Despite the temporary setback of higher oil prices, we’ve generally seen a trend in recent times whereby airlines are launching more ultra long haul flights. Well, Air Canada is temporarily countering that trend, as the Canadian Star Alliance airline will end its longest route, less than three years after launching it.
Air Canada cuts Vancouver to Singapore flights as of early 2027
AeroRoutes flags how Air Canada has quietly updated its schedule, reflecting that the airline will discontinue its route between Vancouver (YVR) and Singapore (SIN) as of January 24, 2027.
Air Canada launched this route in April 2024, and it has operated anywhere from 3-5x weekly. The flight has most commonly been operated by a Boeing 787-9 with the following schedule:
AC019 Vancouver to Singapore departing 11:15PM arriving 7:00AM (+2 days)
AC020 Singapore to Vancouver departing 8:40AM arriving 7:45AM
At 7,967 miles, and with a block time of up to 16hr45min, this has been Air Canada’s longest distance route. With this route being cut, there will also be no more nonstop links between Canada and Singapore.
Why is Air Canada cutting its flights to Singapore?
We’ve seen a trend in North America toward airlines operating more ultra long haul flights. There are many factors that have contributed to this, including more capable aircraft for these types of missions, along with more of a focus on premium leisure travel, as well as a network that helps bolster a loyalty program.
Air Canada is an airline that definitely punches above its weight when it comes to its global route network. It’s interesting how the airline has had more success flying from Vancouver to Bangkok (BKK), as that route started as seasonal, but has become year-round ever since.
On the one hand, Air Canada has some nice advantages flying ultra long haul transpacific routes like this. Vancouver’s geography is impossible to beat for Asia flying. Air Canada also has a fortress hub in Vancouver, and has somewhat of a cost structure advantage over its peers in the United States.
Even so, this kind of ultra long haul flying is challenging, unless there’s a massive amount of high yield point-to-point traffic. The Vancouver to Singapore market has a healthy amount of origin & destination demand. However:
- A lot of the demand in this market is price sensitive, and Vancouver has no shortage of Asian carriers operating one-stop service between Vancouver and Singapore, some of which are able to undercut Air Canada on price
- Air Canada had marketed this route as also being about connections, and the reality is that it’s hard to make the economics work when you’re relying on connecting passengers, given the number of one-stop options that exist, which don’t involve ultra long haul flights
- Due to the length of this flight, cargo has presumably been pretty limited, since there’s not much payload left on a 787 operating a sector this long
- I imagine that the current jet fuel price situation was just the nail in the coffin for this service, because this route is probably performing particularly poorly at the moment
Bottom line
As of January 2027, Air Canada will discontinue its route between Vancouver and Singapore, a little under three years after it was launched. This is Air Canada’s longest route. I suspect the economics here didn’t end up being great in the first place, and only got worse with the current jet fuel situation.
What do you make of Air Canada cutting Singapore flights?
Not surprised.
I managed to get my hands on a load sheet of theirs, and it wasn't uncommon for them to block 30+ seats in the dead of winter. Presumably, that was justifiable in 2005, but not so much at today's fuel prices.
I also wouldn't be surprised to see the route return once AC receives their A350s, which would be far more capable on the route, and also spread the per-seat costs a...
Not surprised.
I managed to get my hands on a load sheet of theirs, and it wasn't uncommon for them to block 30+ seats in the dead of winter. Presumably, that was justifiable in 2005, but not so much at today's fuel prices.
I also wouldn't be surprised to see the route return once AC receives their A350s, which would be far more capable on the route, and also spread the per-seat costs a bit better... assuming that SQ doesn't return and reestablish the route in its own right.
It’s sad that SQ and AC have both come a cropper with regard to YVR-SIN service. Meanwhile UA is going very strong indeed with its double-daily SFO-SIN services… And bear in mind that UA and SQ are about as friendly in the Star Alliance as QF and QR are in Oneworld — in other words, they’re sworn enemies! Is SFO (or SEA, which DL will use as its gateway to SIN) that much more lucrative than YVR?!