SIA’s A380 fleet reaches double figures

Singapore Airlines now has ten A380 superjumbos in its fleet, a figure which Airbus says surpasses the number of Boeing 747s currently being flown by the carrier. SIA has a total of 19 superjumbos on order, and has now taken delivery of over half of these in the 2½ years since the A380 went into scheduled service in October 2007. The carrier is gradually phasing out its 747 fleet, and now has just nine left in service. The airline now serves seven cities with the superjumbo from Singapore’s Changi airport – London, Melbourne, Tokyo, Paris, Sydney, Hong Kong and most recently Zurich – with over 7,800 A380 flights completed and over three million passengers carried since the launch. Said Mak Swee Wah, Singapore Airlines’ executive vice president – operations and services: “Our first use of the A380s was to link the longer-haul hubs where there is dense traffic as well as issues of capacity and slots, but we continue to look at windows of opportunity. “Hong Kong is one such opportunity, as it has a good proportion of premium traffic, and we are able to use the A380’s fast turnaround on the ground. “We will watch how the world’s other markets develop as they recover from the recession, and continue to look for additional A380 route opportunities in Europe, possibly the U.S., and elsewhere. “The A380 is clearly a passenger-pleasing aircraft, which also is loved by our flight and cabin crews. There clearly is a different ambience aboard, with high marks going to the A380’s space, amenities and very low noise levels.” For more information visit singaporeair.com. Report by Mark Caswell