Singapore Airlines to add Europe flights to meet 'strong demand'
The moves by Singapore's national carrier come amid global fuel uncertainty stemming from the unrest in the Strait of Hormuz.
Technicians check on a Singapore Airlines Airbus A350-900 plane at Changi International Airport in Singapore on Oct 24, 2020. (Photo: AFP/Roslan Rahman)
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SINGAPORE: Singapore Airlines (SIA) said on Friday (May 8) that it would increase flight frequencies between Singapore and Manchester, Milan, Munich, and London Gatwick amid "strong demand" on the routes.
The airline will also launch five times weekly services to Madrid via Barcelona on Oct 26.
In a news release, SIA said that it will restructure its current twice-weekly Singapore-Barcelona services, SQ388 and SQ387, to operate on the route, making Madrid SIA’s 15th destination in Europe and its second in Spain.
SIA will operate its Airbus A350-900 long-haul variant with 253 seats on this route.
From Jul 13, Manchester services SQ302 and SQ301 will increase from five times weekly to daily, while SQ314 and SQ313, SIA's current three times weekly Singapore-London Gatwick services, will increase to daily from Oct 25.
"This will give SIA two daily services to the airport, and six flights a day to London after including the four daily services to London Heathrow," said the national carrier.
SIA's Milan services SQ356 and SQ355 will increase from four times weekly to daily from Oct 25, while its Milan-Barcelona services, which fly three times a week, will be cancelled on Oct 27, following the launch of the new Madrid service.
SIA will launch a new three times weekly service to Munich (SQ340 and SQ339) from Oct 26, bringing its total to 10 weekly services to the German city.
"All flights are subject to regulatory approvals and aircraft deployment may vary due to operational reasons," SIA said.
Tickets for the new Madrid service will go on sale from June.
“Europe is an important market for Singapore Airlines, and these adjustments reflect our commitment to it," said Mr Dai Haoyu, senior vice president of marketing planning at SIA.
"We are seeing strong demand for travel to Europe, and increasing frequencies to key destinations such as Manchester, Milan, Munich, and London Gatwick in response.
"Madrid is also an increasingly popular tourist destination, as well as a financial and business hub," he added.
Mr Lim Ching Kiat, executive vice president of air hub and cargo development at Changi Airport Group, said: " Madrid is one of Changi's most in-demand destinations that has yet to be served by direct flights.
"Since 2022, the number of people travelling between Madrid and Singapore has grown by about 27 per cent a year, exceeding pre-COVID levels by nearly 20 per cent," he noted.
"The introduction of flight services to Madrid will strengthen Singapore’s connectivity to Spain and give travellers more choices when flying to Europe."
"SIA regularly reviews its network and capacity, and adjusts them in response to the demand for air travel," an SIA spokesperson said on Monday in response to CNA's query on why it was adding services.
On whether costs will be passed on to passengers, the spokesperson said: "Airfares are a function of supply and demand. They are therefore dynamic, reflecting prevailing market conditions - demand and seat availability - at the time of booking.
"At the same time, when a major cost component such as jet fuel rises sharply due to external factors beyond our control, we may need to adjust airfares to offset higher operating costs."
SIA and Scoot are among Asian airlines that have raised their airfares amid the Middle East conflict.
It noted on Monday that since February this year, jet fuel prices have more than doubled due to the geopolitical situation in the region.
The adjustments only "partially defray the higher fuel costs, and do not fully cover the increase in our costs", SIA added.
Customers will continue to see the total, all-in fare upfront before purchase, the airline said.
It added: "SIA and Scoot will monitor the situation closely and make further adjustments, as necessary."
The airline also noted that fuel costs accounted for about 30 per cent of the SIA Group's expenditure in the last nine months of 2025, adding that it was its single largest cost item.
SIA's announcement comes amid global fuel uncertainty stemming from the unrest in the Strait of Hormuz, increasing the risk of jet fuel shortages in many countries.
The risk of shortages is high in Asia, and to a lesser extent Europe, as they both rely on oil from the Gulf and its refineries for their supplies.
On whether contingency plans are in place if fuel shortages worsen, SIA said that the SIA Group works with a network of jet fuel suppliers to support its operations.
The airline said on May 6 that it would delay the rollout of the next-generation first and business class seats on its Airbus A350-900 aircraft due to "industry-wide supply chain constraints".
