Nearly a month into the northern summer 2026 season, which runs until 24th October 2026, Singapore Airlines’ Airbus A380 flying programme looks a little different to the one the airline originally had planned, thanks to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
The superjumbo will now serve up to eight cities on the network during NS26, though not all of these routes are season-long.
Only London, Frankfurt, Sydney and Melbourne have at least one daily A380 service across the full summer period, while Delhi, Mumbai and Shanghai see the superjumbo for most of the season, with each suffering a one-month break at various times.
Finally, the A380 is deployed for a short part-season stint on Hong Kong flights.
Here’s our latest analysis of the airline’s plans for this aircraft type over the next six months.
The Dubai – Melbourne switch
Dubai was meant to be SIA’s headline A380 story of summer 2026, with the upgauge first announced right at the start of the year.
Back in February, Singapore Airlines confirmed year-round superjumbo service on flights SQ494 and SQ495, marking the first time the A380 would be a permanent fixture on the Gulf route.
That plan unravelled after the Iran conflict flared up in mid-March, forcing SIA to suspend its Dubai service entirely. With a spare A380 freed up and Australian demand running strong, the airline redeployed the aircraft to Melbourne at short notice from 29th March, restoring the superjumbo to Tullamarine for the first time in nearly three years.
Dubai flights remain suspended until at least 1st June 2026, and SIA has since formally dropped the A380 from the route for the rest of the NS26 season, loading the Boeing 777-300ER through to 24th October 2026.
The superjumbo is still pencilled in to return on Dubai flights from 25th October for the NW26/27 season, though that remains contingent on the situation stabilising, and regular demand returning.
The upshot: Australia is the unexpected beneficiary of the reshuffle, with three daily A380 services across the full summer, instead of the two originally scheduled.
Route summary
Eight cities on the Singapore Airlines network will see at least some Airbus A380 service between now and late October 2026.
Singapore Airlines A380 operation
April 2026 – October 2026
| Singapore to/from |
NS26 (Apr ’26 – Oct ’26) |
| Delhi | |
| Frankfurt | |
| Hong Kong | |
| London Heathrow | |
| Melbourne | |
| Mumbai | |
| Shanghai | |
| Sydney |
= Partial operation during the NS26 season
Singapore Airlines will operate 126 weekly A380 flights during the summer 2026 season, based on October 2026 schedules, a sharp rise compared to the 98 weekly flights we saw in summer 2025, perhaps signalling the end of the type’s maintenance woes.
Recently up to three or even four of the 12-strong fleet of aircraft has been out of action in the hangar at any one time, some as far away as Spain, but that situation finally seems to be improving, with flight frequencies promised to be back up to levels not seen for the type since early 2024.
The A380 schedules
Here’s how the Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 schedules look on these routes between now and late October 2026.
Simply expand the schedule boxes below for each of SIA’s confirmed A380 destinations, to see which flights the aircraft is operating on, including timings and days of operation through to the end of the northern summer schedule on 24th October 2026.
Delhi 
Now - 24th October 2026
| NS26 | Days | ||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
 |
SQ406 A380 |
||||||||
| SIN 16:45 |
DEL 20:05 |
||||||||
| Duration: 05:50 | |||||||||
|
SQ403 A380 |
||||||||
| DEL 21:55 |
SIN 06:10* |
||||||||
| Duration: 05:45 | |||||||||
25th October 2026 - 27th March 2027
| NW26/27 | Days | ||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
|
SQ406 A380 |
||||||||
| SIN 16:40 |
DEL 20:00 |
||||||||
| Duration: 05:50 | |||||||||
|
SQ403 A380 |
||||||||
| DEL 21:45 |
SIN 05:55* |
||||||||
| Duration: 05:40 | |||||||||
Other aircraft types on this route
SQ402/401 flights on this route use Boeing 787-10 aircraft. See here for details.
Frankfurt
Now - 24th October 2026
| NS26 | Days | ||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
|
SQ326 A380 |
||||||||
| SIN 12:35 |
FRA 19:40 |
||||||||
| Duration: 13:05 | |||||||||
|
SQ325 A380 |
||||||||
| FRA 21:40 |
SIN 16:20* |
||||||||
| Duration: 12:40 | |||||||||
Other aircraft types on this route
SQ326/325 switches to Boeing 777-300ER aircraft from 25th October 2026. SIA's other Frankfurt flights use the following aircraft: SQ26/25 (Boeing 777-300ER, continuing to and from New York JFK) and SQ330/329 (from 25th October 2026, up to six times weekly using a mix of Airbus A350 LH and Boeing 777-300ER aircraft). See here for details.
