As travellers around the world look for more unique travel experiences, mixing travel modes between air and sea travel is one trend that is gaining traction. With the close proximity between the air and sea ports in Singapore, Changi Airport is actively promoting intermodal travel as a new way to travel. 

On 14 December 2023, CAG welcomed travellers from the United Kingdom (UK) via TUI Airways and Marella Cruises. These travellers flew to Singapore and boarded a cruise ship here to explore the region through a fly-cruise package. 

Fly-cruise is a unique and seamless travel experience that combines air travel with a cruise vacation. Unlike traditional vacations where travellers may need to book flights and cruises separately, fly-cruise packages streamline the entire process, removing the stress of planning multiple components for the trip by travellers themselves. Once they arrived at the destination, passengers are seamlessly transferred to the cruise port where they will board their ship. The cruise itself is the focal point of the vacation, taking passengers to various ports of call, each with its unique attractions and cultural experiences. After the cruise concludes, passengers are transferred back to the airport for their return flight home. In some instances, a pre or post-cruise stay in the homeport destination is included in the fly-cruise package to enrich travellers' experiences.

A warm welcome to TUI Airways and Marella Cruises

TUI Airways, a new addition to Changi's family of airlines, brings a unique twist to travelling for UK travellers. Working with Marella Cruises, it offers fly-cruise packages to cities in Southeast Asia, with Singapore as its homeport. 

Marella Cruises, a well-established British cruise line operated by TUI UK, is set to call Singapore home for the next three years till 2026, with sailings between December and April each season. 

It is the first time that Marella Cruises has homeported in Singapore, with scheduled stops in Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. The rotational travel routes promise an enriching and diverse experience for passengers, making each journey a unique exploration of Southeast Asia's captivating destinations. 

To seamlessly facilitate Marella's sailings, TUI Airways operates thrice-weekly services from London-Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham using the B787-900 Dreamliner. The Birmingham route, in particular, is the only non-stop connection from the Midlands city to Singapore. More than 560 passengers from Birmingham and London Gatwick arrived in Singapore on 14 December 2023, marking the inaugural flights.

These fly-cruise passengers will pass through the recently refreshed Terminal 2. Upon arrival, passengers are transported to the Marina Bay Cruise Centre, for a hassle-free transition from the airport to the cruise embarkation point.

Cultivating new market segments

Peh Ke-Wei, Vice President of Passenger Development at CAG’s Air Hub & Cargo Development Division said, "We are thrilled to welcome UK passengers to Singapore via TUI Airways and Marella Cruises. As travellers look for more interesting experiences on their vacations, Changi is actively cultivating new market segments to introduce the unique gems of Singapore and region to them. With full travel recovery expected this year, we are anticipating the return of the fly-cruise segment post-Covid, especially with Disney Cruise Line coming up in 2025.

“As Changi Airport continually innovates to enhance the travel experience, we aim to be a premier inter-modal hub that provides travellers with different travel options that seamlessly blend air and sea adventures in Asia."