Star Alliance carrier Singapore Airlines has only ever ceased flying to one United States airport: Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). The airport has had a unique history with the Asian carrier, which has operated to the Texan airport through a unique fifth freedom of the air. Initially, the airline flew from Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) to Houston via Russia, before opting for a new route via the United Kingdom in 2016. The service was eventually shelved last year.

Singapore started flying to Houston via Moscow Domodedovo Airport (DME) in 2006, and picked this route due to energy-related traffic that was in demand between the two airports. This route was changed to Manchester Airport (MAN) in 2016, before being axed completely in March 2025.

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

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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. The flight held the history of the longest one-stop flight, which has since been overtaken by China Eastern’s Shanghai to Buenos Aires routing.

With Singapore flying via Russia, it is now 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.

Ultimately, 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

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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. During its reign, the Houston schedule operated as detailed in the table below.

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 load factors ultimately led to the cancellation of the Manchester to Houston leg, where some flights only sold 30% full.

The Remaining US Cities Served By Singapore Airlines

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According to data from Cirium, an online aviation analytics company, just five US cities have Singapore Airlines flights. New York City and Los Angeles are the biggest markets by number of departures, as detailed in the table below.

Singapore Airlines has also previously served Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) via Vancouver International Airport (YVR). It attempted this one-stop routing through Canada between 2021 and 2023.