Singapore Airlines is in discussions to launch non-stop flights to Chiang Mai, a network addition that would mark its third destination in Thailand, as the carrier ramps up its presence in this market following recent hikes to Phuket flights and upcoming increases on its longstanding Bangkok route.

A report in the Bangkok Post this week confirmed that Thailand’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAAT) met with SIA officials to discuss the airline’s preparations for the new route, signalling that a formal announcement could be on the horizon.

The news comes hot on the heels of SIA’s recently announced 17% capacity hike on its Bangkok route, with seven daily flights set to operate from 29th March 2026, some using Airbus A350 Long Haul aircraft.

Chiang Mai would join Bangkok and Phuket on Singapore Airlines’ Thailand network.

The carrier currently operates six daily flights to the holiday hotspot of Phuket using Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft, while this summer’s seven daily Bangkok services all use wide-body jets.

Scoot currently has the market

The Singapore – Chiang Mai route is currently the exclusive domain of Scoot, with SIA’s low-cost carrier operating twice daily using Airbus A321neo family aircraft.

Frequencies drop to once daily during the northern summer season from April to October, using smaller Airbus A320neo jets, before ramping up again for the winter peak. Scoot recently increased its service from daily to 11 weekly from 27th October 2025, then to double daily (14 weekly) from 3rd December 2025, demonstrating strong demand that SIA now seems keen to tap into.

Scoot took over Chiang Mai services from SIA’s former full-service regional subsidiary SilkAir back in mid-2019, so the launch of mainline SIA flights would mark the return of a full-service option on the route after a gap of several years.

Overall, Scoot has a much wider footprint in Thailand than its parent airline, serving not only Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang Mai but also Chiang Rai, Hat Yai, Koh Samui and Krabi.

Limited competition

Thai AirAsia previously served the Singapore – Chiang Mai market until May 2012, then made a brief return to the route from February 2023 with four weekly flights. However, these were short-lived, ending in October that year.

Currently, travellers wanting a full-service option from Singapore to Chiang Mai need to make a connection, typically either in Bangkok via Thai Airways or in Kuala Lumpur on Malaysia Airlines, so a non-stop SIA service would be a welcome addition.

Gateway to northern Thailand

A major gateway to northern Thailand, Chiang Mai is the country’s fourth-busiest airport after Bangkok Suvarnabhumi, Bangkok Don Mueang and Phuket.

In 2024, Chiang Mai airport saw a significant 34% increase in international passengers, against just a 3% rise for domestic traffic. That said, the airport’s overall numbers still haven’t returned to pre-pandemic levels, sitting at around 80% of 2019 totals.

November to March is Chiang Mai’s peak tourist season, with dry weather and cooler temperatures driving higher demand to this mountainous region featuring many cultural attractions, hence Scoot’s boosted frequencies during this period.

If SIA does proceed with this route, we wouldn’t be surprised if it launches in time for the high season, possibly from late October when the northern winter schedules kick in.

Which aircraft?

Given the limited traffic market, we would expect Singapore Airlines to deploy its narrow-body Boeing 737-8 MAX on this service, mirroring its Phuket operation.

Speaking of Phuket, SIA has hiked its summer 2026 schedule on that route compared to summer 2025, with 35 services per week throughout the season this year, while as few as 27 flights per week were scheduled the year before.

This expanding fleet has grown by four aircraft in the last year alone, with two more aircraft arriving by the end of March 2026 and a further seven to join after that, so it’s not too surprising to see more destinations being considered for the narrow-bodies.

Aside from demand from Singapore residents, the airline will no doubt be looking to tap significant transit passenger flows through its Changi hub for a service like this.

While Chiang Mai draws strong visitor numbers from nearby Asian markets like China, South Korea and Taiwan, it’s also popular with tourists from further afield, particularly Europe, the USA and Australia, many of whom could conveniently connect through Singapore.

Singapore Airlines already codeshares on Scoot’s Chiang Mai services, and offers through-tickets from most of these markets – like this Melbourne – Chiang Mai option.

However, the age-old problem with partnerships like this is that those preferring Business Class are then scuppered on the shorter Scoot sector.

SIA will already have good data for demand from its existing codeshare arrangement on these Scoot flights, perhaps helping drive this possible new route plan for the mainline division.

KrisFlyer award pricing

While Scoot’s current KrisFlyer award pricing on Singapore – Chiang Mai flights is set at 10,500 miles each way (Saver) or 18,000 miles each way (Advantage), mainline SIA flights would be priced higher, assuming the service does actually launch.

Nonetheless it would of course also open up a Business Class option for redemptions, starting at 25,000 miles one-way.

KrisFlyer Redemption Rates One-Way Singapore ⇄ Chiang Mai
Airline / Cabin		Saver	Advantage	Access
	Economy	13,000*	27,500*	36,000*
	Business	25,000*	46,000*	57,500 to 92,000*
	Economy	10,500	18,000	n/a

* If launched

Interestingly, if both carriers happily coexist on this route, as they do on many others, award availability could create some quirky value propositions.

If Scoot only had Advantage space left, a Singapore Airlines Economy Class Saver redemption would actually be cheaper, while a Business Class Saver on SIA would cost just 7,000 miles more than a Scoot Economy Advantage award.

Singapore Airlines’ planned entry into the Chiang Mai market would be a welcome expansion for its Thailand network, building on the significant capacity growth already announced for Bangkok and recent hikes for Phuket.

With strong demand evidenced by Scoot’s frequency increases over recent months, and no direct full-service competition from Singapore, the route looks like a sensible addition.

That’s particularly true when tapping connecting traffic through Changi, but also good news for award availability especially with the introduction of Business Class on these three-hour flights.

We’ll be watching for a formal announcement, which could potentially come in time for a late October 2026 launch to coincide with the start of Chiang Mai’s peak tourist season.

(Cover Photo: Shutterstock)