SQ*/MI/QQ | Singapore Airlines/Silk Air/Scoot

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Originally Posted by heirloom

singapore to sao paulo via spanair? i've always wanted to go to brazil, but having just checked out spanair's current seat offerings, i dont think i'd like to put myself through such torture for the second half of the journey... emirates looks like a better option.

SQ operating the route, spanair codeshare.

[littlearea]

From airlineroute.net

Singapore Airlines resumes Sao Paulo reservation as of 22OCT10

As of 22OCT10 1100GMT/1800 Singapore Time, Singapore Airlines has reopened reservation on its Singapore – Barcelona – Sao Paulo NEW service, due to launch 28MAR11.

Per SQ’s inventory display, flight is now showing available for reservation on all class of service, despite Amadeus FLIFO still displays “No Local Traffic Rights”.

[Vrooms]

source:http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU101...al-manager.htm

Singapore Airlines Appoints New General Manager
Tuesday, 26 October 2010, 12:07 pm
Press Release: Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines Appoints New General Manager

Singapore Airlines has appointed James Lim as General Manager New Zealand. He was most recently based in the airline’s Copenhagen office.

James started his career with the airline in 2001 in sales. He was subsequently appointed to the Head Office Market Communication and Development Department, the West Asia Regional Office and then posted to the Lahore station before being sent to Copenhagen.

He replaces Looi Tein Po who has been appointed as General Manager South Africa for the airline.

James is charged with leading Singapore Airlines initiatives together with New Zealand businesses and organisations to facilitate, promote and enhance travel and trade between New Zealand and Singapore, and beyond Singapore to other fast-growing Asian markets.

“I’m one hundred percent excited about working and living in such a wonderful country,” says Mr Lim. “New Zealand is a very special place for me personally as my wife and I spent two weeks in the beautiful South Island on our honeymoon.”

“New Zealand is an important market for Singapore Airlines,” says Mr Lim. “We now operate 17 flights each week out of New Zealand, 12 from Auckland and five from Christchurch.”

“New Zealand has huge tourism potential with its scenic natural beauty. We have partnered with Tourism New Zealand to promote the country in several of our key markets in Asia and Europe and there is a lot of interest in visiting New Zealand.

“Of course, Singapore continues to be an attractive destination for New Zealanders, and we have seen particular growth in the family and stopover holiday categories,” adds Mr Lim. “New integrated resorts such as Marina Bay Sands, theme park attractions and the world’s tallest observation wheel, the Singapore Flyover, all provide high quality attractions for holiday-makers – and for those who like their leisure louder, we have the Singapore Grand Prix, the world’s only Formula One night race.

“Singapore is also an excellent hub for New Zealand businesses to expand into fast-growing markets of China, India, and other Asian countries. Conversely, Singapore provides efficient links for people from these markets to come to New Zealand. Singapore Airlines, together with its regional airline Silkair, provides convenient connections to the major commercial cities in China and India.”

ENDS

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Source:http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZA...onal%20Airport

Singapore Airlines links Abu Dhabi to Tokyo's Haneda International Airport

The airline connects the Emirate of Abu Dhabi with two major airports in Tokyo, Narita & Haneda International Airports; operating four flights daily from Singapore.

1st November 2010 - Abu Dhabi, U.A.E: Starting from 31st October 2010, Singapore Airlines will connect Abu Dhabi International Airport via Singapore with Haneda International Airport, flying there twice a day from Singapore. The new route will complement the airline's already existing two daily flights to Narita International Airport, the second largest airport in Tokyo.

Singapore Airlines operates on a daily basis a state-of the-art A330-300 aircraft departing from Abu Dhabi at 1:15 am, local time, arriving to Singapore at 12:30 pm to depart to Haneda International Airport in Japan at 15:40, within the convenience of 3 hours, and arriving into Haneda at 23:05, local time. The aircraft will offer both business and economy class services.

Singapore Airline's frequency increase from two flights to four flights daily to Tokyo came as a response to the growing demand that the travel market is witnessing for more flights to and from Eastern Asia. Haneda International Airport boasts better domestic connections in Japan, and is situated in Tokyo's city centre.

Adding to this, Singapore Airlines will increase its flight frequencies to certain destinations. This will include daily non-stop flights to Los Angeles, Perth, Auckland and Christchurch. Singapore Airlines will add three new weekly flights to Osaka City in Japan, which will all be connected to Abu Dhabi, offering more destination choices for passengers transiting in Abu Dhabi International Airport.

