Just a few weeks back we were reporting on Singapore Airlines making a last minute change in the fleet deployment plans for its Shanghai route, with daily Airbus A380 operation to and from the Chinese city, originally locked in from 4th January 2023, postponed until April 2024.
Unfortunately SIA has now gone one further, and scrapped plans to use the A380 on the Shanghai route right through to the end of the summer 2024 schedule on 26th October 2024.
Superjumbo operation to and from Shanghai now only appears from the start of the northern winter season on 27th October 2024, at which time the city will also see a 20% cut in SIA flight frequencies.
Overall, Singapore Airlines will now only fly its 12-strong Airbus A380 fleet to and from six cities on the network next summer, with eight daily departures from Changi based on this latest change, a schedule that can be comfortably flown with only 10 aircraft.
Hopefully that means there will be further route announcements in due course, since the list looks rather thin for a dozen superjumbos.
What’s changing?
SIA’s Airbus A380 Shanghai services next summer (SQ826/827) will instead be operated by two-class Airbus A350 Medium Haul aircraft and later a two-class Boeing 787-10 aircraft during the northern summer season through to 26th October 2024.
That obviously means there will be no Suites or Premium Economy Class option on these services, so if you have an existing booking in these cabins Singapore Airlines should be contacting you to provide a solution.
The A350 Medium Haul / 787-10 flights will operate alongside Airbus A350 Long Haul, Boeing 787-10 and Boeing 777-300ER services on the Shanghai route next summer, the latter being the only type with a First Class (but sadly not Suites) cabin offering.
Nonetheless, the airline is planning a short-term 17-day Airbus A380 operation to and from Shanghai in the current season, between 2nd February 2024 and 18th February 2024, when the superjumbo briefly takes over from the Boeing 777-300ER.
Here’s how the revised Shanghai schedule now looks, with five daily flights during the upcoming northern summer season, including former A380 services now planned for the Airbus A350 Medium Haul, and later the Boeing 787-10.
Singapore Shanghai
31st March 2024 – 26th October 2024
All services operate daily
| Aircraft | Dates | |||
 |
SQ826 |
A350 MH | 31 Mar – 31 Aug | |
| SIN 01:15 |
PVG 06:35 |
787-10 | 1 Sep – 26 Oct | |
|
SQ828 |
A350 LH | All | |
| SIN 07:55 |
PVG 13:25 |
|||
|
SQ830 |
777-300ER | All | |
| SIN 09:30 |
PVG 15:05 |
|||
|
SQ832 |
A350 LH | All | |
| SIN 12:45 |
PVG 18:05 |
|||
|
SQ836 |
787-10 | All | |
| SIN 17:25 |
PVG 22:45 |
|||
Shanghai Singapore
31st March 2024 – 26th October 2024
All services operate daily
| Aircraft | Dates | |||
|
SQ825 |
787-10 | All | |
| PVG 00:35 |
SIN 05:55 |
|||
|
SQ827 |
A350 MH | 31 Mar – 31 Aug | |
| PVG 08:05 |
SIN 13:25 |
787-10 | 1 Sep – 26 Oct | |
|
SQ831 |
A350 LH | All | |
| PVG 14:30 |
SIN 19:50 |
|||
|
SQ833 |
777-300ER | All | |
| PVG 16:50 |
SIN 22:20 |
|||
|
SQ835 |
A350 LH | All | |
| PVG 19:10 |
SIN 00:30* |
|||
* Next day
Suites passengers are hardest hit
For those already booked in Suites on SQ826/827 flights between 31st March 2024 and 26th October 2024, it will mean a downgrade from this…
to this 2018 Regional Business Class seat…
Obviously the fare difference or miles difference between Suites and Business Class will be refunded to you, if you still wish to go ahead with the trip, but there’s no doubting the stark contrast now in store.
Another option open to those with a Suites booking may be to shift to the SQ830/833 flight, in the 2013 First Class seats.
Obviously that’s still a downgrade from Suites, so you’ll have to decide whether your miles or cash outlay for this cabin is still worthwhile or not.
However, we do still enjoy the 2013 First Class product installed on the Boeing 777-300ERs. You can read our review of the product here.
In Business Class the impact is less of an issue, with the newer 2017 seats on the A380 being replaced by the 2018 Regional Business Class seats on the A350 MH / 787-10, though the latter product is narrower and less roomy.
There may be an option here to move onto an A350 Long Haul or Boeing 777-300ER flight, for the 2013 Business Class seat, which is more similar to the one you would have been expecting on the A380.
The A380 returns to Shanghai in late October 2024
Shanghai will apparently get a consistent daily Airbus A380 operation back during the northern winter 2024/25 season, based on SIA’s currently-published schedules.
However, as you can see from this news, these don’t quite get set in stone that far in advance from an aircraft allocation perspective, so there’s a big pinch of salt here.
Assuming no changes, the superjumbo will be used on an overnight Singapore – Shanghai flight next winter, with a morning flight in the return direction, on the SQ826/827 rotation.
SQ830/833 will continue to use a four-class Boeing 777-300ER, meaning two flights per day on the route will feature a First Class option, with SQ828/831 using the three-class Airbus A350 Long Haul.
