Lucknow and Jaipur could soon get non-stop links to Singapore. Changi Airport Group has flagged both Indian cities among a list of underserved "white spot" markets it wants to connect directly, as part of a broader push to fill gaps in its network ahead of a major terminal expansion.
What happened
Changi Airport Group has identified several cities with limited or no direct connectivity to Singapore, including Lucknow and Jaipur in India, alongside Banda Aceh and Banjarmasin in Indonesia, Hai Phong and Da Lat in Vietnam, Almaty and Tashkent in Central Asia, and Urumqi and Hohhot in China, according to reporting picked up by the British Chamber of Commerce Singapore from the Straits Times.
"Flights to Lucknow and Jaipur are likely to be launched in the near term, given the growing appetite of Indian carriers," industry analyst Mayur Patel was quoted as saying. Lim Ching Kiat, Changi's executive vice-president for air hub development, described these underserved cities as having "little air connectivity to Singapore" despite strong potential leisure and business travel demand. Patel projected Southeast Asian routes could launch within one to three years, while more distant Central Asian routes may take longer due to "fleet deployment decisions and bilateral air services agreements."
The push is tied to Changi's Terminal 5, expected to be complete by the mid-2030s and lift the airport's capacity from 90 million to 140 million passengers a year — a 55% increase, per Aviation A2Z. Currently, 85% of Changi's flights already serve Asia-Pacific destinations.
Why it matters
Singapore is a major transit and leisure hub for Indian travellers, but connectivity has historically concentrated around India's metro airports — Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata. Direct Lucknow and Jaipur links would open up Singapore (and onward Southeast Asia connections) to travellers from Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan without a domestic transit leg first, cutting both cost and travel time for a large catchment of flyers who currently route through Delhi or Mumbai.
What this means for your trip
These routes aren't confirmed or scheduled yet — Changi is signalling intent and industry analysts are estimating a one-to-three-year window for Southeast Asian "white spot" routes, so don't build a 2026 trip around a Lucknow-Singapore flight existing yet. If you're in Lucknow or Jaipur and travel to Singapore regularly, it's worth watching for an official carrier announcement over the next year or two, since being early to book a new direct route often means better fares before demand catches up.
Lim Ching Kiat, Changi's EVP for air hub development, on underserved cities: they have "little air connectivity to Singapore" despite strong potential demand.
The bottom line
No tickets to book yet, but Changi has put Lucknow and Jaipur on its official radar for direct connectivity — a signal worth watching if you fly between north India and Singapore.
