Singapore Airlines

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SIA's A380 Flies to Tokyo from 20 May 2008

Tokyo will become the fourth city in the world to receive A380 commercial flights, when Singapore Airlines starts services to the Japanese capital on 20 May 2008. The inaugural A380 flight to Tokyo - SQ636 - will depart Singapore’s Changi Airport on Tuesday, 20 May 2008, at 0040hrs and arrive at Tokyo’s Narita Airport at 0830hrs (all times local), on a special schedule to coincide with the 30th anniversary celebrations of Narita Airport. The return flight, SQ637, will depart Narita at 1300hrs on Tuesday, 20 May 2008. The aircraft will touch down at Changi Airport on the same day at 1905hrs. Thereafter, the Singapore Airlines A380 will commence regular scheduled services, operating SQ638 daily on the Singapore-Tokyo sector from 20 May 2008, and on SQ637 for the return leg from 21 May 2008. A schedule of the flight times can be found in Annex 1.

Singapore Airlines is the first to fly the A380, the world’s largest commercial aircraft. Tokyo is Singapore Airlines’ third A380 destination, following the commencement of the Singapore-Sydney service on 25 October 2007 and the Singapore-London service on 18 March 2008.

The Singapore Airlines A380: Redefining Air Travel

The Singapore Airlines A380 heralds a new era in air travel, with its cabin offerings providing unprecedented comfort, space and luxury.

The aircraft is the quietest large passenger aircraft ever built, and delivers substantial fuel burn reductions per seat kilometre over the next largest aircraft. This means it becomes a cleaner, greener alternative for long-haul travel, while allowing for extra capacity to congested airports, like London.

The Singapore Airlines A380 seats 471 passengers in three classes - 12 in the ultra-luxurious Singapore Airlines Suites, 60 in the award-winning Business Class, configured in a spacious 1-2-1 layout on the upper deck, and 399 in Economy Class.

Singapore Airlines currently has three A380s in service, a further 16 on firm order and options on six more.

Singapore Airlines Suites: A class Beyond First

Unrivalled exclusivity and privacy awaits the privileged customers who fly Singapore Airlines’ newest cabin product aboard the A380.

The Singapore Airlines Suites sets a new standard in ultimate premium air travel by featuring a bold and unique concept where each Suite is the customer’s very own private cabin in the sky.

Each seat is fully adjustable, and measures almost a metre wide when its armrest is folded away.

The seat converts to a full-sized bed with a plush mattress, covered in a lavish duvet and furnished with cushions, both designed by French fashion house Givenchy.

Using separate sleeping and sitting surfaces, the intelligent design of the full flat bed offers customers the choice to rest in their preferred sleeping positions, and also allows them to sit and lounge in bed to read or catch movies on their personal 58 centimetre (23-inch) LCD screen.

For couples traveling, the beds in the middle two seats can be converted to an optional double bed.

New Singapore Airlines Business Class

Singapore Airlines’ awarding-winning Business Class seat is the world’s widest in its class.

Measuring 86 centimetres (34-inches) in width, the Business Class seat can be transformed into a comfortable full-flat bed for a good night’s sleep.

Innovative design of the bed enhances sleeping comfort, and also allows customers to lounge in bed to watch TV or eat, as they might at home. Seats in the Business Class cabin are arranged in a forward facing, 1-2-1 configuration that offers all customers direct access to the aisle. The fixed back shell on every seat can be extended to the sides for greater personal privacy.

Other features include a 39 centimetre (15.4-inch) LCD screen fully equipped with USB ports and in-seat power, exclusively designed bedding and diningware by Givenchy, enlarged dining table that is height-adjustable, as well as trolley bag stowage under the seat.

New Singapore Airlines Economy Class

The new Singapore Airlines Economy Class seat offers greater comfort through improved seat design and the use of new, lighter and thinner materials. They provide more personal space, legroom and knee-room.

Each seat comes with a larger 27 centimetre (10.6-inch) screen and a USB port to allow customers to access the enhanced functionalities on KrisWorld.

Other intelligent features include the non-intrusive reading light installed underneath the seatback screen, personal storage space for spectacles and small personal items, a coat hook, foot rest and in-seat power supply.

Krisworld: The Greatest Show in the Sky

Singapore Airlines award-winning inflight entertainment system, KrisWorld, provides more than 1000 entertainment options – from movies, TV programmes, music, learning applications to 3D games.

For customers who prefer to work while in the air, KrisWorld offers a comprehensive suite of office applications. What’s more, they can do so without the use of a laptop, and simply save their work at the end of the trip by plugging in a USB thumb drive.

Singapore Airlines A380 Schedule

Inaugural A380 flight

Inaugural flight departs one hour later than normal schedule for Tokyo, and returns 90 minutes later than normal schedule.

Scheduled A380 Services (Northern Summer 2008)

Singapore Airlines A380 suites and arrival in Singapore.

