Another former Airbus A380 operator at Singapore Changi Airport has recently announced a return for its largest aircraft to the city, and this time it’s Oneworld carrier British Airways confirming that from 1st April 2024 one of its two daily London flights will be operated by the superjumbo once again.
This will mark the first return of the airline’s A380s to Singapore in over four years, with the type axed from the London route at the onset of COVID-19, back in March 2020.
The carrier didn’t particularly single out Singapore for the cull – the pandemic’s impact on demand coupled with the A380’s huge passenger capacity (and lacklustre cargo capabilities) made it an entirely unsuitable aircraft for practically all carriers globally.
As such, BA grounded all 12 of its superjumbos network-wide the same week it withdrew them from the Lion City.
However, the carrier’s dozen jets did make it back into service progressively between November 2021 and April 2022, spurred primarily by a relaxation of border restrictions in the USA, though Singapore has been left off the airline’s list – until now.
BA A380s return to Singapore in 2024
The first British Airways Airbus A380 operating at Singapore Changi Airport post-pandemic will touch down just after 4pm on 1st April 2024 as BA11, returning to London the same evening at 11.20pm as BA12.
Thereafter, for the northern summer season, the carrier’s London schedule will be as follows, including the Airbus A380 flights as highlighted, and the second daily BA15/16 service, operated by the Boeing 787-9.
Singapore London
From 1st April 2024
| Days | |||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
 |
BA16 787-9 |
||||||||
| SIN 22:35 |
LHR 05:30* |
||||||||
|
BA12 A380 |
||||||||
| SIN 23:20 |
LHR 06:15* |
||||||||
* Next day
London Singapore
From 31st March 2024
| Days | |||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
|
BA11 A380 |
||||||||
| LHR 19:30 |
SIN 16:05* |
||||||||
|
BA15 787-9 |
||||||||
| LHR 21:10 |
SIN 17:45 |
||||||||
* Next day
British Airways will also continue to serve Sydney non-stop from Singapore on a daily basis, an extension of the BA15/16 London service using the Boeing 787-9 aircraft, with the following schedule.
Singapore Sydney
From 1st April 2024
| Days | |||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
|
BA15 787-9 |
||||||||
| SIN 19:25 |
SYD 05:10* |
||||||||
* Next day
Sydney Singapore
From 1st April 2024
| Days | |||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
|
BA16 787-9 |
||||||||
| SYD 14:50 |
SIN 21:05 |
||||||||
Good news for award space
As a result of this upgauge, British Airways will increase its weekly departing seat count on the Singapore – London route by nearly 50% – from 3,290 currently to 4,795 from 1st April 2024.
That should be good news for award space going forward, for those trying to redeem Avios, Asia Miles or other Oneworld frequent flyer points on these flights.
Remember, British Airways guarantees to load four Business Class award seats, two Premium Economy award seats, and eight Economy Class seats to Avios members on every single flight 355 days before departure date, at midnight GMT (8am Singapore Time).
Don’t forget that this guarantee also extends to the airline’s “fifth freedom” route between Singapore and Sydney, so if you can make relatively firm travel plans well in advance for next year it’s potentially a good opportunity to lock something in using Avios on this popular route.
British Airways does not extend its award space guarantee to the First Class cabin, but with 14 First Class seats on the A380 instead of eight on the Boeing 777-300ERs, there may be some additional award space in the mix on the London route come next summer.
BA’s pre-COVID capacity still won’t be back
Prior to COVID-19, British Airways operated its Airbus A380 on one daily departure from Singapore to London (BA12), and Boeing 777-300ERs from Singapore to Sydney (BA15) and from Singapore to London (BA16), for a total of 7,469 departing seats per week from Changi Airport.
As mentioned earlier, BA’s reintroduction of the A380 in April next year does boost capacity somewhat compared to current levels, but it will still fall short of pre-pandemic numbers.
The airline’s total weekly departing passenger capacity out of Singapore Changi (to both London and Sydney) will be 6,307 seats from April 2024, still 15% less than the 7,469 seats it was operating from the airport pre-COVID.
That’s largely because the BA15/16 service, which links Singapore with both London and Sydney on a daily basis, remains downgauged to the smaller Boeing 787-9 jets, with only 216 seats fitted.
Bad news for cabin products
As we reported back in July last year, British Airways started flying Boeing 777-300ERs with its new Club Suite Business Class, and closed-door suites in First Class, on its Singapore – Sydney and 50% of its Singapore – London flights, from October 2022.
That hasn’t remained consistent, with seasonal variation meaning it’s currently the BA11/12 London flight that sees the 777 Club Suite jets, while Sydney (and London BA15/16 services) get the older 787-9 cabins, though that sees another ‘switcheroo’ for the upcoming winter 2023/24 season from late October 2023.
BA15/16 then goes back to Club Suites, while BA11/12 reverts to the 787-9, from November 2023 through to the end of March 2024. It’s hard to keep up!
From April 2024 – all Business Class seats on British Airways flights from Singapore will now be the old Club World ‘yin-yang’ arrangement – a big step backwards to a design which is fundamentally from over 20 years ago.
This will be the first time in 17 months that at least one of BA’s Singapore – London flights has not featured the latest Club Suite in Business Class, a heavily customised version of the Collins Aerospace ‘Elements’ Business Class seat, previously known as the ‘Super Diamond’ seat.
Unfortunately the old Club World seat is a far cry from this experience, installed on the Airbus A380s with a 2-3-2 configuration on the upper deck (53 seats) and a 2-4-2 configuration on the main deck (44 seats).
One potential benefit for couples on the main deck in Club World on the A380 is a ‘mini-suite’ type layout in the middle rear-facing pair at each row, which can be quite nice with the privacy dividers raised.
