During the Northern Summer operating season (26 March to 29 October 2023), Singapore Airlines (SIA) will increase frequency to destinations in East Asia and South East Asia, resume flights to Busan, and increase Airbus A380 services to Australia to support the strong projected demand to these destinations.
Consequently, SIA’s flight frequencies will reach or exceed pre-pandemic levels in various East Asian and South East Asian destinations by March 2024. Among these are Bangkok, Thailand; Busan and Seoul, South Korea; Fukuoka, Nagoya, and Osaka, Japan; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Siem Reap, Cambodia; and Taipei, Taiwan.
In addition, Melbourne will receive a new daily A380 flight and Sydney will receive a second daily A380 service in Australia.
Ms. JoAnn Tan, Senior Vice President of Marketing Planning at Singapore Airlines, stated: “Looking ahead to 2023, we see stronger demand for flights to destinations across South East Asia, parts of East Asia, and Australia. As we restore our network to these regions closer to pre-pandemic levels, our customers have even more flight options as they make their holiday plans.”
East Asia
SIA will resume service to Busan on 2 June 2023, with four weekly flights on the Boeing 737-8 running as SQ616 (Singapore to Busan) and SQ615 (Busan to Singapore). SIA will establish a fourth daily route between Singapore and Seoul, SQ612 and SQ611, beginning 1 June 2023 with the Boeing 787-10.
With effect from 1 May 2023, SIA will raise the frequency of flights SQ618 (Singapore to Osaka) and SQ619 (Osaka to Singapore) from four times per week to daily. This will increase weekly service to Osaka to fourteen times.
The A380 aircraft will be used to perform daily flights between Singapore and Hong Kong SAR beginning on 26 March 2023. In addition, SIA will restore SQ896 and SQ897, a daily route between Singapore and Hong Kong SAR, with the medium-haul Airbus A350-900 aircraft beginning on 1 October 2023. This will result in four daily flights to Hong Kong SAR operated by SIA.
From 26 March 2023, SIA will increase the frequency of flights SQ876 (Singapore to Taipei) and SQ877 (Taipei to Singapore) from four times per week to daily. The frequency of flights SQ878 and SQ879 between the two cities will increase from three times per week to daily as of 31 May 2023. This will increase the number of weekly services to Taipei to fourteen.
South East Asia
The A350-900 medium-haul aircraft will fly a fifth daily route, SQ706 and SQ705, between Singapore and Bangkok beginning on 1 October 2023. From 26 March 2023, SIA will introduce a fourth daily flight, SQ726 and SQ725, operated by the Boeing 737-800NG between Singapore and Phuket.
The South-western Pacific
On 16 May 2023, the A380 will return to Melbourne after nearly four years, while on 17 May 2023, Sydney will receive a second daily A380. The A380 will replace the 777-300ER on services SQ237 from Singapore to Melbourne and SQ228 in the opposite direction. Additionally, the A380 will replace the A350-900 on SQ221 from Singapore to Sydney and SQ232 on the return route.
The United States and Europe
As part of its assessment of travel demand and capacity requirements, SIA will modify other network components.
From 15 May 2023, the Boeing 777-300ER will replace the Airbus A380 on SQ26 and SQ25, the daily Singapore-Frankfurt-New York (JFK) flight. SIA’s 777-300ER aircraft provide First Class cabins, which include the full array of the Airline’s world-class products and amenities.
Customers will continue to enjoy two daily non-stop services to New York — flights SQ24 and SQ23 between Singapore and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, as well as SQ22 and SQ21 between Singapore and New York’s Newark Liberty International Airport.
From 26 March 2023, flights SQ36 and SQ35 between Singapore and Los Angeles will operate three times a week as opposed to daily. Customers will continue to have access to two daily flights to Los Angeles via nonstop service SQ38 and SQ37 between Singapore and Los Angeles, as well as flights SQ12 and SQ11, which serve the route Singapore-Tokyo (Narita)-Los Angeles.
The SQ28 and SQ27 service between Singapore and Seattle will continue to operate three times per week beginning on 27 June 2023.
The Singapore-Manchester-Houston flights SQ52 and SQ51 will fly three times a week as opposed to four beginning on 28 March 2023. On 2 April 2023, SIA will introduce a new twice-weekly route between Singapore and Manchester, SQ302 and SQ301, operated by A350-900 long-haul aircraft.
SIA continues to maintain a strong commitment to the North American market. Even with the above network adjustments, the airline’s seat capacity to the United States of America will be more than it was prior to the pandemic.