Singapore Airlines started its operations from Abu Dhabi International Airport in March 2006, and it connects the emirate of Abu Dhabi with a list of leading international destinations such as Kuwait, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Bali, and Bangkok.

[Vrooms]

Source:http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stori...091329/1/.html

SIA says no plans to ground its A380 fleet
By Timothy Ouyang | Posted: 04 November 2010 1537 hrs

SINGAPORE : Singapore Airlines (SIA) said it has no plans to ground its current fleet of 10 Airbus A380-800 aircraft.

This comes after the Australian flag carrier, Qantas, grounded its fleet of A380s after one of its aircraft was forced to land in Singapore with engine trouble on Thursday morning.

In its statement on Thursday, SIA said its operations are continuing as normal.

SIA added that it is premature at this point to speculate on the cause of the incident, and it is awaiting advice from its aircraft and engine manufacturers as the investigation progresses.

In 2007, SIA was the first airline to fly the A380 superjumbo, which can carry more than 500 passengers.

Four other airlines currently fly the aircraft, including, Qantas, Emirates, Air France and Lufthansa.

This is not the first time that an A380 aircraft has encountered engine problems.

In September 2009, a Singapore-bound SIA A380 flight was forced to turn around mid-flight and head back to Paris after one of its four engines failed.

Separately, Singapore Changi Airport said it will reopen its Runway 2 later Thursday.

Airport authorities had to close Runway 2 earlier to facilitate an emergency landing for Qantas Flight QF32 which experiencing engine problem.

The A380 Qantas flight, bound for Sydney, Australia, departed Singapore Changi Airport at 9:56 am local time.

For technical reasons, the aircraft turned back to Changi and landed safely at 11:46 am.

Changi Airport Group's Airport Emergency Service (AES) responded with six fire vehicles, in accordance with standard operating procedure for such incidents.

In response to the pilot's request, checks were conducted on the aircraft by AES.

Once the checks were completed, passengers and crew began disembarking from the aircraft at Runway 2.

Buses were arranged to ferry them to the airport terminal.

Disembarkation of all 469 passengers and crew on board was completed by 1:40 pm.

Changi Airport Group said flights have continued to take off and land at Runway 1 and operations at Changi have, otherwise, not been affected. - CNA /ls

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Source:http://www.businessspectator.com.au/...cument&src=rss

Qantas, Singapore Airlines ground all A380 flights
Published 11:15 PM, 4 Nov 2010 Last update 2:10 AM, 5 Nov 2010

Reuters

SINGAPORE - Qantas Airways and Singapore Airlines suspended flights of Airbus A380 superjumbos after engine failure forced an emergency landing in Singapore.

One passenger reported hearing a "massive bang" before the aircraft turned back and Indonesian TV showed pictures of debris on the ground near Batam airport which it said belonged to the Qantas plane.

Authorities said none of the 459 people on board the Qantas flight was hurt in the most serious incident for the world's largest passenger plane in three years of commercial flight.

"This was a significant engine failure," Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce told reporters in Sydney. "We are not underestimating the significance of this issue."

Qantas A380s use Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines. Rolls-Royce, whose shares were down more than 5 per cent, said it was working with authorities to understand the incident.

Planemaker Airbus said it will provide full technical assistance to Australian and French accident investigators.

One of the Airbus A380's four Rolls-Royce engines failed minutes after it had left Singapore for Sydney. Qantas chief executive Joyce said the plane was capable of flying on two engines.

Passengers said they saw parts of the engine fall off.

"I just heard this massive bang, like a shotgun going off," Tyler Wooster told Australia's Network Nine television. "Part of the skin had peeled off and you could see the foam underneath, pieces of broken wires sticking out."

The flight had begun in London.

Qantas, which operates six A380s, said it was grounding the aircraft pending a full investigation. Three A380 flights scheduled for Thursday, one originating in Sydney and two in Los Angeles, have been scrapped.

"We will suspend all A380 takeoffs until we are fully confident we have sufficient information about (flight) QF32," Mr Joyce told reporters.

Singapore Airlines said it will delay all flights on its A380 fleet pending precautionary checks recommended by Airbus and Rolls-Royce.

It was not immediately clear how many flights would be affected or for how long.

Investigation

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau was leading the investigation into the incident, Mr Joyce said. Passengers will stay in Singapore overnight and another plane will be dispatched for them on Friday morning.

Initial media reports said the plane had crashed after an explosion over the Indonesian island of Batam, near Singapore.

