Singapore Airlines Group Nearing 2019 Passenger Numbers

Singapore Airlines Group Nearing 2019 Passenger Numbers

• In August, the Singapore Airlines Group carried 90% of the passengers it carried in August 2019, indicating a steady road to recovery.
• Singapore Airlines increased passenger numbers by 30.5% compared to last year, reaching a load factor of 87.0%.
• Scoot had a winning month, surpassing its pre-pandemic passenger numbers and increasing volume by 73.9% year-on-year.

The champagne may be on ice at Singapore Airlines, but popping the corks might have to wait a little longer. In August, the Singapore Airlines Group carried 90% of the passengers it carried in August 2019 and well ahead of the 2.08 million passengers in August last year.

A steady road to full recovery

The Singapore Airlines Group, which includes Singapore Airlines and low-cost carrier Scoot, carried 2.99 million passengers in August at a passenger load factor (PLF) of 88.2%. In August 2019, the Group carried 3.31 million at 86.4% and in 2022, it carried 2.08 million at 85.4%. The Group managed capacity well year-on-year by only increasing available seat kilometers by 26.3% despite carrying 43.5% more passengers than in 2022.

In August 2019, the Group reported monthly operating results for three airlines, Singapore Airlines, Scoot and Silk Air, whereas now it reports just for Singapore Airlines and Scoot. Singapore Airlines increased passenger numbers year-on-year by 30.5%, carrying 1.9 million in August compared to 1.46 million last year, at load factors of 87.0% and 85.2%, respectively.

Despite borders reopening in China, the full-service carrier recorded its lowest load factor of 81.4% in East Asia, compared to the highest of 90.8% in Europe. In the Southwest Pacific the PLF reached 89.7%; in the Americas 89.6%; and in West Asia and Africa it was 83.2%.

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According to Planespotters.net, Singapore Airlines has a fleet of 150 aircraft, with 12 listed as parked. The fleet comprises Boeing 737s, 747s, 777s and 787 Dreamliners, along with Airbus A350s and A380s. In August, the airline resumed services to Busan in South Korea and operated 75 destinations from its base at Singapore Changi Airport (SIN).

A winning month for Scoot

August was a triumphant month for Scoot, exceeding its pre-pandemic 2019 passenger numbers while increasing volume by 73.9% year-on-year. In August 2023, Scoot carried 1.085 million passengers at a PLF of 92.1% compared to 624,100 at 86.2% in 2022 and 977,000 at 88.6% in 2019. Its regional load factors are relatively stable, with East Asia at 91.3%, West Asia at 89.1% and the Rest of the World at 95.7%, which includes flights to Australia.

Fleet data from Planespotters.net reports that Scoot has a fleet of 56 aircraft, comprising 21 Airbus A320-200s, six A320neos, nine A321neos, ten Boeing 787-8 and ten 787-9 Dreamliners. In its monthly operating report, the airline lists only one network change: the restoration of services to Nanchang in China, meaning that Scoot is now serving 67 destinations.

During COVID, much was written about air freight opportunities and almost overnight passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversion lines were booked out years in advance. The lack of cargo capacity during the pandemic resulted significantly from the lack of passenger aircraft flying, which typically carry freight in their freight compartment.

Those aircraft were always going to return to service or be replaced by new-generation jets, so it is not surprising that freight load factors and payload have dropped throughout this year. To put some numbers to that, Singapore Airlines Cargo carried 102.1 million kilograms of freight in 2019 at a load factor of 57.1% in August 2019, compared to 76.4 million kilograms at 51.2% in August this year.

Fleet data: Planespotters.net

• Singapore Airlines

  IATA/ICAO Code: SQ/SIA Airline Type: Full Service Carrier Hub(s): Singapore Changi Airport Year Founded: 1972 Alliance: Star Alliance CEO: Goh Choon Phong Country: Singapore