Most of SIA Group's pilots, cabin crew are in the air again

Almost all of Singapore Airlines (SIA) Group’s pilots and cabin crew are taking to the skies again, as the carrier prepares to quickly ramp up capacity in response to a recovery in air travel.

- Toh Ting Wei

Group chief executive Goh Choon Phong said yesterday during a briefing for the company’s half-year results that 92 per cent of the group’s pilots and 86 per cent of cabin crew are now flying.

He noted that the proportion of crew and planes that are back in service is significantly higher than the passenger capacity that the group is operating at.

SIA Group is currently operating at about 37 per cent of the capacity it had before the pandemic, and this is expected to rise to 43 per cent next month.

Explaining the difference in numbers, Mr Goh said: “Such an arrangement would allow us to react very quickly to changes in the market and therefore any revenue opportunities that may arise.”

The crew moves by SIA Group, which comprises flag carrier SIA and its budget arm Scoot, come amid a promising start to recovery in air travel brought about by Singapore’s announcement of vaccinated travel lanes (VTLs) with 16 countries.