Starting June 1, Singapore Airlines (SIA), the multiple award-winning carrier, will launch a daily direct service between Hangzhou and Singapore. For travelers in Hangzhou, that means world-class, top-tier air service is now just a quick trip to the local airport.

Currently, four carriers—Loong Air, China Eastern, Xiamen Airlines, and Scoot—already operate on the Hangzhou-Singapore route. With SIA joining in, the total number of weekly round-trip flights between the two cities will increase to 26, giving passengers more options and greater schedule flexibility.

According to the flight plan, SIA will deploy an Airbus A350-900 medium-range aircraft on the route, configured with two classes and a total of 303 seats—40 in business class and 263 in economy. Flight SQ838 from Singapore to Hangzhou will depart Changi Airport at 5:40 p.m. local time on June 1 and arrive in Hangzhou at 10:50 p.m. the same day. The return flight, SQ839 from Hangzhou to Singapore, will take off at 12:10 a.m. local time on June 2 and land in Singapore at 5:10 a.m.

But SIA brings more than just a comfortable ride. Singapore’s Changi Airport is itself a world-leading aviation hub and a destination worth visiting. From there, passengers can easily connect to destinations across the globe, particularly to popular tourist spots in Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia. For business, leisure, and family-visit travelers from Hangzhou and the wider Zhejiang region, this new route opens a more efficient gateway to the world.

Passenger traffic between Hangzhou and Singapore has been heating up this year, with 85,000 travelers so far—an 11.9 percent increase year on year, making it the second-busiest international route out of Hangzhou Airport. SIA’s entry into the market reflects its confidence in the growing potential of Hangzhou and the broader Yangtze River Delta region.

“This new route marks another major upgrade in the quality of Hangzhou Airport’s international network,” an airport official said. Moving from “having routes” to “having good routes,” and now to “having great routes,” Hangzhou is steadily making its way toward becoming a truly world-class international aviation hub.