SINGAPORE- Emirates (EK), the Dubai-based carrier, is ending its long-standing Singapore (SIN)-Melbourne (MEL), Australia flights. This decision comes five years after the airline terminated its Singapore-Brisbane (BNE) route in 2019.
The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) announced on August 8 that Emirates had formally requested to cease operations on this route.
Emirates Singapore to Melbourne Flights
The airline later confirmed this move with Strait Times, stating that the exact termination date would be determined after receiving CCCS’s final assessment regarding the impact on its capacity commitments with Qantas (QF).
Emirates has operated this route since 1996 using wide-body Boeing 777s, with a brief interruption during the Covid-19 pandemic from 2020 to 2023. Despite this change, the airline will maintain its four daily flights connecting Singapore and Dubai (DXB), as well as two daily non-stop flights between Melbourne and Dubai.
Passengers will still have options for travel between Singapore and Melbourne through Emirates’ codeshare agreement with Qantas, which offers twice-daily flights on this route. This partnership allows Emirates to continue selling seats on Qantas-operated flights.
Following this service termination, Emirates will no longer operate its own aircraft between Singapore and any Australian city. However, the airline will continue to offer codeshare flights to Melbourne, Brisbane, and Sydney through its partner airlines.
Highly Competitive Route
Turkish Airlines (TK) entered the Singapore-Melbourne route in March, intensifying competition among six airlines. Qantas, Singapore Airlines (SIA), Jetstar (JQ), Scoot (TK), and Emirates already operate on this busy corridor.
Currently, Emirates runs one daily flight, Qantas two, and SIA five. Turkish Airlines, Jetstar, and Scoot each maintain one daily flight between the cities.
Emirates holds 11% of the total seat capacity on the Singapore route in September, equating to approximately 10,800 seats, according to OAG data.
The Emirates-Qantas alliance, established in 2013, allows coordination of pricing, scheduling, and marketing. The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) approved this partnership conditionally, requiring increased weekly seat capacity on Singapore-Brisbane and Singapore-Melbourne routes.
Emirates discontinued its Singapore-Brisbane flights in 2019 after CCCS lifted capacity commitments for that route. Now, Emirates seeks a similar release for the Singapore-Melbourne route.
Emirates and Qantas argue that their alliance hasn’t harmed competitors and that withdrawing won’t create operational overlaps. They assert that Singapore’s competitive service environment will continue to constrain them.
CCCS conducted a public consultation from August 8 to 19 to gather feedback on the potential effects of lifting capacity commitments for Emirates and Qantas on Singapore-Australia routes. The commission will publish its decision in due course.
SIA Dominates the Sector
Singapore Airlines Group, comprising Singapore Airlines (SQ) and Scoot, commands 57% of the Singapore-Melbourne route capacity in September. This translates to 56,235 seats out of the total 97,906 available.
Recent SIA Group operating figures reveal a slight decline in load factor for the South-west Pacific region, which includes Melbourne and other Australian cities. The percentage of sold seats dropped from 92.3% in July 2023 to 90% in July 2024.
Emirates has been operating the Singapore-Melbourne route as a fifth-freedom service. This arrangement allows the airline to fly from Dubai to Singapore, offload and pick up passengers, before continuing to Melbourne, and vice versa.
The Dubai-based carrier’s decision to terminate this service has disappointed frequent travelers who regularly use Emirates for their Singapore-Melbourne journeys.
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