Singapore Airlines will increase its Cairns frequency from four to seven weekly flights from 1st December 2026, but the move comes with a significant catch: all services will operate on the carrier’s Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft, resulting in reduced passenger comfort and far fewer premium seats.

While the 75% frequency hike from next year restores the route to its former daily SilkAir operation, overall weekly seat capacity will actually fall by 11% compared to today’s four times weekly Airbus A350 Medium Haul operation.

More significantly, Business Class seat capacity will plummet by 56%, dropping from 160 seats per week in each direction to just 70 when the narrow-body aircraft take over.

Singapore Airlines first deployed its Airbus A350 Medium Haul aircraft on the Cairns route in March 2024.

Signs of overcapacity

The switch to smaller aircraft may not come as a surprise to our readers. Cairns has featured in 10 of the 12 monthly Spontaneous Escapes deals this year, with discounted award tickets commonly offered in both Business Class and Economy Class – an indication that the airline may have been struggling to fill its current Airbus A350 MH services.

When a route appears repeatedly in Spontaneous Escapes – especially in both cabins – it’s typically a sign that SIA is discounting surplus inventory.

The schedule

Here’s how SIA’s schedule on the Cairns route currently looks, with four times weekly Airbus A350 Medium Haul service.

Singapore Airlines
Singapore ↔ Cairns
Now – 30th November 2026

			Days
			M	T	W	T	F	S	S
	SQ203 A350 MH
SIN 08:45		CNS 17:20
Duration: 06:35
	SQ204 A350 MH
CNS 18:35		SIN 22:55
Duration: 06:20

Note: Some minor schedule timing changes during the northern summer season

Singapore Airlines
Singapore ↔ Cairns
From 1st December 2026

			Days
			M	T	W	T	F	S	S
	SQ203 737-8 MAX
SIN 08:40		CNS 17:20
Duration: 06:40
	SQ204 737-8 MAX
CNS 18:20		SIN 23:05
Duration: 06:45

Note the slightly longer flight duration on this route once the Boeing 737-8 MAX takes over – the smaller aircraft cruises around 8% slower than the Airbus A350.

This schedule with daily Boeing 737-8 MAX service is loaded until the end of the northern winter 2026/27 season on 27th March 2027, though we expect it to be a permanent arrangement.

This will become SIA’s second-longest Boeing 737 MAX flight, just slightly shorter than Busan – Singapore which clocks in at 6 hours 50 minutes.

A poorer passenger experience

Singapore Airlines passengers travelling on SQ203/204 Cairns flights currently benefit from the more spacious cabin of the Airbus A350 Medium Haul, including direct aisle access from all seats in Business Class, and better legroom in Economy Class.

We have a full review of how the Business Class experience stacks up on the Boeing 787-10, which has the same cabin product as the A350 MH.

The experience will change on the route, when daily flights commence from 1st December 2026, but shift to Boeing 737-8 MAX operation.

Here’s a summary of the key differences to be aware of.

SIA’s A350 MH vs. 737-8 MAX
Feature	Airbus A350 MH	Boeing 737-8 MAX
Business Seats	40 seats 1-2-1 layout all aisle access 20″ – 26″ width	10 seats 2-2, 1-1, 2-2 layout No direct aisle access for 67% of window seats 19″ – 22″ width
Business IFE	18″ HD screens Free Wi-Fi Live TV	16″ HD screens Free Wi-Fi Live TV
Economy Seats	263 seats 32″ pitch 18″ width 5″ recline	144 seats 30″ pitch 17.7″ width 5″ recline
Economy IFE	11.6″ HD screens Free Wi-Fi	10″ HD screens Free Wi-Fi Live TV
Economy Charging	1 x USB-A socket Shared UNI AC socket	1 x USB-A socket

The key advantage of the Airbus A350 MH is that all Business Class passengers have direct aisle access – unlike the MAX’s awkward 2-2, 1-1, 2-2 configuration, where two-thirds of window passengers (those in 11A/K or 14A/K must disturb their neighbours to reach the aisle.

The two solo seats (12B and 12J) are the clear exceptions, offering excellent space and privacy – but with only two available per flight, only selectable by PPS Club passengers until 96 hours before departure, good luck securing them!

Couples can probably worry less, provided they can secure either a ‘throne’ seat each (12B and 12J), or one of the pair arrangements.

Additionally, the MAX offers smaller entertainment screens across both Business Class and Economy Class cabins, and provides less legroom and more limited device charging options in Economy, compared to the A350 MH.

For a 6+ hour flight, this is effectively a shift from regional wide-body standards to a narrow-body product normally deployed on flights half as long.

Remember you can always check which aircraft type and Business Class seat model Singapore Airlines will be operating network-wide at our full guide here, currently updated through to late March 2026, pending a full update of the summer 2026 schedule in the coming weeks.

Here are our dedicated articles covering SIA’s Boeing 737 MAX cabins, to help you know what to expect on board these less popular aircraft.

Route history

Singapore Airlines’ relationship with Cairns has been intermittent over the decades. The carrier originally served the city 25 years ago with Airbus A310s in the late 1990s, before withdrawing.

Its subsidiary SilkAir revived the route in 2015 with a triangular Singapore – Cairns – Darwin – Singapore routing using Boeing 737-800s. These became dedicated non-stop services to both cities in May 2016, operating until COVID-19 forced their suspension in March 2020.

Having fully absorbed SilkAir into its mainline operation, Singapore Airlines then returned to Cairns in March 2022 with three times weekly 737-800 flights, later upgrading to four weekly 737-8 MAX services before the current Airbus A350 MH deployment since March 2024.

KrisFlyer awards

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer members can redeem miles for flights between Singapore and Cairns at the following award rates per person, one-way.

KrisFlyer Redemption Rates One-Way Singapore ⇄ Cairns
Airline / Cabin		Saver	Advantage	Access
	Economy	29,000	60,500	78,500
	Business	72,000	103,500	129,500 to 207,000

Taxes and fees apply in addition to miles and typically come in at around S$94 from Singapore to Cairns and S$100 in the return direction.

The capacity reduction, particularly in Business Class, will likely make KrisFlyer award availability significantly more challenging to secure on this route from December 2026 onwards.

With 56% fewer Business Class seats available weekly, members should expect increased competition for award space, likely making redemptions increasingly difficult and potentially also meaning the route will feature far less frequently on the monthly Spontaneous Escapes deal.

PPS Club members may retain slightly better access due to additional award inventory, but overall availability will almost certainly tighten.

While Singapore Airlines’ move to daily Cairns flights from December 2026 offers improved frequency and better scheduling flexibility for travellers, the switch to all-Boeing 737-8 MAX operations represents a clear step backwards in passenger comfort on this 6+ hour route.

The downgauge is particularly painful for Business Class, where capacity is cut by more than half and the loss of features like direct aisle access for all, and larger entertainment screens. Economy passengers will also feel the pinch with reduced legroom and narrower seats compared to the current A350 Medium Haul experience.

For KrisFlyer members, this will likely make award availability increasingly hard to secure on this route, especially for Business Class redemptions. The route’s frequent appearance in Spontaneous Escapes deals this year may become a thing of the past, as seat availability tightens.

(Cover Photo: Cairns Airport)