There have been no fatal incidents involving A380s since they were launched in 2005 as the greenest, quietest -- as well as the biggest -- jetliner. Shares in Airbus parent company EADS were down more than four per cent by 1245 GMT. Qantas shares were little changed.

Emirates [EMIRA.UL] said it was not considering suspending flights as its engines are from a different supplier. European airlines Air France and Lufthansa said they would continue to use the aircraft as normal.

The plane involved in the incident was built in 2008.

More than 200 orders have been placed for the A380, and 37 are in operation worldwide, according to Airbus. The plane cost $US17 billion to develop and has been dogged by production delays.

Qantas has never had a fatal accident. A mid-air explosion blew a minivan-size hole in the side of a Qantas 747-400 in 2008 which Australian air safety investigators blamed on an oxygen bottle.

One of the planes operated by Qantas burst two tyres this year when landing in Sydney, and in September 2009 an A380 was forced to turn around in mid-flight and return to Paris.

"This is probably the most serious incident involving the A380 since it began flying in commercial service," said aviation expert Tom Ballantyne, chief correspondent of Orient Aviation magazine. "There have been minor engine incidents before but nothing like this."

Singapore's Channel NewsAsia said the plane circled Singapore to burn fuel before making an emergency landing.

Former aircraft engineer Neil Shephard was on board.

"Four or five minutes after the flight (took off) there was a loud bang," he told Reuters. "The pilot said there was a technical issue with the plane and then we circled around for an hour to dump the fuel. During the landing, it was a bit wobbly."

Passengers were kept informed at all times, others who were on board said.

"It appears from the images of the plane that one of the engines has experienced a failure and it looks to be a fairly massive internal failure at that," said Peter Marosszeky at the University of New South Wales' aviation department.

"This failure has caused some of the engine ducting known as bypass ducting to depart from the engine. This type of incident has been seen previously but it was a long time ago and with much older planes than the A380."

A Reuters reporter said the plane was surrounded on the ground by emergency vehicles but there was no sign of any smoke or fire. One of the four nacelles -- structures that house the engines -- was missing and there appeared to be charring around that area of the plane.

Mr Rusdi, a witness in Batam, told Indonesia's Metro TV: "After an explosion, the plane was still moving but smoke was trailing from one of its wings."

Indonesian volcano Mount Merapi has erupted several times in the past week, spewing ash into the sky, but is several hundred miles from the A380's flightpath.

Thursday's incident came just days before Qantas was due to celebrate its 90th anniversary with a special open day in Brisbane.

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Source:http://www.businessspectator.com.au/...cument&src=rss

Singapore Airlines clears A380 fleet for service
Published 11:26 AM, 5 Nov 2010 Last update 12:31 PM, 5 Nov 2010

Reuters

Singapore Airlines has resumed flying its A380 fleet, lifting a grounding order imposed after a Qantas A380 engine failed in-flight, forcing the aircraft to make an emergency landing.

The Qantas engine failure, which forced the plane back to Singapore airport on Thursday, marks the biggest incident with the A380, the world's largest passenger plane which has been in service only since 2007. Qantas' A380 fleet remains grounded.

Singapore airlines said it had checked and cleared its entire fleet of 11 Airbus A380 aircraft for service, said a spokeswoman for the airline in Australia.

All 11 of Singapore Airlines' A380 aircraft had been inspected and were found be safe, Susan Bredow told Reuters.

"They have all been inspected in accordance with the requirements of Airbus and Rolls-Royce. That was done overnight and everyone is satisfied the aircraft are serviceable and will be back on their scheduled routes as soon as possible," she said.

Qantas Airways on Thursday grounded its six A380 aircraft, pending the outcome of investigations into the reasons for the failure of one of its four Rolls-Royce engines which appeared to break apart during the Sydney-bound flight.

British engine maker Rolls-Royce issued a statement urging operators of the aircraft to perform safety checks on its Trent 900 engines.

One passenger aboard flight QF32 reported hearing a "massive bang". Qantas described it as a significant engine failure.

Photographs of the engine showed its outer, rear casing had been torn apart.

Passengers also reported that a second engine on the stricken Qantas aircraft failed to shut down once on the tarmac, sparking fears it could ignite spilling fuel from the failed engine.

Passengers said they were warned of the dangers of using any electronic device, as firefighters sprayed the aircraft which was leaking fuel from a hole in the wing.

"Despite all the lights being off, everything being turned off, there was a rumbling in the plane," passenger James Henderson told ABC Radio.