Overall though, these are pretty dreadful seats that are well past their prime.
However, for those flying First Class on BA11/12 between London and Singapore, this news is potentially an upgrade.
The Airbus A380 First Class seats are some 50% larger than their Boeing 777-300ER counterparts, so expect a much roomier ‘mini-suite’ on your superjumbo flight.
If you’re on BA15/16 to either London or Sydney on the other hand, you’ll have BA’s latest First Class product ‘evolution’ to look forward to, in the form of the airline’s most intimate two-row cabin on the Boeing 787-9 with eight seats in total, but without closing doors.
BA will refit its A380s and 787s with Club Suites
The good news is that British Airways will be rolling out its Club Suites product on all Airbus A380s and Boeing 787s over the coming years, so eventually the old ‘yin-yang’ Club World seats will be a thing of the past on the Singapore routes, regardless of which aircraft type the carrier operates.
A380s will even get brand new First Class suites, potentially relocated to the forward upper deck section.
“Hundreds of millions of pounds will be spent refitting BA’s 12 A380 double-decker superjumbos ….. It will have a new first class — perhaps on the upper deck for the first time — the popular new business-class Club Suite, also upstairs, and new premium economy and economy cabins.”
John Arlidge of the Sunday Times, via HfP, after an interview with BA CEO Sean Doyle
Unfortunately it’s safe to say these refits will likely happen one aircraft at a time, and the likelihood of us seeing them consistently on the Singapore route by March 2024 is slim.
Redemption rates
You can redeem award seats on British Airways flights using any Oneworld airline’s frequent flyer currency, with some examples for flights departing from Singapore shown below.
| British Airways award redemptions to/from Singapore (one-way) |
||||
| FFP | Sydney | London | ||
| First | Club World | First | Club World | |
 |
68,000* 80,000** |
80,000* 90,000** |
119,000* 140,000** |
110,000* 120,000** |
 |
||||
 |
50,000 | 40,000 | 90,000 | 75,000 |
 |
87,000 | 61,000 | 110,000 | 70,000 |
 |
107,700 | 75,000 | 149,800 | 104,500 |
* Off-peak dates (2023 / 2024)
** Peak dates (2023 / 2024)
American Airlines’ AAdvantage miles programme typically offers the best value, though most of our readers unfortunately don’t hold a balance, since the scheme has no credit card transfer partners in Singapore.
For BA’s London flights it’s Asia Miles which represents the best deal in Club World at 70,000 miles one-way, though these will be changing to an (unannounced, but likely ~30% higher) set of rates from 1st October 2023.
Don’t forget you can now search and book BA awards using Qatar Airways Privilege Club Avios points at the same rates enjoyed by BA Avios members.
One downside of award redemption on British Airways flights is that fuel surcharges are high, so you can expect to pay around S$460 in taxes and fees when departing Singapore to Sydney or S$490 from Singapore to London, in addition to the miles requirement, when travelling in First or Business Class.
For those interested in the Economy and Premium Economy cabins, rates are shown below.
| British Airways award redemptions to/from Singapore (one-way) |
||||
| FFP | Sydney | London | ||
| Premium Eco |
Eco | Premium Eco |
Eco | |
|
42,500* 60,000** |
25,000* 30,000** |
55,000* 80,000** |
40,000* 45,000** |
|
||||
|
35,000 | 30,000 | 55,000 | 35,000 |
|
43,000 | 27,000 | 45,000 | 35,000 |
|
59,000 | 30,200 | 81,800 | 45,000 |
* Off-peak dates (2023 / 2024)
** Peak dates (2023 / 2024)
In Premium Economy and Economy Class the cash component payable on top of your miles outlay is still high, at around S$250 to Sydney and S$290 to London.
BA’s Singapore Lounge has reopened
Back in May 2022, British Airways reopened its Singapore Lounge after a two-year closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The comfortable facility, and its inner sanctuary ‘The Bar Singapore’ for First Class passengers, is now open from 4pm each day, until the last BA flight departs.
British Airways Business Class passengers also have the option of using the excellent (and frankly far superior) Qatar Airways Premium Lounge in Changi T1 before their flight, while both Business Class and BA Silver / Oneworld Sapphire members also have the option of the adjacent Qantas Business Lounge.
British Airways First Class passengers can access ‘The Bar Singapore’ prior to departure, which includes an à la carte dining menu, but will likely prefer the Qantas First Lounge, which is also open to Oneworld Emerald members.
Who still hasn’t brought the A380 back to Singapore?
Three airlines have already reinstated Airbus A380 passenger flights to and from Singapore post-pandemic at the time of writing:
- Singapore Airlines (in November 2021)
- Qantas (in June 2022)
- Emirates (in June 2022)
With BA bringing its A380s back to Changi from March 2024, that will then leave Star Alliance carrier Lufthansa as the only airline at Changi operating the A380 before the pandemic that hasn’t reinstated superjumbo services at the airport.
Lufthansa’s daily Singapore – Frankfurt flight instead now uses the Boeing 747-8.
While that sounds like a big aircraft, with 364 seats is has 145 fewer seats than the A380s offered, a 28% capacity void.
Summary
British Airways is the latest airline bringing the Airbus A380 back to Singapore Changi Airport on regular passenger services following the COVID-19 pandemic, with an upgrade in store for the daily BA11/12 London service from April 2024.
This should see improved award space with increased capacity, though seat totals still aren’t quite at pre-pandemic levels, which is surprising for such a popular route.
Unfortunately in the Business Class cabin it’s a downgrade back to the old Club World ‘yin-yang’ product, at least until the airline completes a refit programme for these aircraft over the coming years.
(Cover Photo: British Airways)