ802 A350 Medium Haul |
Daily | All | |
| SIN 08:30 |
PEK 14:40 |
|||
|
SQ806 A350 Medium Haul |
Daily | From 1 Jun | |
| SIN 16:50 |
PEK 23:00 |
|||
|
SQ801 A350 Medium Haul |
Daily | From 2 Jun | |
| PEK 00:05 |
SIN 06:20 |
|||
|
SQ807 A350 Medium Haul |
Daily | All | |
| PEK 16:35 |
SIN 23:00 |
|||
Singapore Airlines
Singapore ⇄ Shanghai Schedule
(26th March 2023 – 28th October 2023)
| Days | Dates | |||
|
SQ826 A350 Medium Haul |
Daily | From 1 Jun | |
| SIN 01:15 |
PVG 06:35 |
|||
|
SQ828 A350 Medium Haul |
Daily | From 1 Oct | |
| SIN 08:05 |
PVG 13:25 |
|||
|
SQ830 787-10 (till 3 Jun) A380 (fm 4 Jun) |
Daily | All | |
| SIN 09:30 |
PVG 15:05 |
|||
|
SQ836 A350 Medium Haul |
Daily | All | |
| SIN 17:25 |
PVG 22:45 |
|||
|
SQ825 A350 Medium Haul |
Daily | All | |
| PVG 00:35 |
SIN 05:55 |
|||
|
SQ827 A350 Medium Haul |
Daily | From 1 Jun | |
| PVG 08:05 |
SIN 13:25 |
|||
|
SQ831 A350 Medium Haul |
Daily | From 1 Oct | |
| PVG 14:30 |
SIN 19:50 |
|||
|
SQ833 787-10 (till 3 Jun) A380 (fm 4 Jun) |
Daily | All | |
| PVG 16:50 |
SIN 22:20 |
|||
Shanghai services also include Airbus A380 operation, with the superjumbo having already made a regular appearance on the route every Monday until 27th February 2023, but taking over daily services SQ830/833 from 4th June 2023.
Overall, capacity on these two routes will be hiked from 5,200 seats per week today to nearly 11,800 seats per week by June 2023.
Prior to COVID-19, Singapore Airlines was operating 16,135 seats in each direction on these two routes combined, based on December 2019 schedules, so around three-quarters of pre-pandemic capacity is being restored to the two cities by June.
Shanghai effectively returns to pre-COVID frequencies at 28 flights per week, while Beijing sees 14 out of the usual 21 flights restored.
Beijing & Shanghai award redemption rates
These are the KrisFlyer miles needed for the Singapore – Beijing and Singapore – Shanghai routes, based on the latest award rates since the 2022 devaluation became effective from 5th July 2022.
| KrisFlyer Redemption (one-way) Singapore ⇄ North China |
||
| Saver | Advantage | |
| Economy | 21,500 | 40,000 |
| Premium Economy | 34,500 | n/a |
| Business | 43,000 | 65,000 |
| First / Suites | 58,500 | 98,000 |
There’s a plentiful supply of Saver Business Class awards on the Shanghai route this summer.
It may be worth locking in a speculative booking here, in anticipation of tourism reopening in the months ahead. In the worst case, a miles redeposit fee of US$75 will be payable if you can’t go.
Of course it would also be great to see these cities start appearing in the regular monthly Spontaneous Escapes deal, which would see Business Class awards priced at 30,100 KrisFlyer miles each way for those able to make short-term travel plans to these popular cities.
Chengdu and Guangzhou continue
Singapore Airlines is maintaining its current frequencies on Chengdu and Guangzhou flights into the northern summer season, based on current schedules.
SIA is moving its Chengdu (CTS) services to the new Tianfu International Airport (TFU) from 28th March 2023.
Singapore Airlines
Singapore ⇄ Chengdu Schedule
(26th March 2023 – 28th October 2023)
| Days | Dates | |||
|
SQ842 A350 Long Haul |
Tue (1/wk) |
All | |
| SIN 09:50 |
TFU 14:35 |
|||
|
SQ843 A350 Long Haul |
Tue (1/wk) |
All | |
| TFU 15:50 |
SIN 20:45 |
|||
Chengdu was formerly a SilkAir route, operated 10 times weekly by the Boeing 737-800 prior to COVID-19, but transferred to Singapore Airlines on its reinstatement from 11th October 2022, using Airbus A350 Long Haul aircraft.
