Home » AIRLINE NEWS » US Joins Spain, UK, Germany, France, Italy, China, Japan, New Zealand, and More in Singapore Airlines’ Schedule for Winter 2025-26 with Strategic Expansions to Southern Hemisphere and Reductions in European Markets
Published on
August 31, 2025
Singapore Airlines has confirmed its winter 2025-26 schedule, incorporating service adjustments for the North American market alongside earlier citations of Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, China, Japan, New Zealand, and other core regions. The carrier is methodically contracting frequencies in Europe and North Asia, markets characteristically exhibiting weaker winter travel demand, and simultaneously augmenting seat availability on Southern Hemisphere routes and on emerging leisure destinations showing continuing upward trajectories. Such rebalancing optimizes available seat kilometers, aligns capacity with seasonal passenger patterns, and supports the airline’s overarching intent to sustain competitive advantage within the restructured post-pandemic air transport environment.
Singapore Airlines, one of the world’s leading carriers, has confirmed its finalized flight schedule for the winter season spanning late October 2025 through March 2026. This comprehensive update covers flight frequencies, aircraft types, and significant seasonal adjustments across its global network, including Singapore Changi Airport (SIN). While tickets for this period were already available, the announcement brings greater clarity regarding operational plans, including changes and redeployments that reflect both seasonal demand and the airline’s strategic priorities.
A Look at Singapore Airlines’ Winter Flight Strategy
Each winter, Singapore Airlines adjusts its schedule to align with seasonal demand fluctuations. For the 2025-2026 winter season, the airline is making more pronounced adjustments, underscoring the competitive pressures and rebound in global capacity post-pandemic. By March 2026, Singapore Airlines is set to operate over 2,400 weekly passenger flights, the highest number since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This represents a substantial recovery, with services expected to reach 91% of pre-pandemic levels, combining operations from both Singapore Airlines and SilkAir.
Reductions in European Network
Europe sees the most significant cuts, driven by seasonal low demand during the months of November, February, and March. Several routes will experience reduced frequencies, while others will be temporarily suspended.
- Barcelona (BCN): Nonstop flights will be suspended for one month in February 2026. However, services between Singapore and Milan (MXP) will be extended, with five weekly flights now also connecting to Barcelona.
- London Heathrow (LHR): A reduction from four to three daily flights is planned between mid-January and late February to reflect the seasonal dip in demand.
- Munich (MUC): Services will be reduced to five weekly flights during February 2026, marking a 29% drop in frequency compared to the previous winter season.
- Paris (CDG): The number of weekly flights will be trimmed to 10 during specific periods, resulting in a 6% reduction in overall seat capacity compared with last year.
- Rome (FCO): For most of the season, flights will be cut from four to three weekly departures.
These reductions are consistent with the airline’s adaptive strategy to streamline operations and match service levels with passenger demand, ensuring the efficiency of its operations across underperforming routes.
Adjustments to North Asian Routes
While Europe sees considerable reductions, North Asia also faces cutbacks as capacity is redistributed to meet growing demand in other markets.
- Beijing Capital (PEK): Flights will be reduced to two daily services during certain weeks, with select services being suspended for up to four weeks.
- Beijing Daxing (PKX): The route will be entirely suspended for a month in early 2026, with aircraft downgauged to the smaller Airbus A350 Medium Haul for the duration of the suspension.
- Osaka (KIX): Frequencies will be reduced from three to two daily flights during several winter months.
- Seoul (ICN): The number of daily flights will drop from four to three during the first quarter of 2026.
- Hong Kong (HKG): Weekly flights will be scaled back from 42 to 35 for the winter season, with the Airbus A380 remaining absent from this route.
This capacity shift reflects Singapore Airlines’ strategy to focus on stronger markets and more profitable routes, while reducing service levels where demand is expected to be weaker.
Redeployment to High-Demand Growth Markets
As flights decrease in Europe and North Asia, Singapore Airlines is reallocating its aircraft to markets experiencing higher demand. This includes further investment in the Southern Hemisphere and emerging markets, where winter travel is at its peak.
- Auckland (AKL): Starting January 2026, a daily Airbus A380 will replace the Boeing 777-300ER on this route. This redeployment will help maintain overall seat capacity, despite fewer flights operating on the route.
- Christchurch (CHC): The winter schedule will see an increase to 11 weekly flights during peak travel periods, boosting capacity for those seeking leisure travel to New Zealand.
- Busan (PUS): Starting February 2026, flights will operate daily, boosting capacity by 75% over last year.
- Colombo (CMB): From January 2026, the airline will expand its services to 10 weekly flights, up from the usual daily flights, further tapping into the growing demand from the Sri Lankan market.
- Taipei (TPE): A seasonal third daily service will be restored, utilizing high-density A350 aircraft to meet surging demand.
- Sapporo (CTS): A winter-only route will see daily flights in December and January, catering to travelers looking for a winter getaway in Japan’s northern regions.
- Tokyo Haneda (HND): The airline will reinstate its sixth daily flight during the December peak season to cater to increased demand.
- Frankfurt (FRA): The third daily service will be added six days a week, ensuring sufficient capacity despite the aircraft changes on the route.
These redeployments reflect the airline’s commitment to supporting its most profitable markets, particularly those with a high concentration of leisure travelers, while maintaining overall capacity despite trimming less popular routes.
Fifth Freedom Operations in Winter 2025-2026
During the winter season, Singapore Airlines will maintain operations on three “fifth freedom” routes. Fifth freedom rights allow airlines to sell tickets on segments between two foreign cities, provided the service originates or terminates in the airline’s home country.
- Frankfurt (FRA) to New York JFK (JFK): Service will be operated with the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.
- Milan (MXP) to Barcelona (BCN): Flights will be operated with the long-haul Airbus A350.
- Tokyo Narita (NRT) to Los Angeles (LAX): Services will be flown using the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.
These routes offer travelers the opportunity to book flights exclusively between the two foreign cities, providing a competitive advantage in markets where Singapore Airlines has strong connections.
Growth and Recovery: Singapore Airlines’ Expansion Outlook
Despite reductions in certain regions, Singapore Airlines is firmly on the path to recovery, with its overall weekly flight count surpassing pre-pandemic levels by the end of March 2026. This marks a key milestone for the airline, as it continues to expand its global presence while adapting to evolving demand.
By strategically scaling back operations in underperforming markets, the airline is able to bolster its presence in high-demand regions such as the Southern Hemisphere, where summer travel is in full swing during the Northern Hemisphere’s winter months. The airline’s forward-looking approach balances profitability with efficiency, ensuring that it remains competitive in a rapidly evolving industry landscape.
While the summer 2026 season remains provisional, with final details expected to be confirmed early next year, Singapore Airlines’ ability to adapt its winter schedule and redeploy capacity to growing markets demonstrates a nimble approach to maintaining its status as a leading global carrier.
Singapore Airlines has finalized its winter 2025–2026 timetable, selectively scaling back capacity on routes characterized by persistent low demand while simultaneously enlarging frequencies to the high-potential Southern Hemisphere and leisure markets, thereby aligning supply with projected passenger demand over the season and pursuing operational efficiency.
The adjustments reflect an overarching strategy by the airline to remain agile in the face of evolving international market dynamics and reinforce its long-standing approach of data-driven planning. By concentrating capacity uplifts on the Southern Hemisphere and selectively diversifying its European and North Asian feeds, Singapore Airlines aims to safeguard yield and further entrench its position as a preferred carrier in the context of a progressive post-pandemic restoration, thereby reassuring customers of its enduring commitment to punctual, dependable, and amenity-rich travel worldwide.
