Singapore Airlines says it is encouraged by support for its Canberra flights despite its first full month garnering few visitors to the capital.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The federal government's latest international flight data showed 6995 people travelled in and out of Canberra on Singapore Airlines' Capital Express route in October.
This translated to an average of about 145 passengers travelling to Canberra on each 266-seat Boeing 777-200 from Singapore and just 67 on the same sized plane from Wellington.
The outbound figures were similarly low. An average of 65 passengers on each flight from Canberra to Wellington boarded in the capital while the Singapore route saw 111 Canberran outbound passengers.
The Singapore flights were a slight improvement on September's numbers, when an average of 142 passengers from Singapore travelled to the capital, while the Wellington route saw a reduction from 94 each flight.
The figures do not necessarily mean planes were otherwise empty as it does not include people in transit.
A Singapore Airlines spokesman said there was a "good mix" of business and leisure travellers travelling business and economy class on the Capital Express. Each flight offers 38 business class seats and 228 economy seats.
"We continue to be encouraged by the support we have received from the local Canberra region and remain pleased with the growth we have seen in our bookings for travel to Singapore and beyond as well as to Wellington," he said.
An ACT government spokesman was similarly unfazed.
"The ACT Government remains very confident the new direct international flights by Singapore Airlines will continue to grow and provide significant benefits to the business, education and tourism sector, as well the wider Canberra community and region," he said.
"The ACT Government is also investing in a range of programs to help strengthen inbound growth.
"VisitCanberra and the ACT tourism industry are working closely with Singapore Airlines, the Singapore Tourism Board and Wellington Tourism Authorities on cooperative marketing initiatives in South East Asia and New Zealand."
Singapore Airlines launched in Canberra on September 20 last year. Qatar Airways will follow suit in 2017-18.
Tourism Research Australia's International Visitor Survey showed in the year to September 2016 tourist numbers reached a record high 206,915. December figures will be released in March.
