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Singapore Airlines (SIA) is adding extra flights to its already-hefty Australian schedule in 2017, with Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney set to receive more services.
Melbourne will increase to 31 flights a week from July 17 2017, from 28 currently, with a fifth daily service to operate on Monday, Friday and Saturday with Airbus A330-300s as a red-eye from Singapore and lunchtime departure from the Victorian capital.
Meanwhile, SIA is switching one of its four daily Melbourne-Singapore flights to a four-class Boeing 777-300ER featuring first, business, premium economy and economy from January.
On the Brisbane-Singapore route, SIA said it grow its schedule to 28 flights a week, from 24 currently, from August 22 2017.
And the Star Alliance member will have 35 flights a week (or five flights a day) on the Sydney-Singapore route during the peak travel period between June and September 2017. Outside of this peak period, SIA operates 33 times a week between Sydney and Singapore. Separately, SIA said it would have double-daily A380 flights to the NSW capital during the peak winter period.
The planned capacity increases comes after SIA launched its new Capital Express service linking Singapore, Canberra and Wellington in September.
The Virgin Australia shareholder and alliance partner had planned a new Sydney-Jakarta-Singapore flight that was due to launch in November. However, the launch was postponed due to what SIA said was runway maintenance works at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.
Singapore Airlines postpones Sydney-Jakarta-Singpore service
Canberra Airport welcomes inaugural Singapore Airlines service
And the airline has also boosted its premium passenger offering with a new SilverKris lounge at Brisbane Airport.
SIA regional vice president for South West Pacific Tan Tiow Kor noted 2017 marked the airline’s 50th year of operations to Australia.
“We are looking forward to the year ahead and are excited by the prospect of celebrating our 50th anniversary flying to Australia,” Tan said in a statement.
“The increase in services and capacity announced today reinforce our longstanding commitment and investment to Australia and the South West Pacific region.”
Figures from the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics showed SIA was Australia’s second largest foreign carrier in the 12 months to June 30 2016 with an 8.4 per cent share of the market in terms of passengers carried.
At its peak, SIA and its regional wing Silkair have 145 flights a week between Singapore and Australia, serving Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Cairns, Darwin, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.
Doveo
says:Singapore Airlines, The Spirit of Australia!
Anil Kattula
says:Going to Europe from Melbourne? It’s going to be a hard decision! Go on Qantas’s one daily flight via Perth and London with difficult transfers at both airports, a cramped 787 economy cabin for 17 plus hours nonstop and flight back to Europe OR take a comfortable Singapore airlines flight when I want to, via an easy connection in worlds best airport, direct to my destination, at a much cheaper price with far better service! Gee I wonder which airline I and every other Melbournian will choose?
John
says:Anil you already have Qantas metal to LHR on QF9 as do Syd people with QF 1 so no need to go via Perth .The rest of us though don’t . But you are dead right why go to Perth to be jammed 3 3 3 down the back for 17 hours when you can go via SIN Singapore Airlines . I have put my money where my mouth is . Flying to Osaka soon . Choice was Jetstar 787 with 3 3 3 seating or Singapore Airlines . Went Singapore A380 2 4 2 upstairs and A330 2 4 2 . Wider seats and better pitch . Qantas has shot itself in the foot by not going 2 4 2 on the 787
Tony
says:Often with SIA a stopover hotel is $1 including transfers. Hold bags are checked through if short stay and chose this option. Singapore is a great stopover without the concerns of Dubai dubious laws and legal system. Multiple flights out of Singapore to London and elsewhere. Have also chosen cheap stopover holidays to Asia using SIA partner airlines. It’s hard to support Qantas after they affectively abandoned Singapore.
JR
says:Agree with most comments regarding Qantas’ lack of service. From Brisbane the only way to fly “Qantas” to Europe is on an Emirates flight. Sorry but not interested in transiting via Dubai. The only way to be on a Qantas plane is to go via Sydney or Melbourne – again, not going to happen!
So thankfully we now have 4 flights a day via Singapore or 2 via Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific.
Bye Qantas.
Mark
says:SQ has frankly slipped in my view, especially at the pointy end of the plane. They are not quite where they were before. QF business in my view is ahead…
Also isn’t SQ’s A380 3,4,3 config…??