Singapore Airlines recently released its summer flight schedule for 2025, which includes several changes to its route network that will affect European travelers. Notably, two fifth freedom routes are impacted. The Manchester to Houston route will be discontinued next year, and the route between Milan and Barcelona will be temporarily suspended.
In addition, there are several other updates, including news regarding the Airbus A380. The A380 will be deployed on routes to Tokyo, but will be withdrawn from other routes.
Discontinuation of the Manchester ↔ Houston Route
Since 2016, Singapore Airlines has extended its Singapore – Manchester route with a continuation to the USA. The Manchester to Houston, Texas route could be booked separately and was regularly offered at attractive prices before the pandemic. However, the occupancy rate recently dropped to just 33% (source), and as a result, the last flight on this route will depart on March 30, 2025.
The Singapore – Manchester route with the Airbus A350 will remain, but the connecting flight to Texas will be discontinued. As an alternative, the Singapore – Frankfurt – New York route remains available, with the Europe – North America segment also bookable separately.
Suspension of the Milan – Barcelona Short-Haul Route
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Singapore Airlines resumed two interesting fifth freedom routes within Europe. While the Copenhagen to Rome route has long been discontinued, the Milan – Barcelona route has been available until now.
This route primarily serves to pick up passengers in Barcelona to continue via Milan to Singapore (and vice versa). However, it is also known as an affordable option for collecting segments with Singapore Airlines, e.g. the status match challenge between Marriott and Singapore Airlines requires four such flights.
Going forward, Singapore Airlines will also offer nonstop flights to Barcelona and, in exchange, will cut the connection between Milan and Barcelona. This is planned at least for the period from June 22 to September 5, 2025, implying that the fifth freedom flight could return in September.
Other Route News
Here are three additional, smaller updates:
- The London-Gatwick to Singapore route will be flown daily starting in March 2025 (previously only 5 times a week).
- The Airbus A380 will be withdrawn from routes to Mumbai and Delhi.
- Instead, travelers between Singapore and Tokyo can look forward to the A380, which will be deployed daily on the SIN – NRT route (SQ 637 / 638) from March 30 to May 31, 2025.
Sources: The Mile Lion & SimpleFlying
Cover Picture: Photo by Tim Dennert on Unsplash