Scoot flies Singapore to Labuan Bajo direct in about 3 hours 20 minutes, three times a week, which makes Komodo National Park one of the easiest Indonesian destinations to reach from Changi that is not Bali. Return fares sat roughly between SGD 290 and SGD 570 in mid 2026, depending on season and how early you booked. If the flying days do not suit you, a connection through Bali adds a few hours and often costs slightly less.
Getting there, leg by leg
The direct flight is the reason to bother with this route at all. Scoot started Singapore to Labuan Bajo in December 2025, after Jetstar Asia closed in mid 2025 and left the route empty, then stepped it up from two flights a week to three in June 2026. It runs on the 112 seat Embraer E190-E2, so it is a small aircraft, and it fills up fast in school holiday weeks.
Singapore Changi (SIN) to Komodo Airport, Labuan Bajo (LBJ): about 3 hours 20 minutes outbound and closer to 3 hours 30 on the way home.
Three departures a week as of July 2026, on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. Confirm the days before you commit your leave, because Scoot has already changed the pattern once since launch.
The base fare covers cabin baggage only, 10 kg. Checked bags are extra and were commonly quoted at around SGD 30 to SGD 50 each way in mid 2026.
No meal, no seat selection, no lounge unless you pay for them. It is a budget carrier and it behaves like one for three and a half hours.
If the flying days do not line up, route through Bali. Singapore to Denpasar is about 2 hours 40 minutes with several departures a day, and Denpasar to Labuan Bajo is another 1 hour 20 to 1 hour 30 with Citilink, Batik Air, Wings Air or AirAsia Indonesia. That second leg was quoted around IDR 550,000 to 800,000, roughly SGD 45 to 65, in the first half of 2026. With a sensible layover you still land the same day and no overnight is needed, but leave at least three hours between flights. The two tickets are almost always separate bookings, and nobody will rebook you if the first leg slips.
Jakarta works as well, though it adds more total travel time than Bali. Jakarta to Labuan Bajo is about 2 hours 30 minutes and is served by Garuda Indonesia, Batik Air, Citilink, Super Air Jet and AirAsia Indonesia. Malaysian readers have a third option that skips Singapore entirely: AirAsia has flown Kuala Lumpur to Labuan Bajo direct since September 2024, roughly 3 hours 40 minutes, a few times a week.
What it costs
The flight is the cheap part. The boat and the park fees are where your money actually goes, and that is the part people underestimate when they compare this trip to a weekend in Bali.
Scoot return, Singapore to Labuan Bajo: roughly SGD 290 to SGD 570 in mid 2026. One way seats have been seen from about SGD 130 well in advance, and closer to SGD 230 to SGD 350 near departure.
Via Bali or Jakarta on two separate tickets: often SGD 250 to SGD 500 return in total, so the saving over the direct is real but modest once you price the extra half day.
Shared day trip by speedboat around the main islands: from about IDR 1,450,000 per person in 2026, roughly SGD 115.
Shared liveaboard, 3 days 2 nights: from about IDR 6,500,000 per person in 2026. Chartering the same boat privately runs into the tens of millions of rupiah.
Airport taxi into town: around IDR 50,000 to 70,000 for a 10 to 15 minute drive.
Park fees are the one figure nobody agrees on. Operators quote anywhere from about IDR 250,000 per person per day for basic marine park entry, plus smaller conservation and harbour charges, up to bundled packages of IDR 650,000 or IDR 900,000 per person covering several islands across several days. A proposed multi million rupiah premium membership fee was scrapped, so ignore any page still quoting it. The practical move is to ask your operator in writing which fees sit inside the price and which ones you hand over in cash at the ranger post.
The permit rule that catches people out
Since 1 April 2026 Komodo National Park has run a daily cap of 1,000 visitors across the whole park, counting divers, snorkellers and trekkers together, released in roughly three timed sessions a day and booked through the government SiOra reservation system. Permits need your passport details, are generally wanted two to three days ahead, and are sold as non refundable and non transferable. Most boat operators handle the booking for you, but that means sending them your passport scan when you book, not on the morning of the trip. Turning up in Labuan Bajo in July hoping to join a boat the next day no longer reliably works. The park logged 432,217 visits in 2025 and peak days in July 2025 ran well above the new limit, which is precisely why the limit exists.
When to go
April to October is the dry season and the reason most people come. Seas are flat, snorkelling visibility is good and boats run to schedule. The trade off in July and August is crowds and price, now sharpened by the daily cap.
June, September and October: the best balance. Calm water, fewer boats than peak season, fares below the August level.
July and August: the most reliable weather and the most people. Book flights, boat and park permits well ahead or you will not get the dates you want.
November to March: the wet season. Rain often arrives in short heavy bursts rather than all day, but west winds make the crossings choppy, visibility drops and some operators scale back. Prices fall accordingly.
