• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Singapore Airlines Unveils the New A380 and Heralds a New Era in Aviation

Posted on: Monday, 15 October 2007, 06:00 CDT

NEW YORK, Oct. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Singapore Airlines enters a new era in long-haul air travel with the formal handover of the world's first A380 at Airbus headquarters in southern France.

The delivery took place at the Henri Ziegler Delivery Centre, Toulouse, at a ceremony attended by more than 500 people, and officiated by Chief Executive Officers Tom Enders (Airbus), Sir John Rose (Rolls-Royce) and Chew Choon Seng (Singapore Airlines).

The first delivery marks the culmination of an engineering project unrivalled in the aerospace industry. The A380 is the largest passenger plane ever built and the first completely new design of a passenger aircraft in decades.

Components have been built in plants around the world before being brought together for assembly at key Airbus facilities in Europe. Final assembly took place in Toulouse, France, while the painting of the livery and installation of the aircraft cabin took place in Hamburg, Germany.

Singapore Airlines first announced its intention to become an A380 customer in September 2000, with an order for 10 A380s and options on a further 15. That firm order was increased to 19 in July 2006. At catalogue prices, the commitment to the 19 firm orders, including engines and spares, is in the order of US$5.7 billion.

Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines will power the first 10 aircraft in the Singapore Airlines order. An engine selection has not yet been made for the subsequent nine aircraft.

Since the order was announced, Singapore Airlines has completed the enormous task of preparing for the entry into service of the new super-jumbo. Every aspect of the aircraft's operations - engineering, catering, cargo and baggage loading and unloading, passenger embarkation and disembarkation, flying operations and every aspect of customer service on board - has been redesigned to accommodate the extra passenger capacity, while maintaining operating efficiency.

In addition, a number of new cabin products have been developed, after a detailed consultation exercise with frequent travelers, which began as far back as 2001. Many of the new cabin products were unveiled in late 2006 and are being rolled out on all new aircraft across the Singapore Airlines fleet, but today Singapore Airlines unveils some new innovations, unique to the A380.

The Singapore Airlines A380 is configured with 471 seats in three classes: Economy, Business and the new Singapore Airlines Suites; a class beyond first.

The aircraft will enter commercial service on Thursday, October 25, 2007, with a special return flight between Singapore and Sydney. The majority of seats on this flight were sold at auction on eBay, the global online marketplace, and all auctions proceeds are being split among charities in Singapore, Sydney and Doctors Without Borders.

Then, on Sunday, October 28, 2007, the A380 will commence scheduled service between Singapore and Sydney on one of the three daily flights in each direction.

The delivery of subsequent aircraft will allow for the introduction of the A380 on one of the three daily flights between Singapore and London's Heathrow Airport from the first quarter of 2008.

During the last few years, Singapore Airlines has joined with Airbus, and other A380 customers, to work with the world's major airports to ensure they are A380-ready. The support of the airport communities has meant many airports, to which A380s will operate, are now ready, or in the final stages of becoming so.

Singapore's Changi Airport, which will be home to the Singapore Airlines A380 fleet, was the first to be ready, and when the new Terminal 3 opens early next year, 19 gates across the three terminals will be fully A380-ready, including having aerobridge access to both decks.

Singapore Airlines is particularly confident in the impressive operating capabilities of the A380, demonstrated since the aircraft's first flight in April 2005.

Fuel burn is considerably lower, on a seat-mile basis, than today's large aircraft. This offers operating airlines real efficiency benefits, while also mitigating the environmental impact of flying. Emissions per passengers are the lowest of any aircraft.

The A380's noise emissions prove that big aircraft are not necessarily noisier. New technology, new design, airframe construction and engines all aid in making the A380 the quietest large passenger jet ever built. Onboard, the cabin amenity is substantially improved, with significantly lower cabin noise throughout.

Media Contacts: James Boyd Sara Joseph Singapore Airlines Weber Shandwick 323-791-2449 212-445-8155 james_boyd@singaporeair.com.sg sjoseph@webershandwick.com

Singapore Airlines

CONTACT: James Boyd of Singapore Airlines, +1-323-791-2449; orSara Joseph of Weber Shandwick, +1-212-445-8155, sjoseph@webershandwick.com,for Singapore Airlines

Source: PRNewswire

More News in this Category