Singapore Airlines
Singapore ⇄ Guangzhou Schedule
(26th March 2023 – 28th October 2023)
| Days | Dates | |||
|
SQ850 A350 Medium Haul |
Daily | All | |
| SIN 08:20 |
CAN 12:20 |
|||
|
SQ851 A350 Medium Haul |
Daily | All | |
| CAN 13:25 |
SIN 17:30 |
|||
Guangzhou saw daily Boeing 787-10 operation by Singapore Airlines pre-pandemic, but now has daily service using smaller Airbus A350 Medium Haul jets.
That’s a quick ramp-up to pre-COVID frequencies, given that SIA only restarted passenger flights to and from the city in late January 2023.
Chongqing, Shenzhen and Xiamen suspended
Despite these increases for Beijing and Shanghai services, Singapore Airlines will suspend three of its China routes later this month – to Chongqing, Shenzhen and Xiamen.
Due to regulatory reasons, Singapore Airlines will not operate to Shenzhen (from 26 March 2023), Chongqing (from 27 March 2023), and Xiamen (from 30 March 2023), while Scoot will not operate to Wuhan (from 23 March 2023).
Singapore Airlines spokesperson
We are in discussions with the relevant authorities to resume operations to these points as soon as possible.
SIA apologises to all affected customers for the inconvenience caused. We are reaching out to them to offer all necessary assistance, and to minimise the inconvenience caused.
Chongqing
Of the three China route suspensions, Chongqing is perhaps the strangest.
The Singapore Airlines Group never stopped serving Chongqing during COVID-19.
Pre-pandemic SilkAir flights were cut down from daily to once weekly (Monday) services in April 2020, but in fact it became SilkAir’s sole remaining route for around six weeks, between early April and mid-June 2020.
Chongqing flights transferred to Singapore Airlines on 8th March 2021, as SilkAir operations were progressively merged into those of the mainline carrier, initially using Boeing 737-800 aircraft but later upgraded to the larger Boeing 787-10 from July 2021.
The final once-weekly Singapore Airlines flight to and from Chongqing will be on Monday 20th March 2023.
Shenzhen
Shenzhen was another former SilkAir route, which saw 12 times weekly Boeing 737-800 service prior to COVID-19, but was suspended in February 2020.
Weekly (Sunday) services restarted under the SIA banner on 15th November 2020, using Airbus A350 Medium Haul aircraft.
Since then, services have progressively increased to three times weekly using the same wide-body aircraft type, but the final flight will be on Friday 24th March 2023.
Xiamen
Xiamen was operated daily by SilkAir pre-pandemic before its COVID suspension, and was then restarted on 3rd November 2022 as a weekly Singapore Airlines service, using Airbus A350 Medium Haul aircraft.
The route is now operating twice weekly on Thursdays and Saturdays, but will cease this month with the last flight operating on Saturday 25th March 2023.
These routes maintain a Singapore link
Changi Airport will be breathing a sigh of relief, following the recently-announced loss of Gold Coast and Vancouver from its global network, since other carriers will continue flying to these three Chinese cities that are temporarily losing SIA service.
- Chongqing (CKG)
Chongqing Airlines will continue to offer twice weekly Airbus A320 flights to and from Changi, increasing to three times weekly from late March 2023, and then to daily from June 2023. - Shenzhen (SZX)
Shenzhen Airlines will continue to offer daily Airbus A320 flights to and from Changi. - Xiamen (XMN)
Xiamen Air will continue to offer daily Boeing 787-9 flights to and from Changi, supplemented by a second daily Boeing 737-800 service from 27th March 2023.
Scoot is increasing China flights
SIA’s low-cost subsidiary Scoot is ramping up China services at a faster pace than the mainline carrier, with 74 weekly flights planned by October 2023 to 14 destinations, compared to 50 flights operated by Singapore Airlines to only four destinations.
Key points for the Scoot network include:
- Growth of Scoot’s existing Singapore – China operations (Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Qingdao, Tianjin and Zhengzhou) from 14 flights per week to 26 flights per week in March 2023.
