Singapore Airlines (SIA) will be cutting an unprecedented 96 per cent of the capacity it had originally scheduled up to the end of next month.

In an official statement from our national carrier, the airline said it will ground 138 out of 147 of their SIA and SilkAir aircraft.

It will also be suspending 47 out of 49 of its low-cost carrier Scoot's planes.

To see if your booked flight is affected, you can find the full list on SIA's website here.

'Greatest challenge that the SIA Group has faced in its existence': SIA

Calling the Covid-19 outbreak "the greatest challenge that the SIA Group has faced in its existence", SIA didn't mince its words as it noted that the restriction of border controls and movement of people has resulted in its airlines becoming more vulnerable, in particular because Singapore lacks a domestic air travel market.

"It is unclear when the SIA Group can begin to resume normal services, given the uncertainty as to when the stringent border controls will be lifted," it said.

Tightening of border controls across the globe

In an effort to slow the spread of Covid-19 and to preserve limited resources for their own citizens, countries all over the world have been implementing lockdowns and border and movement restrictions for their citizens, and also barring foreigners and tourists from entry.

In Singapore, too, all short-term visitors will be barred from entering or trusting through Singapore from 11:59pm Monday (Mar. 23).

Meanwhile, Australia has shut its borders, starting from Mar. 20, with this potentially lasting up to six months.

From Mar. 18 to Mar. 31, Malaysia implemented a lockdown on its borders too, affecting thousands of Malaysians and Singaporeans commuting back and forth daily for work, and triggering a 24-hour scramble among Singapore employers to find accommodation for their Malaysian employees during the period.

SIA's measures to stem financial losses

Meanwhile, SIA says it has been aggressively pursuing measures to reduce operating costs and expenditure, including:

• Defer aircraft deliveries with aircraft manufacturers
• Salary cuts for for SIA's management, such as company's directors
• Voluntary no-pay leave scheme for some staff
• Unions engaged for additional cost-cutting measures, and
• Discussions with financial institutions on future funding requirements

The group said it will continue to explore measures to reduce losses during this "unprecedented disruption to global air travel".

You can read their full statement here.

To see if your booked flight is affected, you can find the full list on SIA's website here.

Top photos via FlyScoot/Facebook, SilkAir/Facebook and Singapore Airlines/Facebook