Hong Kong
21st June 2026 - 25th July 2026
| Days | |||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
|
SQ892 A380 |
||||||||
| SIN 09:50 |
HKG 13:55 |
||||||||
| Duration: 04:05 | |||||||||
|
SQ893 A380 |
||||||||
| HKG 15:40 |
SIN 19:25 |
||||||||
| Duration: 03:45 | |||||||||
Other aircraft types on this route
Apart from short-term Airbus A380 service listed above, SIA serves Hong Kong up to five times daily using a mixture of Airbus A350 MH, Airbus A350 LH and Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. See here for details.
London
Now - 24th October 2026
| NS26 | Days | ||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
|
SQ308 A380 |
||||||||
| SIN 09:00 |
LHR 15:45 |
||||||||
| Duration: 13:45 | |||||||||
|
SQ322 A380 |
||||||||
| SIN 23:00^ |
LHR 05:55* |
||||||||
| Duration: 13:55 | |||||||||
|
SQ317 A380 |
||||||||
| LHR 11:20 |
SIN 07:30* |
||||||||
| Duration: 13:10 | |||||||||
|
SQ319 A380 |
||||||||
| LHR 20:35 |
SIN 16:45* |
||||||||
| Duration: 13:10 | |||||||||
^ 23:25 on 24th October 2026
25th October 2026 - 27th March 2027
| NW26/27 | Days | ||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
|
SQ308 A380 |
||||||||
| SIN 09:00 |
LHR 15:20 |
||||||||
| Duration: 14:20 | |||||||||
|
SQ322 A380 |
||||||||
| SIN 23:25 |
LHR 05:55* |
||||||||
| Duration: 14:30 | |||||||||
|
SQ317 A380 |
||||||||
| LHR 10:40 |
SIN 07:50* |
||||||||
| Duration: 13:10 | |||||||||
|
SQ319 A380 |
||||||||
| LHR 20:35 |
SIN 17:45* |
||||||||
| Duration: 13:10 | |||||||||
Other aircraft types on this route
SIA's other London Heathrow flights use the following aircraft: SQ306/305 (Airbus A350 LH) and SQ318/321 (Boeing 777-300ER). See here for details.SIA also serves London Gatwick, using Airbus A350 LH aircraft.
Melbourne
Now - 24th October 2026
| NS26 | Days | ||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
|
SQ237 A380 |
||||||||
| SIN 01:45 |
MEL 12:00^ |
||||||||
| Duration: 07:15 | |||||||||
|
SQ228 A380 |
||||||||
| MEL 16:20^ |
SIN 21:15 |
||||||||
| Duration: 07:55 | |||||||||
25th October 2026 - 27th March 2027
| NW26/27 | Days | ||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
|
SQ237 A380 |
||||||||
| SIN 01:45 |
MEL 12:10 |
||||||||
| Duration: 07:25 | |||||||||
|
SQ228 A380 |
||||||||
| MEL 16:20^ |
SIN 21:00 |
||||||||
| Duration: 07:40 | |||||||||
Other aircraft types on this route
SIA's other Melbourne flights use the following aircraft: SQ207/208 (Airbus A350 LH), SQ217/218 and SQ247/248 (Airbus A350 MH) and SQ227/238 (Boeing 777-300ER). See here for details.
Mumbai
Now - 24th October 2026
| NS26 | Days | ||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
|
SQ424 A380 |
||||||||
| SIN 18:50 |
BOM 22:10 |
||||||||
| Duration: 05:50 | |||||||||
|
SQ423 A380 |
||||||||
| BOM 23:40 |
SIN 07:40* |
||||||||
| Duration: 05:30 | |||||||||
25th October 2026 - 27th March 2027
| NW26/27 | Days | ||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
|
SQ424 A380 |
||||||||
| SIN 18:50 |
BOM 21:50 |
||||||||
| Duration: 05:30 | |||||||||
|
SQ423 A380 |
||||||||
| BOM 23:35 |
SIN 07:30* |
||||||||
| Duration: 05:25 | |||||||||
Other aircraft types on this route
SQ422/421 flights on this route use Boeing 787-10 aircraft. See here for details.
Shanghai
Now - 24th October 2026
| NS26 | Days | ||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
|
SQ830 A380 |
||||||||
| SIN 09:30 |
PVG 15:05 |
||||||||
| Duration: 05:35 | |||||||||
|
SQ833 A380 |
||||||||
| PVG 16:50 |
SIN 22:20 |
||||||||
| Duration: 05:30 | |||||||||
25th October 2026 - 27th March 2027
| NW26/27 | Days | ||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
|
SQ830 A380 |
||||||||
| SIN 09:20 |
PVG 14:35 |
||||||||
| Duration: 05:15 | |||||||||
|
SQ833 A380 |
||||||||
| PVG 16:25 |
SIN 22:15 |
||||||||
| Duration: 05:50 | |||||||||
Other aircraft types on this route
SIA's other Shanghai flights use the following aircraft: SQ826/827 (Airbus A350 MH), SQ828/831 (Boeing 777-300ER), SQ836/825 (Boeing 787-10) and SQ832/835 (Boeing 787-10, until 24th October 2026 only). See here for details.
