Singapore Airlines (SIA) and its regional arm SilkAir will not be flying to new locations next month but will slightly increase the frequency of flights on existing routes as the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the aviation sector drags on.

SIA said in an online notice on Friday that this means that the SIA Group – which also includes budget carrier Scoot – will operate at approximately 7 per cent of its scheduled capacity in August, up from 6 per cent this month.

SIA is currently flying between Singapore and 27 cities in 18 countries spread across five regions – South-east Asia, North Asia, South-west Pacific, Europe and the United States.

Among the sectors that will see more flights next month include the Singapore-London, Singapore-Kuala Lumpur and Singapore-Osaka routes.

Customers who have had their flights cancelled by SIA and SilkAir will be able to either get a refund or flight credits with a bonus.

SIA said it will continue to adjust its capacity to match the demand for international air travel.

The carrier cancelled 96 per cent of its scheduled flights between late-March and end-May in response to travel restrictions worldwide and a plunge in demand for air travel.

It has since slowly increased the number of flights. But a full recovery to the level before Covid-19 is expected to take years.

The International Air Transport Association said last week that a survey of 4,700 recent air travellers conducted last month showed people’s willingness to travel by air is being tempered by concerns over the risks of catching Covid-19 during the journey.

Read the latest on the Covid-19 situation in Singapore and beyond on our dedicated site here.

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