Singapore Airlines, SilkAir to start flight operations in June-July

Singapore Airlines and its subsidiary serving regional routes, SilkAir, will reinstate certain flights in June, July while also increasing the number of destinations as the aviation industry is opening up for the travelers after the Covid-19 induced travel restrictions, according to media reports.

Scheduled flight services would include Adelaide, Amsterdam, Auckland, Barcelona, Brisbane, Cebu, Christchurch, Copenhagen, Hong Kong, Medan, Melbourne and Osaka, the Singapore Airlines (SIA) said in a statement on Monday.

The airline will be flying to 27 cities in June and July, up from the 15 that had been earlier announced for June, the Straits Times reported.

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The national carrier had announced in March that it would cut 96% of its capacity and ground 138 planes from SIA and SilkAir, out of a total fleet of 147, as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, which has sunk the demand for air travel globally.

“SIA and SilkAir will continue to adjust our capacity to match the demand for international air travel,” the SIA said.

With the reinstated flights, the SIA has cut about 94% of the passenger capacity originally scheduled for June and July, it said.

Customers whose flights have been cancelled will retain the full value of the unused portion of their tickets as flight credits. These can be used to book their new travel up till December 31 next year.

Customers will also be awarded bonus flight credits when re-booking their travel, the SIA was quoted as saying by the Channel News Asia.

“This is our way of thanking them for their support during this challenging period,” said SIA.

Rebooking requests can be submitted through an online form. Customers with tickets issued by travel agencies should contact their agents for assistance, the company added.

The SIA reported on May 14 its first annual net loss of Singapore dollars 212 million in its 48-year history, after Covid-19 crippled travel demand. This compares with a SGD683 million profit in the previous year.

From Tuesday, travellers will be able to transit through Changi Airport, as Singapore gradually emerges from an almost two-month long “circuit breaker” which was to control the spread of coronavirus.

“Stringent measures” will be put in place to ensure that the passengers remain in designated facilities in the transit area and do not mix with other passengers at the airport, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore had said on May 20.

The SIA said that it will announce its plans for its transfer lanes within the airport when they have been finalised.

“Until then, Singapore Airlines customers will not be able to transit through Changi Airport,” the Channel quoted the airline as saying.

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Also Read: International Air Travel Once Situation Normalises: Hardeep Singh Puri

Manish Khandelwal

Manish Khandelwal, a travel-tech enthusiast with over a decade of experience in the travel industry. Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Travelobiz.com, he's passionate about writing.

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