Singapore Airlines marked 55 years of flying to Australia on Tuesday. On April 5, 1967, Perth and Sydney became the first destinations outside South East and North Asia to join the route map when a Malaysia-Singapore Airlines (MSA) Boeing 707-320 fanjet arrived in Perth before crossing the Nullarbor to Sydney.
A milestone Singapore Airlines is proud of
In 1972, MSA split into two airlines after the Malaysian and Singaporean Governments decided to set up their own airlines. Transforming into Singapore Airlines and modern-day Malaysia Airlines, Singapore Airlines never missed a beat on their Australian runs. Today, the Singapore Airlines Group (which comprises the cargo arm of Singapore Airlines and its low-cost subsidiary Scoot) fly over 100 passenger flights and 11 dedicated freighter services a week from seven destinations in Australia.
Singapore Airlines Regional Vice President South-West Pacific, Mr Louis Arul, says 55 years of continuous flying is a milestone the airline is proud of.
"The past two years have been incredibly challenging, but Singapore Airlines remained steadfast in its commitment to keeping Australia connected, and today we mark 55 years of continuous service to Australia," Mr Arul said on Tuesday. "Australia has always been an important part of our global network. As we continue to rebuild and recover after the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, we want to thank the Australian public for their continued support over such a long time."
Singapore Airlines is restoring pre-pandemic capacity into Australia
After scaling back schedules during the pandemic, Australia's big east coast cities are now seeing Singapore Airlines significantly increase frequencies and capacity. Sydney Airport (SYD) now handles 28 return SIA Group flights a week using a combination of aircraft (including Airbus A380-800s) plus six return dedicated cargo flights a week. Brisbane (BNE) and Melbourne (MEL) are seeing 21 return flights a week, with Melbourne's frequencies due to rise to 28 return flights a week in June.
Perth Airport (PER), which hosted the first MSA flight to land on Australian soil in 1967, is very happy to see 21 Singapore Airlines passenger flights a week in each direction.
"Despite grounding 96% of its global capacity, Singapore Airlines has continued to operate weekly flights to Perth to bring Australians home while carrying important import and export freight throughout the pandemic," said Perth Airport CEO Kevin Brown. "In February 2020, Singapore Airlines announced it would add a fifth daily service between Perth and Singapore, so we look forward to working with the airline as we recover from the global pandemic."
Singapore Airlines remains Australia's biggest international carrier
Simple Flying recently reported Singapore Airlines was snaring the biggest slice of international passenger traffic to and from Australia after borders began to reopen. In December 2021, Singapore Airlines had a 15.3% market share, followed by Emirates on 13.2%. For January, official traffic statistics show Singapore Airlines remained Australia's top international airline with a market-leading 17.4% market share, followed by Qantas with 16.7%.
In late March, Singapore Airlines also began passenger flights to two smaller Australian cities - Cairns (CNS) and Darwin (DRW). Singapore Airlines branded passenger flights last flew into both cities in the 1990s. Singapore Airlines is sending Boeing 737-800s thrice weekly to both destinations, with CNS to upgrade to a MAX 8 in mid-April.