Emirates operates a huge number of fifth freedom routes, ranging from New York to Milan, to Rio de Janeiro to Sao Paulo, to Male to Colombo, to Bangkok to Hong Kong. The airline has just revealed plans to cut one of its longest standing fifth freedom flights, and I can’t say I’m surprised.
In this post:
Emirates ending Singapore to Melbourne route
As reported by The Straits Times, Emirates has revealed that it intends to cut its daily flight between Singapore (SIN) and Melbourne (MEL). The airline has been operating this continuously route since 1996, with the exception of a service suspension during the pandemic.
We don’t yet know the exact day when Emirates will be cutting this service, but the airline has informed the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) of its intentions to pull out of this market.
For context, this route currently operates daily using a Boeing 777-300ER, with the following schedule:
EK404 Singapore to Melbourne departing 10:25AM arriving 7:35PM
EK405 Melbourne to Singapore departing 2:25AM arriving 8:15AM
The 3,744-mile flight is blocked at 7hr10min southbound and 7hr50min northbound.
When this route is cut, Emirates will continue flying nonstop from Dubai to Singapore, and also nonstop from Dubai to Melbourne. It’s simply the link between Singapore and Melbourne that’s being cut. Emirates will continue to codeshare with Qantas on the route. Once this route is pulled, Emirates’ only remaining fifth freedom route from Singapore will be to Phnom Penh.
Singapore to Melbourne is a highly competitive market, served by Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Jetstar, and Scoot. Emirates accounts for roughly 11% of the capacity in the market.
My take on Emirates cutting Singapore to Melbourne flights
I can’t say that I’m surprised to see Emirates cutting its Singapore to Melbourne route, as the airline has cut quite a few of its fifth freedom transpacific routes in recent years. For example, in 2019, Emirates ended its Singapore to Brisbane route, as well as its Bangkok to Sydney route.
Emirates describes these cuts as being part of a broader strategy to optimize operational costs, and focus on profitable routes.
These routes were all historically quite significant. Keep in mind that Emirates only started flying nonstop between Dubai and Australia as of 2003, so up until that point, all the services operated with stops in Southeast Asia.
So the Singapore to Melbourne route has quite some historical significance, though nowadays it’s not really needed:
- Emirates has a huge amount of nonstop service between Dubai and Australia; the Australian government is much more generous to Emirates than Qatar Airways when it comes to granting slots
- When it comes to serving the Singapore to Melbourne market, that’s highly competitive, with Qantas and Singapore Airlines both having a loyal customer base in their respective markets
- Emirates has a codeshare agreement with Qantas, so the airline can still route passengers to Melbourne through Singapore if it wants to
So while I’m not surprised to see the route cut, I also wouldn’t have been shocked if the route had stuck around. I mean, Emirates has done an unbelievable job scaling its network, and has a great cost structure, which makes all kinds of routes feasible, even if they wouldn’t work with other airlines.
Bottom line
Emirates has revealed plans to cancel its Singapore to Melbourne route, which has been operated since 1996. This is only the latest Australia fifth freedom flight that the airline has canceled. These routes used to be really critical to the airline, but with the increase in nonstop flights between Dubai and Australia, they don’t have the importance that they once did. Clearly Emirates has been reevaluating this strategy in recent years.
What do you make of Emirates cutting Singapore to Melbourne flights?
The 0225 departure from MEL is just horrible. There are five flights a day between MEL and SIN on SQ and two on QF, so you'd have to be desperate to take the Emirates service. Ex-Dubai there are two nonstop A380 services daily, so once again, to go via SIN you'd have to be desperate. It just wasn't competitive, and the situation was hardly improved by the craptacular business class product on the 77W, so it's no surprise they're killing it off.
After EK cuts SIN-MEL will EK404 continue as a terminator service DXB-SIN? the flight could work quite efficiently with a slight change to existing timings — and SIN already lost one rotation from pre-pandemic, the EK432/433 rotation
Rio to Sao Paulo would be 8th Freedom, not 5th... and I don't think they actually (are allowed to) fly that.
Pretty sure it's Buenos Aires.
I live in Melbourne. This makes me sad. Was an easy reward to get through QF (in first). I have a ticket booked. Oh well.
And why are both QF and EK still selling (award/cash) flights?
Tell them you expect to be rebooked via SYD on the A380 service, in first class.
Without any doubt - economy and business are totally uncompetitive.
The two main reasons this route is being cut:
- The economy and business class products are uncompetitive against the competition, mainly SQ who have 3-3-3 in 777 Y versus Emirates that have 3-4-3 in 777 Y, and SQ and QF who have 1-2-1 in J verus Emirates who have 2-3-2 in J. Also A380 options with SQ which are always popular. Turkish commencing on the route was probably the nail in the coffin.
- The anti-social departure time from Melbourne.
Looked into flying it but it's an old 777 with angled-flat J in 2-3-2 config. Found award availability going from AUS-SIN and I like fifth-freedom flights but that's a hard sell for sleeping. Turkish J sounds much more appealing but award availability went poof right after it was loaded in. And Emirates does have F...
I wouldn’t call these transpacific flights.
They do not fly from São Paulo to Rio. They fly from Rio to Buenos Aires.
and GIG-GRU could not be a 5th freedom route for EK; it would be cabotage which Brazil does not allow foreign carriers to do
And before Emirates flew from São Paulo (GRU) to Santiago, a few months later the flight was Rio de Janeiro - Santiago. But with the pandemic, Emirates stopped flying to Chile.
"Emirates operates a huge number of fifth freedom routes"
One of their more interesting ones is between LCA and MLA.
Not to be nitpicky, but EK doesn't fly GIG-GRU, but rather GIG-EZE :)
Qantas has been unloved by Aussies who hunger for more competition in the market. I profess I’m a bit surprised by this decision, but maybe the 77W could be redeployed to other, more lucrative routes (and not just an extra London flight). They also previously had Dubai-KL-Melbourne but the schedule for that was atrocious. This one had been served by the A380 prior to the Pandarama
Qantas is garbage, with apologies to garbage.
It seems like the days of connecting somewhere in Asia to reach Australia are coming to an end. We're seeing more and more nonstop flights from Australia to Europe and North America as aircraft technology and aircraft range evolves. Personally, I'd rather break a long trip to South Africa or Australia/New Zealand into two segments but I'm probably in the minority on that front. That's what I used to enjoy about flying to Singapore, Hong...
It seems like the days of connecting somewhere in Asia to reach Australia are coming to an end. We're seeing more and more nonstop flights from Australia to Europe and North America as aircraft technology and aircraft range evolves. Personally, I'd rather break a long trip to South Africa or Australia/New Zealand into two segments but I'm probably in the minority on that front. That's what I used to enjoy about flying to Singapore, Hong Kong, and Manila with Delta through Tokyo-Narita.
You actually may not be in the minority. I agree 100%. But now I am strictly leisure, cash paying traveler and can factor in a couple days stop over enroute. 14 hour nonstops are a challenge for me, even in a nice J cabin.
If it's my own money, I want the longest possible time in a business-class or first-class cabin. At the same time, if I can get a stopover or even a long layover somewhere 'exotic,' I like that too. Connecting at Heathrow and enjoying the Virgin Clubhouse is an enjoyable way to get to South Africa. Likewise, connecting in Tokyo and enjoying the people watching of Narita for a few hours was an enjoyable way to connect to Singapore.