Emirates to Terminate Direct Flights From Singapore to Melbourne

Bad news, travellers. Emirates has announced its intention to end its operations on the flight route between Singapore and Melbourne, Australia. The Dubai-based airline is seeking approval from the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) to end its long-haul flights between the two cities.

Also read: 7 Tips for Travelling to Singapore on a Budget, According to Locals

Emirates awaiting the final decision

Image credit: Emirates | Facebook

The decision to terminate the route is linked to Emirates’ capacity commitments under an alliance with Qantas. The CCCS will assess the impact of releasing Emirates from these commitments before making a final decision.

Qantas will serve passengers who book through Emirates

While Emirates will no longer be operating its own flights between Singapore and Melbourne, it will continue to offer direct flights via its codeshare partner, Qantas. This means that passengers can book their flights through Emirates but travel on Qantas-operated aircraft.

Emirates cited the highly competitive nature of services to and from Singapore as a key factor in its decision to terminate the route. The Singapore-Melbourne route is already served by several other airlines, including Singapore Airlines, Qantas, Jetstar, and Turkish Airlines.

Emirates’ previous attempt to terminate flights

This is not the first time Emirates has sought to terminate a route to Australia. In 2019, the airline applied to end its flights between Singapore and Brisbane. However, the outcome of that application is not publicly known.

CCCS will carefully consider Emirates’ request and assess the potential impact on consumers and the competitive landscape before making a final decision. The assessment outcome will determine whether Emirates will be allowed to terminate its Singapore-Melbourne flights. 

Also read: Emirates Launches Luxurious New Premium Economy Cabins

While the outcome of this decision is still unknown, the news has already disappointed long-standing travellers who have been enjoying flying the Singapore-Melbourne route with Emirates. Despite that, they can look forward to codeshare flights with Qantas for this flight route to happen soon!

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