Singapore Airlines celebrates one year at London Gatwick amidst expansion challenges

Seow expressed interest in further expanding services at London Gatwick but cited aircraft delivery delays as a constraint. He stated: “To be very candid with you, our planning horizon is being controlled by Boeing and Airbus. Unfortunately, there have been a fair number of delays by the aircraft manufacturers."

The daily service to Gatwick complements four daily flights to Heathrow. Seow explained that both airports serve different markets due to their catchment areas. "Whilst slots are one of the reasons," he said, "the other important reason is that Gatwick provides us with a different catchment area."

Flight timing was also an important consideration for Singapore Airlines due to its reliance on connecting traffic. Flights are scheduled to align with arrival times in Singapore conducive for onward connections across its network.

Seow acknowledged that most passengers from London connect onwards via Singapore to destinations such as Australia and Southeast Asia countries including Indonesia and Thailand. This reflects the importance of connecting traffic in making routes successful under a hub-and-spoke model.

Europe-Asia and Europe-Australia traffic remain crucial for Singapore Airlines amid competition from Gulf carriers like Emirates and Qatar Airways. Seow emphasized their niche lies in service offerings including stopover programs and onboard services.