Only a single daily Boeing 787-10 flight (SQ836/825) will offer a two-class service with regional cabin products on the Shanghai route next winter.
Here’s how the winter 2024 schedule looks, including daily A380 services.
Singapore Shanghai
27th October 2024 – 29th March 2025
All services operate daily
| Aircraft | Dates | |||
|
SQ826 |
A380 | All | |
| SIN 01:15 |
PVG 06:30 |
|||
|
SQ828 |
A350 LH | All | |
| SIN 07:20 |
PVG 12:45 |
|||
|
SQ830 |
777-300ER | All | |
| SIN 09:20 |
PVG 14:35 |
|||
|
SQ836 |
787-10 | All | |
| SIN 17:05 |
PVG 22:20 |
|||
Shanghai Singapore
27th October 2024 – 29th March 2025
All services operate daily
| Aircraft | Dates | |||
|
SQ825 |
787-10 | All | |
| PVG 00:35 |
SIN 05:55 |
|||
|
SQ827 |
A380 | All | |
| PVG 08:20 |
SIN 14:10 |
|||
|
SQ831 |
A350 LH | All | |
| PVG 13:50 |
SIN 19:40 |
|||
|
SQ833 |
777-300ER | All | |
| PVG 16:25 |
SIN 22:15 |
|||
* Next day
As you probably noticed, next winter also brings about a 20% retraction in flight frequencies for SIA on this route, with only four daily services instead of five over the coming summer months, though this mirrors pre-COVID operation to and from Shanghai (five daily summer / four daily winter).
KrisFlyer award rates
Here are the latest KrisFlyer award rates for the Singapore – Shanghai route, including for the Suites cabin (once it’s finally operating from late October 2024!).
| KrisFlyer Redemption Singapore ⇄ Shanghai |
||
| Saver | Advantage | |
| Economy | 21,500 | 40,000 |
| Premium Economy | 34,500 | n/a |
| Business | 43,000 | 65,000 |
| First / Suites | 58,500 | 98,000 |
Where else are SIA’s A380s flying?
Singapore Airlines is currently flying its Airbus A380s on seven routes (eight while Shanghai gets its CNY capacity bump), which will continue through to the end of the northern winter season on 30th March 2024.
- Auckland
SQ285/286 - Delhi
SQ406/403 - Hong Kong
SQ892/893 - London
SQ308/319
SQ322/317 - Mumbai
SQ424/423 - Shanghai
SQ830/833
2 Feb – 18 Feb only - Sydney
SQ221/232
SQ231/222 - Tokyo
SQ638/637
For the northern summer 2024 season, schedules have not been fully finalised yet and some further changes like this one may still be in the pipeline, but for now the airline’s A380 schedule covers only six destinations, as follows:
- Delhi
SQ406/403 - Frankfurt
SQ326/325 - Hong Kong
SQ892/893 - London
SQ308/319
SQ322/317 - Mumbai
SQ424/423 - Sydney
SQ221/232
SQ231/222
Unfortunately Tokyo and Auckland drop off the list next summer, as well as Shanghai, and there currently looks to be no sign of a seasonal A380 flight to Melbourne, like there was in 2023.
With only six cities and eight daily departures from Changi on the provisional SIA Airbus A380 list next summer, a schedule we have calculated can be flown full-time by nine aircraft, plus one operational spare to make 10, we’d expect at least another flight or two to potentially join that list.
Singapore Airlines now has 12 Airbus A380s in its operating fleet.
Summary
Singapore Airlines already reversed its decision to upgauge daily SQ830/833 flights on its Shanghai route from the Boeing 777-300ER to the Airbus A380 from 4th January 2024 to 30th March 2024, and now the carrier has done the same for the whole of the 2024 summer season too.
That means SQ826/827 flights, originally slated for superjumbo operation, will now be served by two-class Airbus A350 Medium Haul or Boeing 787-10 jets between April and October 2024.
That’s bad news for those booked in the Suites cabin in particular, but SIA should be reaching out to passengers with alternative options in due course.
Despite the withdrawal of the A380 from this route, it’s back again (they say!) from the start of the winter season on 27th October 2024, though that’s a bit far ahead to be 100% certain at this stage.
In the meantime, the route list now looks awfully thin for 12 A380s next summer – so stay tuned for some potential route news in the coming weeks.
(Cover Photo: Peter Gronemann)
They have also, yet again, downgraded some of the SIN-HKT flights from the new max (with the new business class product) to the old 737. This is the second time I thought I would try the new product and the second time the plane has been changed on me. I call to ask if I can change the award flight to the flight later in the day (which is still the new Max plane – this time they have not removed the Max on all flights, but just some of them) but No, they won’t do it. Most annoying.
Given how hard it is to book Suites class at saver rates, are there any routes or particular flights that you could recommend where a saver 777 First reward could be booked but with a decent chance of it being swapped for an A380 later?
Are there any trends that would tell us when winter 2024 schedules will be locked in? Particularly interested in whether the A380 service to Shanghai will remain!