Singapore Airlines ends all Houston flights after 19 years

Singapore Airlines has stopped flying to Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), making it the only US airport the Star Alliance carrier has ever exited. The final flight on the one-stop route, which last operated via Manchester, departed in March 2025.

The airline first launched service to Houston in 2006, connecting via Moscow Domodedovo Airport (DME). According to the source report from Simple Flying, this routing was chosen to capture energy-related traffic between the two cities. The flight was operated with a Boeing 777-300ER and was historically the world's longest one-stop flight until it was overtaken by China Eastern's Shanghai to Buenos Aires routing.

Singapore Airlines' One-Stop Flights To Houston Via Moscow & Manchester

From Singapore to Houston is a route that Singapore Airlines couldn't justify flying nonstop, which saw the airline look to pick up traffic between other countries. Initially operating via Russia's largest city, Moscow, the service was flown with the airline's Boeing 777-300ER. With Singapore flying via Russia, it was the only airline to offer nonstop flights between Singapore and Moscow, with additional capacity between two growing energy hubs, Moscow and Houston. The airline would pick up travelers at either end, or halfway, on one ticket, or separate tickets.

Singapore opted to switch the route from Moscow to Manchester in 2016, and this continued through until 2025. Initially, the new routing was operated with the same aircraft type as seen in Moscow, the 777-300ER, before being switched to the modern Airbus A350-900 from January 2017 through until March 2025.

Connecting Major Energy Hubs

While flights from Southeast Asia to North America can often transit via Northern Asia or Europe, very few in recent history have ever connected via Russia. The move by Singapore Airlines set the airline apart as it looked to target corporate and executive (high fare-paying) travel demand between oil capitals. The service was the first-ever direct flight connection between the two cities, and also provided onward travel to and from Singapore.

Singapore operated this flight as a fifth freedom service, which allows the airline to pick up local passengers on the Moscow and Manchester to Houston sectors, in addition to those flying from Singapore. The decision to move away from Moscow ultimately came when the Russian ruble started to struggle, and the demand on the route dried up.

The airline then decided to move the service via Manchester, where it could then tap into Northern England and the UK market, where no other airline offered a direct Houston service. Passengers would often connect from Scotland, on Loganair, via Manchester, for onward travel to Texas.

Low Demand Leads to Cancellation

Low passenger numbers doomed the Manchester-Houston leg. The source states some flights on this sector sold only 30% of their seats. This consistent underperformance led to the complete cancellation of the Houston route last year.

The Remaining US Cities Served By Singapore Airlines

With the Houston route now closed, Singapore Airlines serves just five cities in the United States. Data from aviation analytics company Cirium shows New York City and Los Angeles are its largest US markets by number of departures.

The airline has experimented with other one-stop US routes in recent years. It attempted a service to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) via Vancouver International Airport (YVR) between 2021 and 2023 before discontinuing that routing as well.