Singapore Airlines (SIA) has officially added Cairns to its global network, with the arrival of SQ203 marking the first time SIA has operated regularly scheduled passenger services to the North Queensland city.
Touching down at 17:39 local time on 28 March, SQ203 was greeted by a water cannon salute to mark the historic occasion.
Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, SIA’s regional wing, SilkAir, operated daily services to the gateway to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
However, with the integration of SilkAir into SIA in 2021 and this evening’s arrival of SQ203, the route has now officially become the sixth Australian destination in the SIA global network.
Singapore Airlines Regional Vice President South West Pacific, Mr Louis Arul, said the arrival was an exciting step in the recovery of tourism for North Queensland.
“Our first regularly scheduled SIA passenger flight to arrive in Cairns is not only historic, but an important step in supporting the recovery efforts of the wider North Queensland tourism industry,” Mr Arul said.
“Our commitment to the North Queensland market is further emphasised by our decision to increase operations to five times a week from 30 May, while from 11 April we will deploy our brand-new Boeing 737-8 aircraft on the route.
“Operating the 737-8 will deliver customers a lie-flat Business Class product and seatback in-flight entertainment across both Economy and Business Class cabins, allowing our customers to enjoy our famous Singapore Airlines service in absolute comfort.
“Increasing the number of services per week will provide greater connectivity and help attract more visitors back to this amazing city. While also allowing those in Cairns and surrounds more opportunities to explore our global network.”
Singapore Airlines scheduled services to Cairns, with effect from 29 March 2022:
| Flight# | Day of Operation | Dept | Dept Time | Arrv | Arrv Time | Aircraft Type |
| SQ203 | Mon, Wed, Fri | SIN | 8:45 | CNS | 17:25 | Boeing 737-800 |
| SQ204 | Mon, Wed, Fri | CNS | 18:15 | SIN | 23:00 |
All times indicated are local time
On 11 April 2022, SIA will deploy their new Boeing 737-8 on the route.
For more information visit www.singaporeair.com