Singapore Airlines will be ramping up their services next year in support of strong demand in the region, which is also opening the field up to new airlines.

Singapore Airlines announced Monday that they will be increasing flights across their network next year, between March 31 and and October 2024.  

This includes restoring direct services between Singapore and Barcelona, reinstating Airbus A380 services between Singapore and Frankfurt. The airline will also be increasing flight frequencies to pre-pandemic levels “across multiple points and exceeding them in some”. 

“With the release of Singapore Airlines’ northern summer schedules, our customers can plan ahead and start to make their travel plans for 2024. Our customers will be able to enjoy greater choice and flexibility when they travel with us, as Singapore Airlines continues to adjust and expand our network in response to demand patterns,” said Senior Vice President Marketing Planning JoAnn Tan.

Tickets, please

Singapore Airlines decision comes as the world is experiencing strong post-pandemic recovery momentum for passenger airline markets, according to International Air Transport Association. 

“The northern summer travel season got off to a strong start in June with double-digit demand growth and average load factors topping 84%. Planes are full which is good news for airlines, local economies, and travel and tourism dependent jobs. All benefit from the industry’s ongoing recovery,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s director general, in a press release on Tuesday.  

IATA is the trade association for the world’s airlines, representing some 300 airlines or 83% of total air traffic. 

Asia-Pacific airlines saw passenger traffic more than double in June compared to a year prior. This was “easily the largest percentage gain” among all the global regions, IATA said.  

By comparison, European carriers posted a 14% year-on-year rise in traffic in June, while Middle Eastern airlines’ traffic rose 29%.  

“As strong as travel demand has been, arguably it could be even stronger. Demand is outrunning capacity growth,” Walsh said.  

New airline on the block

In the midst of this, Thailand has a startup carrier which hopes to capitalise on the meteoric demand for travel in the Asia-Pacific.  

Bangkok-based Really Cool Airlines has plans for takeoff soon after it gets the rubber stamp from the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand in December this year, Chief Executive Patee Sarasin told The Star last week. 

Really Cool Airlines will start with flights to Singapore, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Taiwan. It will then start flights to European destinations in 2025. 

The nascent airline will cater to passengers looking for something between luxury and budget carriers, Sarasin told The Star.