Company History

Early History

Singapore Airlines began with the incorporation of Malayan Airways Limited (MAL) on 12 October 1947, by the Ocean Steamship Company of Liverpool, the Straits Steamship Company of Singapore and Imperial Airways. The airline's first flight was a chartered flight from the British Straits Settlement of Singapore to Kuala Lumpur on 2 April 1947 using an Airspeed Consul twin-engined airplane. Regular weekly scheduled flights quickly followed from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh and Penang from 1 May 1947 with the same aircraft type. The airline continued to expand during the rest of the 1940s and 1950s, as other British Commonwealth airlines (such as BOAC and Qantas Empire Airways) provided technical assistance, as well as assistance in joining IATA.[citation needed] By 1955, Malayan Airways' fleet had grown to include a large number of Douglas DC-3s, and went public in 1957. Other aircraft operated in the first two decades included the Douglas DC-4 Skymaster, the Vickers Viscount, the Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation, the Bristol Britannia, the de Havilland Comet 4 and the Fokker F27.

When Malaya, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak formed the Federation of Malaysia in 1963, the airline's name was changed, from "Malayan Airways" to "Malaysian Airlines" (though still abbreviated to MAS). MAS also took over Borneo Airways. In 1966, following Singapore's separation from the federation, the airline's name was changed again, to Malaysia-Singapore Airlines (MSA). The next year saw a rapid expansion in the airline's fleet and route, including the purchase of MSA's first Boeing aircraft, the Boeing 707s, as well the completion of a new high-rise headquarters in Singapore. Boeing 737s were added to the fleet soon after.

MSA ceased operations in 1972, when political disagreements between Singapore and Malaysia resulted in the formation of two entities: Singapore Airlines and Malaysian Airlines System Singapore Airlines kept all 10 of MSA's Boeing 707s and 737s, retained the international routes out of Singapore as well as the existing corporate headquarters in the city. Female flight attendants continued to wear the sarong kebaya uniform, which was first introduced in 1968. A local start up advertising company, Batey Ads was given the right to market the airline, eventually selecting the sarong and kebaya-clad air stewardesses as an icon for the airline and calling them Singapore Girls.

Modern History

Singapore Airlines saw rapid growth during the 1970s, adding cities in the Indian subcontinent and Asia to its 22-city network, and adding Boeing 747s to its fleet. The 1980s saw the addition of the United States, Canada, and European cities to the airline's route map, with Madrid becoming the first Hispanic city to be served by Singapore Airlines.

Boeing 747-400s were introduced into the Singapore Airlines fleet in 1989 and named Megatops. They were later complemented by Boeing 777s, Airbus A310s and Airbus A340s. Services were extended to southern Africa in the 1990s, when the airline began flights to Johannesburg in South Africa. The cities of Cape Town and Durban were subsequently introduced to the route network.

In 2004, Singapore Airlines began non-stop trans-Pacific flights from Singapore to Los Angeles and Newark, utilising the Airbus A340-500 (dubbed Leadership by the airline). These flights marked the first non-stop air services between Singapore and the USA. The Singapore to Newark flight set a record, which it still holds, as the longest scheduled commercial flight, with a flying time of approximately 18 hours between Singapore and Newark and 20 hours on the return journey.

On September 29, 2000, Singapore Airlines announced an order for 25 Airbus A3XX (as the A380 was known at the time). The US$8.6 billion order comprised a firm order of 10 aircraft, with options on another 15 airframes. The order was confirmed by Singapore Airlines on July 12, 2001. In April 2004, SIA announced that they will launch A380 service on flights between Sydney and Singapore and onwards to London, creating the first A380 service on the kangaroo route.

In January 2005, the airline unveiled the slogan "First to fly the A380 - experience the difference in 2006", to promote itself as the world's first airline to take delivery of the A380-800 double-decker super jumbo, which was expected to take place in the second quarter of 2006. In June 2005, Airbus confirmed that due to unforeseen technical problems, initial deliveries of the Airbus A380 would be delayed by up to six months, with the first delivery now slated for November 2006, well after the peak northern hemisphere summer travel season. The announcement was met with fury by SIA's CEO, Chew Choon Seng, who threatened to sue Airbus, saying:

Airbus took some time to acknowledge the delay in the timetable for the A380's entry into service...I would have expected more sincerity.

He further stated that SIA will be turning its attention to Boeing instead, since it would be receiving the Boeing 777-300ER before the A380. Nevertheless, SIA has indicated that this would not affect its promotional campaign.

In February 2006, the first A380 in full Singapore Airlines livery was flown to Singapore, where it was displayed at Asian Aerospace 2006. On June 14, 2006, Singapore Airlines placed an initial order for the Boeing 787 as part of its future aircraft expansion. The order consisted of 20 787-9s and rights for 20 more. This order came one day after Airbus announced that the A380 superjumbo would be delayed by another 6 months.

Upon completion of a review of the A380 program on 3 October 2006, the new CEO of Airbus, Christian Streiff, announced a third delay for delivery of the first A380 to Singapore Airlines.The largest delay yet, it pushed the first delivery of a single A380 aircraft to Singapore Airlines in October 2007.

At a Cabinet meeting on February 22, 2006, the Australian government decided not to grant fifth freedom rights to Singapore Airlines on flights from Australia to the United States.[citation needed] Singapore Airlines had argued that transpacific flights from Australia suffered from under-capacity, leading to limited competition and relatively high air fares.[citation needed]

On August 16, 2007, the airline announced that the first Airbus A380 aircraft will be received on 15 October 2007 and be entered into service on 25 October 2007 with a flight between Singapore and Sydney (flight number Singapore Airlines Flight 380/381). The airline plans to use this first aircraft, in a 471-seat configuration, on its London–Singapore–Sydney service.