Singapore Airlines has announced that it will expand its flagship Heathrow to Singapore route from the autumn.
It means that the current three times a day service will be boosted to an extra fourth daily service.
SIA currently uses A380 superjumbos on the route and the additional flight, which starts operating on September 9, will be rostered for a B777-300ER equipped with the latest premium class seating.
The move is unexpected because the timings at which SIA prefers to fly are periods of the day when Heathrow slots are difficult, if not impossible, to obtain. SIA last increased the frequency of its London-Singapore operation in 1998.
In a statement, SIA said: “Ever since then [1998] we have been wanting to increase our operation to a four times a day operation. The difficulty has been with obtaining the relevant slots at Heathrow.
"On the rare occasions when slots at Heathrow do become available, there are often buyers looking to acquire them. Only now has SIA managed to obtain slots, not only at the right price but also at times which offer onward connections both in London and Singapore.”
SIA’s extra flight will initially operate four times a week, before rising to a daily service from October 21. Exact timings have not yet been finalised but SIA says it will involve a late night departure from Singapore with a return from Heathrow in the morning.
It’s good news for business travellers bound for Singapore because it means there will now be two late night departures from the city state to London.
The late night departure is badly needed. It will prove a boon for passengers taking SIA between Australasia and London. Right now passengers from the likes of Auckland, Christchurch, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and so on can only connect with the single late night departure out of Singapore. The latter is invariably heavily booked and so seats are not easy to obtain at busy times.
Mak Sweee Wah, SIA’s executive vice-president commercial, said: “We have been looking to increase our London flights for many years and are pleased that we can do so now.
“Not only are London and Singapore attractive destinations in their own right, the additional flights will allow for more convenient connections beyond Singapore to other points within Asia and the south-west Pacific.”
singaporeair.com