Shorter flights on some routes as Singapore, 5 other countries allow more direct paths

Travellers flying between Singapore and cities such as Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Auckland can expect shorter flight times on selected flights, as pilots take the most direct and efficient paths across participating airspaces.

- Vanessa Paige Chelvan

A 15-month trial, which let pilots fly more optimised, fuel-efficient routes to their destinations, showed it can shorten flight times, save fuel and reduce carbon emissions when wind conditions are favourable.

The trial formally concluded on Oct 31, but the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said airlines may continue filing for these most optimal routes, with support from the six participating countries.

The six countries - Singapore, Australia, Fiji, Indonesia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea - allow pilots from eight airlines to choose the most direct and efficient paths across their airspaces while serving 70 city-to-city links. CAAS said it is also exploring additional city-to-city links for such future operations.

For now, the Singapore routes using these optimised paths, flown by carriers like Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Air New Zealand, include Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Melbourne and Sydney in Australia, as well as Christchurch and Auckland in New Zealand.

Besides potentially cutting flight time, allowing pilots to select the most optimal routes can improve comfort by helping pilots avoid areas of turbulence, for example. The lower fuel consumption may also reduce operating costs, and by extension, air fares, an analyst said previously.