In a network update released along with November’s operating results, Singapore Airlines (SIA) says it has made preparations for the safe and effective distribution of Covid-19 vaccines around the world once they are ready.
The airline says its extensive network connectivity, as well as the well-developed pharmaceutical handling capabilities at Changi Airport, positions Singapore well as a key transit hub for the transportation and distribution of vaccines, in particular from Europe and India to Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
SIA added that it will prioritise Covid-19 vaccine shipments across the key vaccine trade lanes, including readying the airline’s seven Boeing 747-400 freighters, as well as the group’s passenger aircraft fleet, which will be deployed on cargo operations to increase capacity for vaccine transportations if necessary.
SIA says it will reinstate flights to San Francisco and Nagoya from December, and that it looks forward to a gradual recovery in passenger operations amid border reopenings.
For the month of November 2020, the group reported a 86.4% y-o-y decline in passenger capacity, improving slightly from October’s decline of 89.9% y-o-y.
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Overall passenger carriage stood at -98.1% y-o-y.
As a result, group passenger load factor (PLF) fell 70.7 percentage points y-o-y to 14.2.
Singapore Airlines’ capacity fell 83.5% y-o-y. Passenger carriage for the airline fell 97.6% y-o-y while PLF fell 70.8 percentage points to 13.9%.
SilkAir's passenger carriage decreased by 97.2% y-o-y against a 98.2% cut in capacity, with a PLF of 37.3%.
Scoot’s passenger carriage declined 94.1% year-on-year against a contraction in capacity of 99.1%, which led to a PLF of 13.9%.
Cargo load factor (CLF) was 22.4 percentage points higher y-o-y as the capacity contraction of 49.8% y-o-y outpaced the 32.0% decline in cargo traffic.
Shares in SIA closed 3 cents lower or 0.7% down at $4.39 on Dec 15.
