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SINGAPORE – Singapore Airlines (SIA) will launch three weekly nonstop flights to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport in November amid “early signs of optimism about the recovery in air travel.”
This new route will be the 38th destination to which SIA is operating flights in the current climate.
In announcing this on Tuesday (October 20), SIA said the flights will carry both passengers and cargo.
With the new route, the national airline now operates two non-stop services to the United States, the other is to Los Angeles.
SIA said the service will be supported by the growing number of transfer passengers now able to transit through Singapore’s Changi Airport.
The flight will also be the only direct air cargo link from the northeastern US to Singapore, which is a regional distribution center for many of the major US-based companies.
“SIA anticipates significant demand for cargo from a variety of industries based in the New York metropolitan area, including pharmaceutical, e-commerce and technology companies,” said SIA.
Flights to New York will begin on November 9. Three weekly nonstop flights from John F. Kennedy International Airport back to Singapore will begin two days later, on November 11.
The long-range Airbus A350-900 aircraft, which will fly the route, is configured with 42 seats in business class, 25 in premium economy class and 187 in economy class.
Lee Lik Hsin, SIA Executive Vice President (Commercial), said the flight was an important step in rebuilding the airline’s global network.
“We will continue to increase existing services and reestablish other points as demand for passenger and cargo services returns,” he said.
“Our customers say they are increasingly confident in air travel … That gives us confidence about the medium and long-term prospects for the industry.”
Independent aviation analyst Brendan Sobie of Sobie Aviation said the flight is likely a strategic move for “high-value cargo between the two financial centers” and “premium passengers,” given continued restrictions on travelers to the US.
“It will be difficult for SIA to make money from flights,” he said.
He added that ultra-long-range jets best suited for nonstop flights for such distances have not been returned, meaning there will be restrictions on the flight’s payload due to fuel concerns.
For example, passenger cargo cannot exceed 20 percent of the aircraft’s capacity if enough space is reserved for cargo.
Changi Airport, which was the seventh busiest airport for international passenger traffic before Covid-19 hit, has dropped to 58th this year. In Parliament, Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said there are 49 direct flights to cities today, compared to 160 previously.
In addition to establishing a test facility at Changi Airport that can test up to 10,000 passengers per day, the government is also in talks with other countries to reopen general round-trip travel.
It was announced last week that Singapore and Hong Kong agreed to allow tourists from both sides to visit each other without needing to be quarantined. Travel between the two places is expected to increase in the coming weeks, probably the first such deal in the world.
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