Singapore Airlines upgrades Male flights to A350s in November and December

15 October, 2022

Selected Singapore Airlines flights to and from the Maldives will be operated by the Airbus A350 in November and December, with new Regional Business Class seats.

Singapore Airlines is adding capacity to its Maldives route for the upcoming peak holiday season, in anticipation of increased year-end demand between the city-state and Male.

This will come in the form of a wide-body aircraft once again, with A350s back on selected services from 30th October 2022, which also means more sought-after Business Class saver award space has been loaded.

The Singapore–Male route already had an upgrade from ex-SilkAir Boeing 737-800s to the newer Boeing 737-8 MAXs, benefitting from flat-beds in Business Class.

From 30th October to the end of December this year, selected SQ438/437 flights will use two-class Airbus A350 Medium Haul aircraft, including 40 of the 2018 Regional Business Class seats in a 1-2-1 configuration, with direct aisle access.

This will apply to flights departing both Singapore and Male on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays over this two-month period, boosting capacity on the route by over 20%, from 4,312 seats per week to 5,206 per week.

Currently there are two daily Boeing 737-8 MAX flights operating on this route.

From 1st January 2023 through to the end of the winter season, all of SIA’s Male flights return to Boeing 737-8 MAX service.

Prior to Covid-19, Singapore Airlines was serving the Male route daily with a Boeing 787-10, supplemented by a daily SilkAir Boeing 737-800 service, so overall group capacity in early 2023 is still only around 62% of pre-pandemic levels.