SINGAPORE- Singapore Airlines (SQ) will restart flights to Chongqing, Chengdu, and Xiamen in China from April 22, following a three-week suspension.
On Monday (April 1), a Singapore Airlines (SIA) spokesperson attributed the suspension, which lasted from March 31 to April 21, to “regulatory reasons” but did not provide further details.
Singapore Resumes Flights After Regulatory Issues
Before the temporary halt in flights, SIA operated daily services to Chengdu and Xiamen and flew three times a week to Chongqing. Upon the resumption of flights to these three cities, services will initially start with five times weekly flights from April 22 to April 28. Subsequently, the airline will increase the frequency of daily services, as indicated in response to queries from CNA.
The suspension period follows a similar occurrence last year when Singapore Airlines ceased flights to five cities, including Chengdu, Chongqing, and Xiamen. Flights to these three cities resumed on November 26 last year.
According to aviation analysts interviewed by CNA, several factors could contribute to the service disruptions, including capacity limitations and the lack of available flight slots.
Independent analyst Brendan Sobie suggested that the suspension might be due to the carrier’s failure to obtain timely approval for the summer season, which spans from the end of March to the end of October.
Sobie, the founder of aviation consultancy Sobie Aviation, noted that the now-defunct SilkAir, which merged with SIA in 2021, previously held the rights and slots for the affected routes. However, the slots cannot be directly transferred to SIA. “You need regulatory approvals from all countries to do these kinds of transfers. Different countries have different rules about this, but China essentially requires a new application and doesn’t automatically approve any transfer of slots or rights from one airline to another,” he explained.
Consequently, SIA had to secure approvals from Chinese authorities. Although the airline obtained them belatedly for the winter season last year, which spans from the end of October to the end of March, Sobie emphasized that during that time, SIA did not sell seats on the affected routes beyond the end of March. He also highlighted that the regulatory issue had persisted “for a long time.”
Insights from Aviation Analysts
Mr. Sobie noted that slot approvals are not necessarily permanent. “The old SilkAir slots were permanent but are now lost. So SIA Group has to try to get permanent slots for both summer and winter across all the former SilkAir routes.”
He pointed out that China is not the only authority that disallows slot transfers. Changi Airport follows a similar policy.
“To transfer, you must reapply and are at the back of the queue. Many airports don’t have available slots, so it’s not easy unless you want to operate at really off-peak times like 2 am,” Mr. Sobie explained.
Transport analyst Terence Fan from the Singapore Management University (SMU) agreed with Mr. Sobie’s assessment, stating that scheduled air passenger traffic to and from China faces more constraints than many other countries.
“This is partly due to the heavy impact on China’s aviation sector during the pandemic, leading to China prioritizing the recovery of its local airlines,” he noted.
He further explained that airlines in the US have not been able to reinstate their pre-pandemic capacities as they had hoped and have had to adjust to new restrictions.
New regulations may entail limiting the number of destinations and flight frequencies for airlines. “It wouldn’t surprise me if Singapore faces similar restrictions,” remarked Assistant Professor Fan. “In such a scenario, Singapore would need to prioritize which cities it serves to comply with the periodically updated capacity limit.”
However, the suspension of flights may not solely stem from issues within China; it could also result from decisions made by local airlines.
Challenges in Securing Runway Slots
Assistant Professor Fan highlighted the global challenge of securing prime runway slots, not just in China. “SIA may prioritize faster service resumptions to China’s busiest airports like Beijing and Shanghai, potentially impacting routes like Chongqing and Chengdu,” he explained. This results in service suspensions due to ‘regulatory’ reasons.
A check of SIA’s website shows return flights to Chongqing are available from late April to late October, while flights between Singapore and Chengdu are available from late April to late May. Similarly, flights between Singapore and Xiamen are available during the same period.
When asked about the duration of these flights, a spokesperson stated the airline would “update its schedules at the appropriate time.”
“We’ll continue to collaborate closely with authorities as we adjust our network and capacity in China,” the spokesperson added.
SIA’s website indicates 70 flights from Singapore to four cities in mainland China for the week of April 1 to April 7: 35 to Shanghai, 14 to Beijing, 14 to Guangzhou, and seven to Shenzhen.
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