By comparison, how / why is SQ doing the route? EWR/JFK-SIN?

Edit: I see, from Flightaware, SQ21, SQ23; they are going almost via IST by the south Europe route. Still, if the logic described above holds, this seems like an economically risky/uneconomical flight. Or is that the all-business / premium configuration?

http://www.gcmap.com/mapui?P=ewr-sin%0D%0Aewr-ist-sin%0D%0Aewr-ist-hkg%0D%0Aewr-hkg%0D%0Aewr-anc-hkg&MS=wls&DU=mi