Manta rays: sources disagree. Some put the best window at June to October, others at October to April. In practice Manta Point is worth a stop most of the year, and no honest operator will promise you a sighting.
What you actually do from Labuan Bajo
Labuan Bajo itself is a working harbour town with a strip of hotels and a very good sunset. You are not there for the town. Everything happens on the water, and the real choice is between one long day trip and a liveaboard.
Day trip by speedboat: pickup around 05:30, Padar ridge for sunrise, dragons with a ranger on Komodo or Rinca, Pink Beach, a snorkel stop, back in town by mid afternoon. It is a lot to compress into one day and you will be tired by the end of it.
2 days 1 night or 3 days 2 nights on a liveaboard: the same sites at a human pace, plus Manta Point and the bat colony at dusk. Cabins on the cheaper boats are small and hot. Read recent reviews of the specific boat, not of the agency selling it.
Trekking with a ranger is compulsory on the dragon islands. That is not a formality. The animals are wild, and the rangers are the reason the walk stays uneventful.
If you have more than three days, Flores itself repays the extra time and almost nobody who flies in for Komodo bothers with it. Cunca Wulang is a swimmable canyon about 90 minutes inland from town. Wae Rebo, the cone roofed mountain village, is a long drive plus a two to three hour walk and needs an overnight. The crater lakes at Kelimutu sit at the far end of a multi day drive across the island. Asik Travel runs trips on this inland side of Flores as well as the standard park boats, which helps if you want to combine the two rather than pick one.
Practical notes
Visa: Singapore and Malaysia passport holders enter Indonesia visa free for 30 days as ASEAN nationals. That stay cannot be extended or converted into another permit, so plan around it.
Passport: at least six months validity, and immigration can ask to see an onward or return ticket.
Arrival card: everyone entering Indonesia must submit the free All Indonesia arrival card online within 72 hours before landing, at allindonesia.imigrasi.go.id or in the All Indonesia app. It replaced the old customs and health forms. It is not a visa and does not by itself grant entry.
Money: draw rupiah at the airport or in town. BNI, BRI and Mandiri ATMs are the ones foreign cards usually work with. Hotels and dive shops take Visa and Mastercard, often with a 2 to 3 percent surcharge. Warungs, motorbike taxis and market stalls are cash or QRIS. Once you leave the harbour, assume cash only.
Connectivity: there is no prepaid SIM kiosk in the arrivals hall, and Indonesian SIMs have to be registered in person at a Grapari counter, so an eSIM bought before you fly is simpler. Telkomsel has the widest reach out in the islands, and even then you will lose signal on parts of a liveaboard route.
Baggage: the hold on the E190-E2 is small. Buy your checked allowance online in advance, since it costs noticeably more at the airport counter.
The honest summary: three flying days a week, three and a bit hours in the air, and a park system that now rewards planning over improvisation. Sort the boat and the park permit before you book the flight, not after.
자주 묻는 질문
Is there a direct flight from Singapore to Labuan Bajo?
Yes. Scoot flies Singapore to Labuan Bajo direct in about 3 hours 20 minutes. The route launched in December 2025 and runs three times a week as of July 2026, on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, using a 112 seat Embraer E190-E2. Check the days when you book, as the frequency has already changed once.
How much is a return flight from Singapore to Labuan Bajo?
Roughly SGD 290 to SGD 570 return on Scoot in mid 2026, depending on the season and how far ahead you book. Checked baggage is not included and was commonly around SGD 30 to SGD 50 each way. Routing via Bali or Jakarta on two separate tickets often came out at SGD 250 to SGD 500 in total.
Do Singaporeans and Malaysians need a visa for Indonesia?
No. Singapore and Malaysia passport holders enter Indonesia visa free for 30 days as ASEAN nationals, and that stay cannot be extended or converted. Your passport needs at least six months validity and immigration can ask for an onward or return ticket. Separately, everyone must submit the free All Indonesia arrival card online within 72 hours before landing.
Do I need to book Komodo National Park tickets in advance?
Yes, since 1 April 2026. The park caps entry at 1,000 visitors a day across all activities, released in timed sessions and booked through the official SiOra system using your passport details, usually two to three days ahead. Permits are non refundable and non transferable. Most operators book on your behalf, but only if you send your passport scan early.
Is it cheaper to fly to Labuan Bajo via Bali?
Sometimes, but not by much. The Bali routing is often SGD 250 to SGD 500 return in total against SGD 290 to SGD 570 for the direct, and it costs you several extra hours plus the risk of a missed connection, since the two legs are separate tickets. Take it when the direct flying days do not fit your leave, not to save money.
How many days do you need in Labuan Bajo?
Three full days on the ground covers the park properly, either as one long speedboat day trip plus a rest day, or as a 3 days 2 nights liveaboard. Add two or three more if you want inland Flores, since Wae Rebo alone needs an overnight and Kelimutu needs several days of driving.