A long way to full recovery in Singapore

Before the pandemic stops aviation in its tracks, growth seems unstoppable, especially in Asia. The aviation hub has changed as regional airlines add hundreds of new aircraft and hubs at Singapore Changi and Hong Kong International Airport expand.

In terms of aviation, the Asia-Pacific region was arguably the hardest hit by Covid-19, with some of the toughest and longest-lasting lockdowns in the world. Even today, long after much of the world has reopened for international and domestic travel, we’re seeing some of the region’s travel laws finally return to their original state in 2019.

Singapore Airlines is managing its capacity very well.

Yesterday, schedule analyst OEG reported global capacity at 445 million seats in March, down 23 million seats from March 2019. More worryingly for Asia, 14.4 million or 63 percent of the missing seats come from the Asia-Pacific region. with most of Southeast Asia. In the year Southeast Asia had 43.8 million seats in March 2019, but only 34.8 million this month, with Vietnam the only country in the region above pre-pandemic levels.

Narrowing the focus to Singapore (the nation), OAG said it had 2.8 million seats, a 22 percent decrease compared to March 2019. In the background, the Singapore Airlines Group, including Singapore Airlines and Scott, resigned in February 2023. Results today.

In the year Giving a deeper insight into how the airline manages its operations, fleet capacity in February 2023 fell by 18 percent from 2019, with passenger load factor (PLF) falling from 81.2 percent in 2019 to 86.6 percent in 2023.

This is where the two sets of numbers come closer together, with Singapore Airlines Group reducing capacity by around 18% and OAG reporting a 22% drop in seats in Singapore. This probably shows how much Singapore Airlines and Scott’s capacity matches the demand because with a group load rate of 86.6%, there are still empty seats to book on their flights.

Will China Fill Singapore’s Passenger Gap?

Coming back to the results of the Singapore Airlines Group, it is said that travel restrictions in China have been relaxed “It boosted demand for air travel and supported the recovery in the market.”

The number of passengers decreased by 9% compared to January, but it was more than four times the year. For comparison purposes, the group posted 2.7 million in December, 2.6 million in January and 2.4 million in February, down about 12 percent over the past three months.

Singapore Airlines (SIA) carried 1.54 million passengers in February at a PLF of 85.1%, while Scott had 848,200 at a load factor of 91.6%. SIA reported PLFs from five regions, with a high of 92.3% in the Southwest Pacific (including Australia) and a low of 79.5% in the Americas. Scott reported three ranges that ranged from 90.7% to 92.1%.

In February, Scott continued its service to Qingdao, China, bringing the group’s network to 113 destinations in 36 countries and territories. SIA serves 77 destinations and Scott 59, with a cargo network touching 117 destinations in 38 countries and territories.

How do you think Singapore Airlines and Scott are doing? Let us know in the comments.