Key Takeaways
• Singapore Airlines’ China routes now fill 80–85% of seats, up from about 70% last year.
• Up to 98 Singapore Airlines weekly flights to China planned by October 2024—exceeding pre-pandemic levels.
• Outbound travel from China remains below pre-pandemic numbers, while inbound demand has surged.
After several years of unusual changes in the travel world, air travel between Singapore and China 🇨🇳 is picking up steam again. Singapore Airlines has reported a strong rise in the number of people wanting to fly into China 🇨🇳. Their Chief Commercial Officer, Lee Lik Hsin, shared that in the past six months, more travelers have filled their seats to China 🇨🇳 than at any other time since before the pandemic. He described the change by saying, “there’s quite a surge in inbound travel into China.” This means more people, including tourists, business travelers, and those visiting family, are choosing Singapore Airlines to fly from countries like the United States 🇺🇸, Australia 🇦🇺, or Singapore to different cities across China 🇨🇳.
This sudden and steady demand for flights comes after a period when many were staying home or facing strict travel rules. China 🇨🇳 was one of the last big countries to reopen its borders after COVID-19 restrictions. As a result, the recovery in air travel was slow across Asia. Now, with borders open and people feeling more confident, the number of travelers has bounced back faster, especially aboard Singapore Airlines planes going into China 🇨🇳.
Strong Numbers and Busy Planes
Let’s look at some simple numbers to understand this better. About a year ago, the “load factor” or percentage of seats filled on each flight into China 🇨🇳 with Singapore Airlines was in the 70% range. Load factor is an airline word for how many of the plane’s seats actually have someone sitting in them, not just how many seats are available. Now, those planes going into China 🇨🇳 are much busier. Current numbers show that about 80–85 out of every 100 seats for Singapore Airlines flights heading to China 🇨🇳 are now occupied. This change shows how the demand for flights is truly growing strong.
But it’s not just the main Singapore Airlines brand seeing changes. Their budget airline, Scoot, is also filling up its planes but at a different speed. Scoot’s flights into China 🇨🇳 have reached about 80% of what they flew before the pandemic started. This is a clear sign that whether travelers are looking for premium or affordable air tickets, they are finding more reasons to fly between Singapore and China 🇨🇳.
Expanding Flights and Adding Choices
With more people wanting to travel, Singapore Airlines is not standing still. They are making fast moves to add more flights and reach more cities in China 🇨🇳. The company says its full-service flights (these usually include meals, checked bags, and comfortable seating) are back to about the same level as before the pandemic. Scoot, the lower-cost option, is still working to get back to where it was, but its progress is clear.
Singapore Airlines plans to keep adding flights for the coming winter-spring 2024-2025 season. By the end of October 2024, they hope to offer up to 98 flights every week into mainland China 🇨🇳. These flights will serve seven big cities and reach eight different airports, including well-known places like Beijing (both Capital and Daxing airports), Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Chengdu, and Xiamen.
This isn’t just a return to normal—in many ways, Singapore Airlines wants to do even more than it did before COVID-19. By planning more flights than they operated in 2019, they signal strong confidence in the continued demand for flights to and from China 🇨🇳.
Inbound Rush, Outbound Caution
While it’s clear that more people are flying into China 🇨🇳, it’s important to remember that the flow is not the same both ways. Travelers coming into China 🇨🇳 make up much of this new surge. However, people flying out of China 🇨🇳 to other countries—what is known as the “outbound segment”—haven’t returned in the same numbers yet.
This pattern is echoed across many Asian countries. While travelers from places like Singapore, the United States 🇺🇸, and Europe are eager to visit China 🇨🇳 again, Chinese residents themselves have not yet resumed the same level of international travel as they did before the pandemic. There could be many reasons for this, including economic factors, personal caution, or changes in travel plans due to the last few years. But the difference remains noticeable. Singapore Airlines continues to watch these trends closely, adjusting their schedule so they don’t offer far more flights than there are passengers to fill them.
What This Means for Travelers
For people looking to book flights, all of this is good news. More frequent flights and new routes usually mean more choice and possibly lower prices, as airlines compete to win over customers. If you’re planning to visit family, do business, or take a holiday in China 🇨🇳, it’s easier now to find a seat on a convenient Singapore Airlines flight. The same goes for people in China 🇨🇳 hoping to visit Singapore or connect through Singapore to other destinations worldwide.
But if you’re hoping to see more Chinese tourists or business visitors in places outside of China 🇨🇳, you might notice that numbers are not yet back to the “old normal.” The demand for outbound flights from China 🇨🇳 is still catching up. This could mean that businesses in tourist-friendly spots or companies looking to host meetings with Chinese partners will have to wait a bit longer for the big return of visitors from China 🇨🇳.
Historical Background: A Slow but Steady Comeback
To understand why the demand for flights shifted this way, we should look back a bit. The years after the COVID-19 outbreak hit the travel market hard across the globe. China 🇨🇳 stood out for how long it kept its border closed. Even after many other countries started reopening, China 🇨🇳 kept its travel restrictions for longer than neighbors like Japan 🇯🇵, Malaysia 🇲🇾, or Thailand 🇹🇭. This led to a slower recovery for airlines that depended heavily on the China market.
Now, with travel restrictions eased and tourists allowed in again, the demand for flights is picking up quickly. Airlines, hotels, and tour operators are all seeing this. Singapore itself has gotten ready for a jump in Chinese visitors. According to official projections, almost three million people from China 🇨🇳 are expected to visit Singapore this year. That’s a major jump and helps explain why there’s such pressure for Singapore Airlines to keep up with the rising demand for flights.
