Singapore Airlines bringing the Airbus A380 back to Tokyo from October

Many of our readers keenly await news of Singapore Airlines’ flagship Airbus A380 routes, and for a large number of you one of the most eagerly-awaited markets for the superjumbo to return to since the COVID-19 pandemic has been the ever-popular Japan.

Well there’s good news to report, with SIA recently confirming in a new schedule update that the A380 will operate a daily service to and from Tokyo Narita from the start of the northern winter season on 29th October 2023, replacing a Boeing 787-10.

The flight will operate alongside the carrier’s daily Boeing 777-300ER Narita service on the route, which continues to and from Los Angeles.

The news comes after Auckland was recently confirmed as an A380 route for the carrier from late November 2023, replacing Melbourne for the upcoming season.

Tokyo will be the carrier’s eighth A380 route this winter, and the re-launch timing of this one suggests that the carrier’s 12th (and final) superjumbo should be finishing its refit in the next few months, to support this beefed-up schedule.

The schedule

Here’s how the Singapore Airlines’ schedule looks on the Singapore – Tokyo Narita route from 29th October 2023 to 31st March 2024, with Airbus A380 service SQ638/637 highlighted.

Singapore – Tokyo Narita
29th October 2023 – 30th March 2024

			Days
			M	T	W	T	F	S	S
	SQ12 777-300ER
SIN 09:20		NRT 17:05
	SQ638 A380
SIN 23:55		NRT 07:30*

* Next day

Tokyo Narita – Singapore
30th October 2023 – 31st March 2024

			Days
			M	T	W	T	F	S	S
	SQ637 A380
NRT 10:00		SIN 16:55
	SQ11 777-300ER
NRT 18:40		SIN 01:20*

* Next day

This will bring superjumbo service back to the Tokyo route in time for the peak winter travel season, and will hopefully be extended into the summer 2024 season as well.

As with the A380’s pre-pandemic timings on this route, it’s an overnight flight up to Japan but a more civilised daytime service in the southbound direction, making the latter potentially a better option to experience seven hours of premium service in the sought-after Suites cabin.

The airline will continue to serve Tokyo Haneda three times per day in the winter season, using one Boeing 777-300ER flight and two Airbus A350 Medium Haul flights.

Award rates

Here are the one-way redemption rates you’ll pay by cabin class on the Tokyo route, in either direction, using the KrisFlyer program for a full flight redemption.

KrisFlyer Redemption Singapore ⇄ Tokyo
	Saver	Advantage
Economy	27,000	45,000
Premium Economy	37,500	n/a
Business	52,000	70,000
First / Suites	77,000	120,000

Tokyo Narita does well on our KrisFlyer miles per minute analysis in Business Class, with a saver award clocking in at 122 miles per minute (network average 139), though Suites is more run-of-the-mill at 180 miles per minute (close to the First/Suites combined network average of 181).

We’re seeing Saver Business availability on SQ638 for 52,000 miles on a few dates this winter, but it’s not exactly widespread just yet, despite the 78-seat capacity in the A380’s J cabin, compared to 36 seats on the 787-10.

Unfortunately we’re seeing only some waitlist Saver Suites availability on the new SQ638 flight for 77,000 miles at this stage, with 120,000-mile Advantage space immediately bookable.

In both cases this may settle down with better award space in the days and weeks ahead, so do keep checking if you’re interested – award space comes and goes.

2017 cabin products

This A380 service will mean a return to Japan for SIA’s latest Airbus A380 cabin products once again, with the last service for these cabins on this route back in March 2020, when the pandemic took hold.

2017 Suites

The biggest selling point of the newly configured A380s 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 combine to form a double suite if you are travelling with someone else.

You can read our review of the double suite on a flight from Singapore to Hong Kong in 2018 below.

Although Singapore Airlines stopped short of installing showers in the latest A380 fit, there are two large washrooms at the front of the cabin, one of which is so big it has its own separate vanity area.

We also enjoyed the ‘A380 Restaurant@Changi’ experience on board the new Suites cabin back in October 2020 – see our review here.

These new Suites will return to the Tokyo route for the first time since March 2020 as a result of this announcement.

Suite selection

If you’re flying on the Tokyo Narita route from late October 2023 on the Airbus A380 the Suite seat map will now (very happily) look like this:

Couples will clearly want to go for the two double suite options at 1A/2A or 1F/2F. Here the dividing screen between the suites retracts and allows for a double bed setup.

Suites 3A and 3F are standalone options, lacking the ability to combine with adjacent suites. They also have the smallest footprint and are close to the galley, potentially leading to some light and noise disturbance.

While we don’t want to spoil anyone’s fun by blocking the double suites, as solo travellers we would still choose row 1 or row 2 for not only a larger suite (row 3 suites are the smallest), but less potential disturbance.

2017 Business Class

Another great advantage of the new Singapore Airlines A380 cabins is the excellent Business Class product, our personal favourite in the fleet, with 78 of these seats occupying the rest of the upper deck in a 1-2-1 layout.

There’s the option at the middle seat pairs to retract the divider for couples travelling together, who also benefit from a ‘double bed’ at the three bulkhead positions – Rows 11, 91 and 96.

It’s certainly great to see this product offered to and from Japan once again with this daily A380 Tokyo service.

Finally Japan gets its Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 service back, and it’s in time for the peak winter travel season.

The superjumbo will return to its pre-pandemic SQ638/637 daily rotation, offering four classes of travel with the latest cabin products fitted, and probably marks a return to service for the 12th and final SIA A380 rejoining the fleet.

Tokyo will join Auckland, Delhi, Hong Kong, London, Mumbai, Shanghai and Sydney as the eighth A380 route sporting these latest superjumbo cabin products next winter season.

(Cover Photo: Shutterstock)