- Further expansion to 42 flights per week in April 2023, including the return of Haikou, Ningbo and Xi’an to the network.
- Further expansion to 57 flights per week in May and June 2023, including the return of Nanning and Shenyang to the network.
- Further expansion to 74 flights per week in July and August 2023, including the return of Jinan and Nanchang.
These additional routes and frequencies will use both Airbus A320 family and Boeing 787 family aircraft.
Scoot is not immune from service retraction, however, with Singapore Airlines confirming to us that the carrier’s Wuhan services will be suspended from 23rd March 2023, also for regulatory reasons, with an aim to return to this market once those issues have been resolved.
There will be no Singapore – Wuhan link in the meantime, while this flight remains on pause.
Travel to China
Tourist visits to China remain unfeasible while the country continues to pause its Tourist Visa, and visa exemption for Singapore citizens remains suspended.
No timeline has been announced for rolling out the red carpet to tourists at this stage, though it is an inevitable ‘next step’.
Those who can currently travel to China include its own citizens, and those who hold a valid residence permit or are studying there.
Earlier this month China axed pre-departure PCR testing for those originating in Singapore, replacing it with an ART self-swab you can do at home without supervision, and simply self-declare prior to departure.
Here’s the latest process:
- Obtain a negative self-swab ART result within 48 hours of departure.
- Complete a health declaration form via the China Customs mobile application, or online at htdecl.chinaport.gov.cn, or via a specific WeChat program for China Customs.
- No testing or quarantine on arrival.
Summary
China’s progressive border reopening is good news for the Singapore Airlines Group, with the country representing the final ‘jigsaw piece’ for network rebuilding towards pre-COVID levels.
Tourist visits still aren’t possible, but many eligible travellers can now fly internationally to and from China, and the reinstatement of visa-free visits for Singaporeans plus new tourist visas for others is surely on the cards in the coming months.
Singapore Airlines is hiking its Shanghai schedules this summer back to pre-COVID frequencies, including A380 operation, while Beijing returns to 67% of its usual capacity. Scoot, meanwhile, will offer at least 74 weekly flights to China by the end of this summer.
Unfortunately some regulatory issues mean that SIA will suspend flights to Chongqing (a stalwart route throughout COVID), Shenzhen and Xiamen, though the airline intends to return to these routes as soon as possible.
(Cover Photo: Plane’s Portrait Aviation Media / Malcolm Lu)
Why not SIA downgrade its CKG, SZX, and XMN routes from A350/787 to 737-8 instead of suspension? Regulatory reasons?
The regulatory reasons presumably do not allow continued operation into the NS23 season on these routes (regardless of aircraft type / seating capacity). I suspect it’s probably a paperwork issue, since these were former MI routes, and in China EVERYTHING on the paperwork has to be correct or it’s a no-go.
Whatever the reason, hopefully it’s resolved soon!
Currently, understand we maybe able to make use of China 144 hours visa free transit to visit a Chinese city though with some limitations ie in and out countries have to be different, cannot go to other cities in other province domestically etc.
I suspect they may have been allocated a fixed number of frequencies or a fixed seat capacity, which they may have decided is much better used by operating daily flights to a smaller subset of ports rather than the once, twice or thrice weekly frequencies spread across a bigger number of ports.
Had a few bad encounter with SIA previously.
Now SIA has been just getting worse, am one of the affected one who booked both Chong Qing & Xiamen in June (SG to Chong Qing, Xiamen to SG). Since their so-called regulation restriction leading to cancellation, there has been no proper informing by calling/SMS/whatsapp, simply throwing a very rude email, expecting all to know abt flight cancelled, meanwhile TELLING affected passengers to ACCEPT for their revised destination proposal.
Imagine u r flying to Chong Qing, SIA revises it to make u fly Chengdu. U fly from Xiamen, SIA asked u to accept to fly from Guangzhou. This is completely nonsense. All the arrangement of paid domestic tickets booked for China, have been ruined (going multiple cities). Contacted the customer service, simply throw back a template reply. Disgusted by SIA!
First time Chengdu operating wide body and a 3 class config? Wonder if their premium economy can fill. Recall PEK and PVG always struggled to fill the PEY cabin.