Singapore Airlines is celebrating 50 years of operating to New Zealand in style; the carrier is gearing up for record Kiwi capacity for the northern winter schedule, as it consistently achieves loads of 90% or higher across its Kiwi operation.
While SQ gm New Zealand Wilson Yong says there’s never a dull moment in aviation, especially this year, he adds that New Zealand is a very stable, mature market on the SQ network. He also stresses that the Kiwi trade distribution continues to be an important channel for the carrier. “We wouldn’t be able to do this journey without the support of the trade,” adds Yong. “We recognise the importance of the trade and we hope to reciprocate that support.”
Faced with increased demand and uncertainty in the Middle East this year, Yong says SQ was ‘very agile’ earlier this year, reallocating aircraft to increase its capacity to London Gatwick, adding Madrid to its network quite quickly and tweaking its global network to meet the changing demand.
. . . This Summer
For the coming northern winter, together with its alliance partner Air New Zealand, SQ will operate 17% more capacity over the Kiwi summer peak setting—a new record.
Much of that capacity increase is coming from Christchurch, a destination that Yong says is enjoying strong inbound and outbound demand. “Our aspiration is to grow to double daily throughout the year,” he adds about the southern gateway.
However, while Yong says SQ ‘always have an eye on Wellington’ services, he adds that there are no plans to resume flights to the capital city at this stage.’
At the same time Yong says the carrier’s first class cabin is seeing strong outbound demand. When the SQ A380 returns in Oct, Yong says the carrier’s 777, offering first class, will move to operate its midnight flight ex AKL.
. . . NDC
SQ is focused on empowering Kiwi agents, and giving them tools available 24/7, says Yong.
This includes its on-line portal, rolling out AI and of course, NDC. While SQ’s local NDC rollout was a steep learning curve for both the carrier and the trade, Yong says the trade is now really engaged with the channel. In Feb, SQ’s Kiwi bookings spiked at 60%. Overall, he says SQ New Zealand NDC sales continue to grow, with more agents accessing the competitive fares. “I’d say three to four of every 10 tickets sold [here] is now on NDC.”
Yong says SQ is also one of the few airlines that has maintained a large Kiwi-based team.
. . . New Product
By the end of the year, SQ also hopes to announce some details of its new in-flight product, adds Yong.
