Singapore Airlines to resume flights to Adelaide next week
International passenger flights in and out of Adelaide will resume next week, with the impending return of overseas students an “economic saviour” for SA.
SA News
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Singapore Airlines will resume passenger flights in and out of Adelaide from next Tuesday.
It comes as Premier Steven Marshall says the anticipated return of international students to SA in the coming months could be “economic saviour” for the state.
A Singapore Airlines Airbus A380-900 aircraft will provide a once-weekly service to Adelaide.
It will arrive at Adelaide Airport on Tuesday mornings at 7.55am and will depart shortly after at 9.10am.
The service will be the first scheduled Singapore Airline passenger flight to Adelaide since borders closed in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Singapore Airlines regional vice president South West Pacific Philip Goh said the flights would “provide additional cargo capacity for carriage of imports and exports between the cities and our global network, while allowing people who have an urgent and essential need to travel, or return home, to do so”.
He described the move as a “small first step towards building the return of international travel”.
“There is still a long way to go before any significant and meaningful return of capacity is possible,” Mr Goh said.
Trade and Investment Minister David Ridgway described the service as “fantastic news for our local producers”.
“The more South Australian produce, meat and seafood we can put onto these flights and headed overseas, the more local jobs we can secure and the more export dollars we can bring back into South Australia,” he said.
Furthermore, Mr Ridgway announced in State Parliament on Tuesday that Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific would also start flying freight out of Adelaide from next week for an initial period of six weeks.
He said Hong Kong was a key market for SA seafood and other high value produce and was also a gateway into China, the state’s largest trading partner.
Meanwhile, Mr Marshall said while he didn’t think passengers would start arriving from next week, Singaporean international students – especially those studying medicine or dentistry – could eventually be among those passengers.
He said the return of international students to SA could be a “potential economic saviour” for the state.
“If you think about money coming into South Australia, international students is right at the top,” he said.
“In fact the international student market is worth more to South Australia than wheat, barley or wine so it is a massive sector.
“Adelaide has always been one of the top 10 most liveable cities in the world. It is now the safest city in the world and maybe parents of international students contemplating studying overseas… will now be thinking more and more about sending their students to Adelaide.”
Singapore Airlines last week announced it was expanding its cargo-only passenger flights out of Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.
Singapore Airlines’ weekly Adelaide flights will remain in place from June 8 through to July 31 but the company says this situation could change pending continued review of the international travel environment.