Singapore Airlines Sending More 787s And A350s To Australia

There have been many different transit points between Australia and Europe, but none have ever been as popular as Singapore’s Changi Airport. Since 1967 Singapore Airlines has introduced millions of Australians to Asia and beyond and was one of the few airlines that maintained services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Singapore Airlines and its low-cost subsidiary Scoot currently operate more than 140 weekly flights from eight Australian cities to Singapore. In response to continuing strong demand, Singapore Airlines (SIA) announced today it is adding more flights and extra capacity on services to six Australian cities, including Perth, Darwin, Cairns, Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne.

SIA is matching capacity with demand

The extra capacity will be phased in from the end of March 2024 and will deliver more than 4,700 additional seats weekly in each direction between Singapore and Australia compared to 2023. The extra seats will come from a mix of new flights, more frequencies and aircraft changes and clearly demonstrates how the full-service carrier is right-sizing its aircraft to meet the unique demands of individual destinations.

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying.

Singapore Airlines Regional Vice President South West Pacific Louis Arul said the changes cater to the strong demand in air travel and will ensure Australians have more seats and flight options on their next holiday or business trip. He added that the airline remains committed to ensuring capacity matches the high levels of demand it is seeing.

SIA is certainly doing that across Australia, and with the severe lockdowns not that far behind us, it is amazing to contemplate the number of flights becoming available. For example, there will be five daily flights between Melbourne International (MEL) and Singapore Changi Airport (SIN), with flights timed to leave Melbourne at 07:15, 09:35, 15:40, 18:25 and 23:35.

Photo: jremes84 | Shutterstock

Three of those flights will be operated with an Airbus A350-900 and the other two by a Boeing 777-300ER. The fifth daily was initially planned as a seasonal service from November to March 2024 but will now be reinstated at the end of May 2024. Arul commented:

“Resuming Melbourne’s fifth daily service at the end of May will see Singapore Airlines’ operations to the Victorian capital once again exceed our pre-COVID levels of capacity to the key Australian gateway.

“It will also see Melbourne boast the highest frequency of daily flights to any Australian city, allowing us to meet the ongoing demand for passenger inbound and outbound travel as well as cargo imports and exports from Victoria.”

Passengers in Sydney can fly in First Class on all four daily services when SIA switches the fourth daily flight from an Airbus A350-900 to the Boeing 777-300ER from March 31st, 2024. The 777s will operate two flights while the Airbus A380 will continue its two daily flights, giving customers the option of either first class or SIA’s iconic Suites on all four flights.

Not just for the major destinations

From the Far North Queensland city of Cairns, SIA currently operates a Boeing 737 MAX 8 configured with its newest lie-flat Business Class product to Singapore. From March 31st, 2024, that will change to a 303-seat A350-900 medium-haul aircraft four times weekly, bringing an additional 442 seats per week and an extra 47 tonnes of belly-hold cargo space. It will be the first time in more than 20 years that SIA has operated a passenger widebody on the Cairns-Singapore route.

Photo: Kittikun Yoksap I Shutterstock

Further north, Darwin will retain its 737 MAX 8 services, but these will be increased to daily, adding around 300 extra seats weekly. At the other end of the country, Adelaide Airport (ADL) will see a change in aircraft on its daily Singapore flight, with the Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner taking over from the A350-900. This will add an extra 238 seats weekly from March 31st, 2024 and take the capacity to Adelaide above pre-pandemic levels.

Photo: Boeing.

Perth, the capital of Western Australia with a population of around 2.1 million, has always had strong links to Singapore and will add a fourth daily service to its schedule. The fourth daily was initially scheduled to operate four times a week between November and March but will now be extended as a regular scheduled daily service. The flights will be operated with a mix of 787-10s and A350-900s, with the services departing at 01:10 and 06:25 using the 787 and those at 13:40 and 17:10 the A350.

What do you think of these changes? Let us know in the comments.