Singapore to Tokyo: How much do the flights cost?

Flights from Singapore to Tokyo are numerous and varied from cheap flights to the extremely expensive.  This is perhaps no surprise given Singapore’s status as a major east Asian travel hub and Tokyo being, well, the largest city in the world. Throw in the Asian tiger’s boast of having one of the best airports in the world in Singapore Changi Airport and you’ve got a transport link between Singapore and Tokyo, two Asian powerhouse cities, that is as strong as it is frequent.  While this post focuses largely on how much flights cost between Tokyo and Singapore, later on we look at the costs of those flights from Singapore to Osaka, using Kansai International Airport.

How much does it cost to fly from Singapore to Tokyo?

We checked our costs for this post based on flight bookings made around one month in advance of departure from Singapore, directly online at the airlines’ home pages.  

Of the major flag carriers operating direct / non-stop flights between Singapore and Tokyo we gathered the following average return fares for those seats that come under the umbrella term of “economy”. Fares in U.S. Dollars (USD).

To contrast this, here are some of the return fares we looked at for those carriers making layovers on their routes from Singapore to Tokyo and vice versa.  These are the averages we came up with:

The cheapest flight from Singapore to Tokyo (return) that we found was with Malaysia Airlines through their “Economy Promo” fare - ~ 374 USD.  This is closely followed by fares offered by Delta and the Singapore-based budget airline, Scoot.

In terms of the cheapest one-way fares from Singapore to Tokyo, we found Vietnam Airlines and Malaysia Airlines to be offering the cheapest fares for the dates we selected. Both around 250 USD.  

Return business (and above) fares between Singapore and Tokyo, in the case of most flag carriers, start from around 2,000 - 2,500 USD.

How long does it take to fly from Singapore to Tokyo?

Average flight time is around 7 hours. This can sometimes get closer to 6 hours on the brisker direct flights. Throw in a transfer though, and the traveler is looking at anywhere from 10 hours to a whole day. Common points of transfer when traveling from Singapore to Tokyo are really any of the large Southeast Asian and and East Asian cities the traveler would care to mention. 

What’s the distance between Singapore and Tokyo?

Around 5,332 km / 3,313 miles.

Which airports are used?

All of the flights listed below depart from Singapore Changi Airport, one of the best airports in the world for some time now. (Changi Airport currently sits on top of the “World’s Best Airport” list compiled by air travel consultancy Skytrax, and has been doing so since 2013). 

Flights arriving from Singapore in Tokyo do so at either Narita International Airport (NRT) or Haneda Airport (HND - officially, Tokyo International Airport). Narita, being the largest international airport in Japan, handles most of the arrivals. However, there are still plenty of flights from Singapore that arrive at Haneda, a much more convenient option for access to downtown Tokyo.  

We also list some flights below from Singapore to Osaka (Kansai International Airport - KIX). With the Japanese flag carriers this will mean a layover at one of the Tokyo airports, or, even worse, arriving at one (probably Narita) and departing from the other (probably Haneda). It’s quite some distance between the two. While we were unable to find flights from Singapore to Osaka with some of the other major carriers, Vietnam Airlines and China Airlines did have services with layovers in Saigon and Beijing respectively.

Below we detail the flights between Singapore to Tokyo (and Osaka) that we researched together with how much they cost.  These costs / fares are detailed in both Singapore Dollars and U.S. Dollars.  These fares were issued in the former and we converted them to the latter.  

The details of how much these flights cost should be considered a guide only.  Research shows that flights booked within two weeks of departure tend to see fares increase dramatically.  The peak travel month and the most expensive time to travel between Singapore and Tokyo is in December.  The cheapest time to travel is February.

The cost of direct flights from Singapore to Tokyo

All Nippon Airways (ANA) 

The fares below are for flights from Singapore Changi Airport to Narita International Airport.

Japan Airlines (JAL)

Most flights with JAL seemed to arrive at Narita International Airport but there were still plenty landing at Haneda Airport.

It should be noted, that we don't know the details of the "flex" fares with JAL and why they should be so much more expensive than the regular fares, if indeed they actually turn out to be.

Delta

The following costs of flights from Singapore to Tokyo with Delta are for those arriving at Narita.

Delta have one of the cheapest flights from Singapore to Tokyo out of all the major carriers that we checked.  On the other hand, their one way flights turned out to be more expensive than the price of a return.

Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines offers the largest number of flights between Singapore and Tokyo with a balanced mix of arrivals between Narita and Haneda.

Flights between Singapore and Tokyo with layovers

Vietnam Airlines

On their Singapore - Tokyo routes, Vietnam Airlines have a layover in Saigon before arriving at Narita, Tokyo.

Philippine Airlines

The Philippines' flag carrier makes a stop in Manila before heading on to Narita, Tokyo.

Malaysian Airlines

Perhaps on the back of devastating setbacks in recent years, Malaysian Airlines is offering some of the cheapest flights that we researched from Singapore to Tokyo, with a stop in Kuala Lumpur.

Air China

Flying with Air China will give those traveling to Tokyo the option of a Narita or Haneda arrival, with a stop in Beijing.

Budget airlines flying from Singapore to Tokyo

The following budget airlines were making the long-haul flight from Singapore to Tokyo at the time of research.  In terms of how much these flights cost, while they are at the cheaper end of the scale, given the lack of creature comforts, the lay overs, and the fact that they don't appear to be that much cheaper than the major carriers, the cost-performance may not seem so favorable.

Scoot

Singapore-based budget airline Scoot makes a stop in Bangkok's Don Mueang Airport or at Taipei. 

Air Asia

Arrivals at Narita, Tokyo with a stop in Bangkok's Don Mueang Airport.

We also checked Jetstar for their service between Singapore and Tokyo, and while they did have such routes available, the outbound leg required two stops before reaching Japan so we've decided to leave it out of this post.  However, Jetstar do have some services of note between Singapore and Osaka (KIX) which are detailed later in the post.

Of the budget airlines listed above it is clearly Scoot that offer the cheapest flight from Singapore to Tokyo.

Singapore to Osaka (Kansai International Airport):  How much do the flights cost?

Japan's Kansai International Airport (KIX) is the main air travel hub for those travelers who want quicker access to cities like Osaka, Kyoto, Nara and Kobe.  

We were unable to find any direct flights between Singapore and Kansai International Airport but there are some interesting options with just one stop.  As was mentioned earlier, Japan's flag carriers make their stop in Tokyo before heading to Kansai.  Flight times from Singapore to Osaka will be at least 9 hrs after factoring in the stop.  

All Nippon Airways (ANA) - Singapore Changi Airport to Kansai International Airport

Japan Airlines (JAL) - Singapore Changi Airport to Kansai International Airport

Air China - Singapore Changi Airport to Kansai International Airport

Flights with Air China between Singapore and Osaka transit in Beijing.  Expect flight times to range from 11 hrs to 24 hrs after factoring in the layover.

Scoot - Singapore Changi Airport to Kansai International Airport

Scoot makes a stop at Bangkok's Don Mueang Airport.

Jetstar - Singapore Changi Airport to Kansai International Airport

Jetstar flights between Singapore and Osaka make a stop in Taipei.

Returns:  from 620.72 SD (459.05 USD)

One way: from 279.00 SD (206.33 USD)

Have you ever flown from Singapore to Tokyo, Osaka, or anywhere else in Japan?  How much did it cost?  Let us know in the comments.

Further reading ... 

How much does it cost to travel from Narita Airport to Tokyo?

Haneda Airport, Tokyo: A first-timer's guide to international travel

Getting To and From Kansai International Airport: Costs to / from Osaka, Kyoto, Nara

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