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Photographer: Nicky Loh / Bloomberg
Photographer: Nicky Loh / Bloomberg
Singapore Airlines Ltd. is planning so-called flights to nowhere, trips that begin and end at the same airport, in an attempt to boost its passenger business on the ground, the Straits Times. reported Friday, citing unidentified people.
Flights from Changi Airport are scheduled for the end of October and can be combined with hotel stays in the city, shopping vouchers and limousine ferry trips, according to the report.
Tighter travel rules to control the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic have hit the aviation industry around the world, and airlines like Singapore Airlines have been particularly hard hit because they don’t operate domestic flights. The International Air Transport Association does not expect passenger traffic to recover to pre-pandemic levels until 2024.
Singapore Airlines is not the first to offer travel destined for the airport you departed from. Last month, Japan’s ANA Holdings Inc. sold tickets for a charter flight to nowhere, while two Taiwanese airlines launched similar campaigns: Starlux Airlines introduced a “pretend to go abroad” trip and EVA Airways Corp. filled all 309 seating in a special for parents. Day flight.
Read: Airlines Invent Wild Ways To Make Money With Closed Borders
The Singapore Airlines plan comes after a survey by Singapore Air Charter showed that 75% of 308 participants were willing to buy tickets on these types of flights, according to the Straits Times report.
Singapore’s flag carrier said Thursday that it is eliminating 20% of its workforce despite raising about S $ 11 billion ($ 8 billion) through loans and an entitlement issue in June, and receiving help from a government employment support program.