Singapore Airlines Financial Performance
More travelers usually mean more money for airlines, and that’s held true for Singapore Airlines too. They reported their largest ever annual net profit recently. While part of this big profit came from one-time gains (special situations like mergers), the surge in travelers on busy routes like those to China 🇨🇳 played a critical role.
However, it’s not all clear skies. Competition among airlines is getting tougher. With more flights and more seats for sale, some airlines have lowered prices to attract travelers. As a result, even though more people are flying, each ticket might bring in a little less money than before. Still, industry leaders see strong demand for flights as a sign that recovery is on track, and Singapore Airlines is choosing to add capacity so it’s ready for more travelers.
Numbers at a Glance
Here’s a simple table to make sense of the turnaround in demand and capacity:
| Metric | Pre-Pandemic (2019) | Last Year | Current (2025) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Load Factor on SIA’s China Flights | ~80% | ~70% | Low-to-mid 80% |
| SIA Capacity Into Mainland China | Baseline | Below base* | Recovered (~100%) |
| Scoot Capacity Into Mainland China | Baseline | Below base* | ~80% of baseline |
*“Baseline” means what was normal before COVID-19. “Below base” shows operations were cut during pandemic years, as flights were canceled and travel was lower.
These numbers show just how much demand for flights has grown lately, especially for those wanting to visit China 🇨🇳.
Wider Changes in the Airline World
What’s happening at Singapore Airlines is part of a much bigger story. Travel across Asia is recovering fast, but the bounce back took longer in places where borders opened late. China 🇨🇳, being the biggest market in the region, played a key role in this slow return. Airlines are now adjusting not just routes to China 🇨🇳 but also those to other places like India 🇮🇳 and Australia 🇦🇺, where demand is also high.
The recovery is so strong that Southeast Asia expects to break records for total international arrivals next year. This is great for tourism, hotels, and anyone working in travel-related jobs. Airlines like Singapore Airlines are working hard to make sure they have enough flights in the air to serve these rising numbers. They have to balance adding enough flights to meet demand for flights without risking empty seats that can hurt their profits.
While Chinese outbound travel remains lower than before, the outlook is positive. More people are gaining confidence every month, and as economic conditions improve, experts say more residents in China 🇨🇳 will likely start traveling overseas again, pushing the demand for outbound flights higher.
How Airlines Adjust to Demand
Running an airline is like piecing together a giant puzzle. Each route and every plane needs just enough seats for the specific number of passengers traveling to a city. When the demand for flights changes quickly—like the current surge into China 🇨🇳—management teams must act fast. They add more flights, use larger planes, or even bring routes back from a pause.
Singapore Airlines not only adds to its capacity but also tries to serve more cities and airports. When the numbers hit the right balance, it’s a win-win: airlines keep planes full, travelers get more choice, and prices often stay fair. But if demand jumps up or drops quickly, airlines risk wasting money flying empty planes.
The extra daily flights Singapore Airlines plans for big cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou will give travelers more flexibility. Frequent flights mean you can pick the best time to fly or quickly rebook if your plans change last minute—important features for today’s busy and cautious travelers.
Singapore Airlines’ Future Plans
Looking to next year and beyond, Singapore Airlines is determined to go beyond simply returning to where they were before COVID-19. Adding more flights beyond 2019 levels for the winter-spring season sends a clear signal: they believe that demand for flights into China 🇨🇳 will not just recover, but actually reach new heights. This could make Singapore Airlines one of the leaders in the region, giving them a strong position as travel continues bouncing back.
For official details or up-to-date flight schedules, passengers should always check the Singapore Airlines website, which gives accurate and current information about routes, timings, and capacity changes.
What This Means for Travelers and the Industry
To sum it up, more people are flying into China 🇨🇳 now than at any time since the pandemic began, and Singapore Airlines is leading this comeback. With plans for even more flights, travelers will have better options and easier ways to reach cities in China 🇨🇳. Outbound travel from China 🇨🇳 is recovering slower, but steady demand for flights shows that confidence is returning step by step.
From a business point of view, the actions taken by Singapore Airlines matter for companies that trade internationally, for hotels, tour agencies, and for anyone who depends on seeing the steady flow of visitors to and from China 🇨🇳. It also suggests that travelers who want flexibility and value may benefit as more airlines compete for their business.
As reported by VisaVerge.com, these trends paint a hopeful picture for the future of air travel across Asia. With so much interest in flying, and so many new routes being added, the skies between Singapore and China 🇨🇳 are looking busy—and bright—for years to come.
Learn Today
Load Factor → A metric showing the percentage of airplane seats filled by passengers on a given flight or route.
Outbound Segment → Refers to travelers departing from their home country to foreign destinations, especially from China to abroad.
Capacity → The total number of seats or flights an airline offers on specific routes within a given period.
Full-Service Flights → Flights that offer traditional amenities like meals, checked baggage, and premium seating as part of the fare.
Scoot → Singapore Airlines’ budget airline subsidiary, operating lower-cost flights, including routes between Singapore and China.
This Article in a Nutshell
Singapore Airlines is witnessing an impressive surge in demand for flights to China, surpassing even pre-pandemic levels. With more routes being restored and new frequencies added, travelers enjoy increased choice. Outbound travel from China recovers more slowly, but optimism for further growth shapes airline strategy and fare competition.
— By VisaVerge.com
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