SIA has this morning announced that it will expand its flagship London Heathrow to Singapore route from the autumn.
It means that the current three times a day service will be boosted to a four times a day service. Right now SIA plies the route with A380 superjumbos and the additional flight, which starts operating on September 9, will be rostered for a B777-300ER equipped with the latest premium class seating.
In a way the move comes as a surprise seeing as SIA last increased the frequency of its London-Singapore operation way back in 1998.
In a statement issued to Business Traveller SIA says, “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, rising to a daily service from October 21. Exact timings are not finalised but SIA says it will involve a late night departure out of 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 for 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.
Says SIA’s executive VP commercial, Mak Swee Wah, “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.”
For more information visit singaporeair.com.
Report by Alex McWhirter
