SIA To Ramp Up Flight Frequencies In 2023 On Expected Demand Surge

Singapore Airlines (SIA) intends to boost its flight frequencies across East Asia, South-east Asia and Australia in 2023 as it braces for a surge in travel demand to these destinations in the coming year. 

The national carrier in a press statement Tuesday (Nov 22) said it expects flight frequencies to reach, if not exceed, pre-pandemic levels across East Asia and South-east Asia by March 2024.

Highlighted destinations include Bangkok in Thailand; Busan and Seoul in South Korea; Fukuoka, Nagoya, and Osaka in Japan; Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam; Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia; Siem Reap in Cambodia; and Taipei in Taiwan, China.

From Jun 2, 2023, the group will be reinstating flights to Busan with four weekly services operating both ways between Singapore and Busan on the Boeing 737-8. A fourth daily service will be added between Singapore and Seoul from Jun 1 with the Boeing 787-10.

Flight frequencies between Osaka and Singapore will be increased to a daily service from four times a week, bringing the group’s services to Osaka to 14 times weekly, according to Business Times.

Aside from launching a daily service between Singapore and Hong Kong from Mar 26, the group will also reinstate its daily service between the two destinations with the Airbus A350-900 medium-haul aircraft, from Oct 1. Both developments will see SIA operating a total of four daily flights to Hong Kong.

SIA also intends to step up the frequencies of two flights between Singapore and Taipei from four times weekly to daily services, starting from Mar 26. Two other three-times weekly flights between the two cities will also be converted to a daily service from May 31, increasing the total weekly services to Taipei to 14 times.

Within South-east Asia, the airline will add a fifth daily service between Singapore and Bangkok – operated by the A350-900 medium-haul aircraft – from Oct 1. It will also introduce a fourth daily service between Singapore and Phuket starting from Mar 26, and this will be operated by the Boeing 737-800NG.

In Australia, SIA intends to increase its Airbus 380 services on strong projected demand during the Northern Summer operating season from Mar 26 to Oct 29.

Melbourne will get a new daily A380 service from May 16, while Sydney will get a second daily A380 service starting from the following day. The A380 will also replace existing 777-300ER and A350-900 medium-haul airliners currently used for flights between Singapore, Melbourne and Sydney.

Other parts of SIA’s network across the Americas and Europe will also be adjusted in line with the airline’s review of travel demand and capacity needs.

From May 15, SIA will operate the Boeing 777-300ER on its daily Singapore-Frankfurt-New York (JFK) service, instead of the Airbus A380. Flights between Singapore and Los Angeles will operate thrice weekly instead of a daily service from Mar 26.

Flights serving the Singapore-Manchester-Houston route will operate thrice weekly instead of four-times weekly from Mar 28. SIA will also launch a new twice-weekly service between Singapore and Manchester, operated by the A350-900 long-haul aircraft, from Apr 2.

Even with these network adjustments, SIA said it will operate a higher seat capacity to the US compared to its pre-pandemic levels.

The group added that it “remains strongly committed to the North American market”. 

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