Singapore Airlines to cancel Vancouver route later this year

Feb 24 2023, 5:34 pm

Singapore Airlines’ second attempt to restart and sustain a non-stop service between Vancouver and the Southeast Asian city-state of Singapore will be short-lived.

A spokesperson with the airline confirmed to Daily Hive a decision has been made to suspend operations on the route between Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and Singapore Changi International Airport (SIN) effective October 2023. This is a move to “adjust its capacity in response to demand.”

Although the global aviation industry has seen a strong recovery, there continues to be a weaker pace of recovery for certain international markets, particularly for YVR’s TransPacific routes, based on the latest statistics.

Singapore’s flag carrier is currently flying three times weekly using the Airbus A350-900. It is Singapore Airlines’ only service to Canada.

Its service reaching YVR first launched in December 2021 as a four-times weekly service, with YVR serving as a stop between SIN and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA).

In June 2022, Singapore Airlines separated its services reaching YVR and SEA into two separate non-stop routes — a standalone three-times weekly service for YVR, and a separate standalone three-times weekly service for SEA.

The airline will retain its non-stop service for SEA, but it will be downgraded in late-June 2023 back to three times weekly from its current frequency of four times weekly. It first launched its Seattle service in September 2019, operating for just a few before being forced to suspend the route due to the pandemic’s onset.

Prior to the pandemic, YVR did not have a direct, non-stop route to Singapore.

Singapore Airlines previously served YVR up until 2009, when the route was cancelled due to the impact of the global financial crisis. They operated a three-times weekly service between Vancouver and Singapore, with a connection in Seoul.

Kenneth ChanKenneth Chan

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