Sydney
Now - 24th October 2026
| NS26 | Days | ||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
|
SQ231 A380 |
||||||||
| SIN 00:45 |
SYD 11:25^ |
||||||||
| Duration: 07:40 | |||||||||
|
SQ221 A380 |
||||||||
| SIN 20:45 |
SYD 07:25*^^ |
||||||||
| Duration: 07:40 | |||||||||
|
SQ232 A380 |
||||||||
| SYD 12:00^ |
SIN 17:30 |
||||||||
| Duration: 08:30 | |||||||||
|
SQ222 A380 |
||||||||
| SYD 15:50^ |
SIN 21:15 |
||||||||
| Duration: 08:25 | |||||||||
^ 1 hour earlier until 3rd October 2026 (before Daylight Saving Time starts)
^^ 06:30 until 2nd October 2026 (before Daylight Saving Time starts), and 07:30 on 24th October 2026
25th October 2026 - 27th March 2027
| NW26/27 | Days | ||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
|
SQ231 A380 |
||||||||
| SIN 00:45 |
SYD 11:50 |
||||||||
| Duration: 08:05 | |||||||||
|
SQ221 A380 |
||||||||
| SIN 20:40 |
SYD 07:40* |
||||||||
| Duration: 08:00 | |||||||||
|
SQ232 A380 |
||||||||
| SYD 12:15^ |
SIN 17:35^ |
||||||||
| Duration: 08:20 | |||||||||
|
SQ222 A380 |
||||||||
| SYD 15:50 |
SIN 21:00 |
||||||||
| Duration: 08:10 | |||||||||
^ 12:00 departure and 17:30 arrival on 25th October 2026
Other aircraft types on this route
SIA's other Sydney flights use the following aircraft: SQ211/212 (Boeing 777-300ER) and SQ241/242 (Airbus A350 LH until 24th October 2026, then Airbus A350 MH). See here for details.SIA also starts flying to Western Sydney International Airport from 23rd November 2026, using Airbus A350 MH aircraft.
KrisFlyer award pricing
Here are the one-way KrisFlyer award rates on these Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 services.
Singapore Airlines A380 routes
One-way KrisFlyer award rates
x 1,000
| Singapore to/from |
Saver | Advantage | |||||
| Y | PY | J | F | Y | J | F | |
| Hong Kong | 15.5 | 28 | 35.5 | 47.5 | 33 | 57.5 | 84 |
| Delhi | 19 | 36 | 45 | 61.5 | 40.5 | 75 | 112.5 |
| Mumbai | |||||||
| Shanghai | 20.5 | 36 | 45 | 61.5 | 44 | 75 | 112.5 |
| Melbourne | 29 | 53.5 | 72 | 98 | 60.5 | 103.5 | 178.5 |
| Sydney | |||||||
| Frankfurt | 44 | 74.5 | 108.5 | 148 | 79 | 141.5 | 259.5 |
| London | |||||||
As you can see, the cheapest way to experience the A380’s cabin products this summer is between Singapore and Hong Kong, or between Singapore and India. Delhi and Mumbai in particular are competitively priced for five+ hour flights , and often have good award availability, even in Suites and Business Class.
Shanghai is also identically priced in the premium cabins, with the opportunity to redeem on this route between May and October this summer.
(Photo: MainlyMiles)
SIA’s Airbus A380 fleet
Singapore Airlines reduced its fleet of Airbus A380s from 19 before the pandemic down to 12 aircraft.
All of the dozen A380s that returned to operation have the new 2017 cabin products installed, and while all 12 of the jets are now part of the airline’s operating fleet, at the time of writing 11 SIA superjumbos are in service, with one undergoing maintenance work, as outlined below.
