Singapore Airlines, South Australia's longest-serving international airline, will further strengthen the state's global connectivity as it adds more direct flights to Adelaide and sets a new record for international aviation in SA.
The airline will operate 12 flights a week from October - the most weekly flights any international carrier has ever flown year-round to Adelaide.
The increased schedule means flights from Singapore Airlines will touchdown every afternoon and five mornings each week, providing extra daily connections to South Australia through one of the world's biggest aviation hubs, Singapore's Changi Airport.
Meanwhile China Southern Airlines has announced it will expand its flights from Guangzhou to arrive daily during the peak period of December to March.
China Southern currently operates three flights into Adelaide each week and recently moved to operating year-round after commencing as a seasonal service. It'll expand to daily between 1 December 2026 and 10 March 2027, connecting via Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in southern China.
From 25 October 2026, the additional Singapore services will deliver an extra 1,328 seats into Adelaide each week year-round, while the expanded China Southern services will add an extra 1,064 seats each week during the December to March period.
All up, that's an extra 2,392 seats coming into Adelaide each week this summer.
The increased capacity comes at a time of strong demand for international travel and supports continued growth in visitor arrivals to South Australia.
It's expected to provide a significant boost to the state's visitor economy, making it easier for international travellers to visit South Australia, supporting local tourism operators, accommodation providers, restaurants and businesses.
Visitors from China spent $390 million in South Australia in the year to March 2026, nearly 28% up on the year prior, making it our leading market in terms of visitor spending.
Singapore is also an important visitor market for South Australia. In the year to March 2026, visitors from Singapore spent $78 million in South Australia - more than double on the previous year, driven by an increase in holidaymakers.
The surge in direct flights will also unlock additional cargo space for the state's exporters and enable more South Australian premium produce to reach international markets faster and fresher.
It comes as South Australian air freight exports rose by 35 per cent in the year to May 2026 - with 23,000 tonnes of goods travelling by air.
This increase has supported record high South Australian exports which reached $18.4 billion in the last 12 months.
The expansion of Singapore Airlines and China Southern Airlines services add to a series of additional direct flight announcements in recent months, following an increase to Cathay Pacific's peak services and the first direct China Eastern flights from Shanghai in June.
Flights are on sale now.
Tourism Minister Emily Bourke said; "Singapore Airlines has been flying into South Australia for over four decades, but now they'll be operating more flights than any international carrier ever before. It shows how important this route is in connecting our cities."
"China Southern Airlines this year expanded from a seasonal to a year-round service into Adelaide, and now moving to daily flights over the peak summer season is a massive vote of confidence in South Australia as a destination for visitors coming from China."
"This additional capacity demonstrates the growing appeal of our state as a visitor destination and the strong growth we've seen in the Asian market in the previous year.
"More seats mean more opportunities to attract international visitors, support local tourism and showcase everything South Australia has to offer to travellers from across Asia and the world."
State Development Minister Chris Picton said South Australia continues to buck global trends as we welcome more international flights, more students and travellers, and break export records.
"During my recent trade mission to Southeast Asia, I took the opportunity to reaffirm the importance of Singapore Airlines direct service to Adelaide and it is extremely pleasing to see these additional year-round flights now come online," he said.
"They will boost our cultural and economic ties with Singapore while opening up even more opportunities for South Australian businesses to access global markets."
"China Southern Airlines' decision to further increase their direct services during peak trading periods including Chinese New Year will massively bolster our state's exporters."
"China is already our state's largest two-way trading partner and additional direct flights will mean less delays, fresher produce on shelves and better market access for our exporters."
"South Australia is now more connected to the world through direct international flights than ever before and we're proud to support stronger links between South Australia, Singapore, China and beyond."
Foo Chai Woo, Singapore Airlines Regional Vice President South West Pacific said as South Australia's longest serving international airline, Singapore Airlines has connected South Australian people and places to Singapore and the rest of the world for 42 years.
"Building on our legacy of strongly supporting the South Australian market, and with robust travel demand into and out of Adelaide, we're happy to offer our customers even more choice and more capacity with 12 weekly services from December 2026," he said.
William Wang, China Southern Airlines Regional Director of Sales and Marketing said they thrilled to expand the Adelaide-Guangzhou service to daily flights between December 1 and March 10, 2027, catering to the strong peak-season demand for business, leisure, and family travel.
"With China's 30-day visa-free policy now in place for Australian passport holders, traveling to and exploring China has never been more seamless," he said
"Beyond Guangzhou, South Australian travellers can take full advantage of China Southern's expansive global hub, enjoying smooth, high-frequency connections across our extensive network to key destinations in Europe, Japan, Vietnam, South Asia, and beyond."
Brenton Cox, Adelaide Airport Managing Director added; "This is amazing news from Singapore Airlines - it is the first time an international airline has flown 12 flights a week year-round out of Adelaide."
"Singapore Airlines has been an incredible supporter of the Adelaide market for more than four decades and was a ground breaker in providing South Australians with one-stop connections to Europe and the UK."
"Now they offer more options than ever before to fly to Singapore and connect with their significant global network. It's also significant for our local exporters who rely on Singapore Airlines' regular services to reach key markets."
"In more good news, China Southern returned to a three-weekly year-round service at the beginning of this year, so to convert this into a daily service during the peak summer months just a few months later shows the strength of international aviation demand in and out of Adelaide."
"It's great for our local tourism operators, our exporters, and for South Australians heading to China or connecting to destinations across Asia and Europe."