Singapore Airlines A380 Fleet
(as of 23rd February 2026)
 |
|||
| Registration | Cabin Refit |
Re-entered Service* |
Current Status |
| 9V-SKM | 18 Nov 2020 | 11 Nov 2021 | In Service |
| 9V-SKN | 30 Jun 2020 | 2 Dec 2021 | In Maintenance |
| 9V-SKP | 28 Nov 2023 | 7 Dec 2023 | In Service |
| 9V-SKQ | 7 Oct 2022 | 16 Oct 2022 | In Service |
| 9V-SKR | 23 Dec 2021 | 19 Jan 2022 | In Service |
| 9V-SKS | 20 Jun 2019 | 19 Nov 2021 | In Maintenance |
| 9V-SKT | 26 Nov 2019 | 18 Apr 2023 | In Service |
| 9V-SKU | From new | 4 Nov 2021 | In Service |
| 9V-SKV | From new | 5 Nov 2021 | In Service |
| 9V-SKW | From new | 17 Feb 2022 | In Service |
| 9V-SKY | From new | 26 Dec 2021 | In Service |
| 9V-SKZ | From new | 3 May 2022 | In Service |
* Post-COVID-19 grounding
This is the best shape we’ve seen the A380 fleet in for some time, and while we can’t promise more maintenance downtime isn’t planned for some of these aircraft the summer 2026 schedule calls for only 10 A380s to be needed at peak, with an 11th as an operational spare, allowing for one to continue to be out of action for engineering if necessary.
That necessity will kick in from 1st May 2026 when Shanghai starts to see a daily A380 flight added to the schedule.
(Photo: Duc Huy Nguyen / Shutterstock)
A380 cabin products
The A380 is popular with passengers in all cabin classes, but in particular it’s the latest Suites and Business Class seats rolled out in 2017 that are still a big draw for many of our readers.
(Photo: Agent Wolf / Shutterstock)
There’s also a large 44-seat Premium Economy Class section, in the space the Suites cabin used to occupy in the older configuration, at the forward main deck.
The A380s also feature the latest KrisWorld in-flight entertainment system and Wi-Fi connectivity – now free and unlimited for all Suites and Business Class passengers, and for KrisFlyer members in Premium Economy and Economy Class.
Here are our reviews of the Suites (double bed) and Business Class cabins on these A380s.
What about 25th October 2026 onwards?
Singapore Airlines is already loading Airbus A380 operation on its network for the northern winter 2026/27 season from 24th October 2026 onwards, but there’s a big caveat here.
This is usually just a copy-paste of the previous winter season operation, and so isn’t necessarily indicative of the actual aircraft types that will operate on these routes at this early stage.
Some A380 routes are a sure bet, like SIA’s twice daily flights to Sydney and London, but beyond that, the airline has flexibility to reshuffle its superjumbo network – and as we’ve seen in recent years, even staple routes like London and Sydney can see temporary cuts.
The following winter 2026/27 flights are currently planned for A380 operation at the time of writing:
- Auckland (SQ285/286)
From 17th January 2027 (SQ285)
From 18th January 2027 (SQ286) - Delhi (SQ406/403)
- Dubai (SQ494/495)
- Frankfurt (SQ326/325)
Until 16th January 2027 only - London Heathrow (SQ308/319 and SQ322/317)
- Mumbai (SQ424/423)
- Shanghai (SQ830/833)
- Sydney (SQ231/222 and SQ221/232)
We tend to get more clarity on the final winter season schedules and aircraft allocation by around August, so don’t rely too much on the aircraft types listed beyond 24th October 2026 until then, though most proposed A380 operation should stick.
Dubai will be the one to watch here, depending on how long Middle East tensions endure and how that potentially affects demand on the route, even assuming a return to normal daily operations in the coming months.
Summary
Singapore Airlines is operating its Airbus A380s to four cities on a consistent basis across the full NS26 season: London, Sydney, Melbourne and Frankfurt.
Shanghai picks up the type from May 2026, Delhi and Mumbai continue with their usual short seasonal gap, and even Hong Kong gets a brief appearance mid-summer.
The big winner this year is Australia, with three daily A380 services after Melbourne’s short-notice upgauge, a direct consequence of the airline’s Dubai plans unravelling amid the ongoing Iran conflict. Whether Melbourne keeps the superjumbo beyond October, or cedes it back to Dubai once the geopolitical picture improves, will be the next thing to watch.
Overall, NS26 represents a significant recovery for SIA’s A380 operations, back to early 2024 levels. The maintenance challenges that previously kept up to four aircraft grounded simultaneously appear to be behind the airline, with the bulk of the 12-strong fleet now flying.
(Cover Photo: Peter Gronemann)
I can understand LHR and SYD but why Frankfurt has a chance of daily?
European flights are pretty full in summer. FRA is a good hub for EU transit. At least I prefer FRA than LHR when I am visiting EU. SQ EU coverage is bad compared to middle eastern airliner.
Are load factors on SQ’s India flights consistently high enough to merit even the occasional A380?
Booked load on SQ406 SIN-DEL this afternoon is 467/471 then returning later SQ403 DEL-SIN is 463/471. So I think SQ is pretty happy!
If not for bilateral agreements capping weekly seats, we’d see more SQ flights to India. I have no doubt the A380 could be justified for one of the daily DEL and BOM services even with another (third) well-timed daily service.