"And the captain then came out and said, 'Oh look we are sorry. As you can probably gather, one of our engines won't turn off but we are now pouring water into it to stop it'."

Passenger Christopher Lee said: "Obviously in the back of your mind you're concerned about a very hot engine next to leaking fuel. Obviously you're in a state of anxiety."

A Qantas spokesperson could not confirm the passengers' report of a second engine problem.

At 1205 AEDT, Qantas fell 0.69 per cent to $2.87, against a 1.11 per cent rise in the benchmark index.

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Source:http://www.businessweek.com/news/201...-rebounds.html

Singapore Air Boosts Second-Half Capacity 5% as Travel Rebounds
November 09, 2010, 5:57 AM EST

By Chan Sue Ling

Nov. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Singapore Airlines Ltd., the world’s second-largest carrier by market value, said it would increase capacity 5 percent in the fiscal second half as business travelers and holidaymakers reserve more flights.

“Advance bookings for the coming months indicate that demand is holding up,” the carrier said in the statement today. The airline also reported second-quarter profit of S$380 million ($296 million), surpassing analysts’ estimates.

The carrier has added flights to cities including Los Angeles, Tokyo and Seoul as global air travel recovers from the worst drop since World War II. Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. has also said it plans to return capacity to pre-crisis level, while Tokyo-based All Nippon Airways Co. is boosting overseas flights 15 percent in the year ending March.

“Singapore Air will continue to benefit from a global recovery and an increase in demand for leisure and business travel in the medium-to-long term,” said Steven Lim, who manages about $200 million at Daiwa SB Investments in Singapore. “The recovery in premium travel is still intact.”

The carrier’s capacity in the fiscal first half ended September was little changed from a year earlier. Airlines slashed flights last year as travel plunged during the global recession.

Capacity Increase

Asian airlines have so far limited capacity increases amid rising demand to preserve margins. Regional passenger numbers jumped 15 percent in the nine months ended September, while capacity rose 3.3 percent, according to the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines, which represents 15 carriers including Singapore Air, Cathay Pacific and All Nippon.

Singapore Air’s passenger numbers were little changed at 4.17 million in the three months ended September, according to the statement. The carrier filled 80.3 percent of seats in the quarter, compared with 79.6 percent a year earlier.

Passenger yield, or the average price a traveler pays to fly one kilometer, increased to 11.8 Singapore cents from 9.8 cents a year earlier. The carrier expects yields to be “steady.”

Second-quarter revenue rose 18 percent to S$3.6 billion. Net income in the period surpassed the S$366 million average of seven analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg. A year earlier, the airline had a loss of S$159 million.

The carrier gained 0.9 percent to S$16.32 at the close of trading today. The results were released after the market closed. Of the 23 analysts tracked by Bloomberg data in the past 12 months, 20 have a “buy” rating, two recommended that investors hold the stock, while one says “sell.”

The company is proposing to pay an interim dividend of 20 Singapore cents per share, according to the statement.

Singapore Air has resumed all services on its Airbus SAS A380 after conducting “precautionary technical checks” recommended by Rolls-Royce Group Plc and the planemaker following a Qantas Airways Ltd. engine blowout on Nov. 4. Singapore Air, the first to fly the double-decker plane, has 11 Airbus A380s.

Airlines in the Asia Pacific will probably post a combined profit of $5.2 billion this year, more than double an earlier forecast of $2.2 billion, the International Air Transport Association said in September.

--Editors: Dave McCombs, Neil Denslow.

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Source:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...110907096.html

Singapore Airlines pulls 3 A380s due to engines
By KRISTEN GELINEAU
The Associated Press
Tuesday, November 9, 2010; 11:41 PM

SYDNEY -- Singapore Airlines pulled three of its A380 superjumbos from service Wednesday after tests uncovered problems with the planes' Rolls-Royce engines less than a week after an engine on a Qantas A380 exploded shortly after take-off.

Tests revealed oil stains in three engines on three of the airline's A380s, Singapore Airlines said in a statement. The planes, in Melbourne, Sydney and London, will be flown to Singapore, where they'll be fitted with new engines, the airline said.

"We apologise to our customers for flight disruptions that may result and we seek their understanding," airline spokesman Nicholas Ionides said in a statement.

Last week, Qantas grounded its fleet of A380s - the world's newest and largest airliner - after one of the aircraft's Rolls-Royce engines burst during a flight from Singapore to Sydney. The explosion showered debris over Indonesia's Batam island. The plane, carrying 466 people, made a safe emergency landing in Singapore.

On Monday, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said tests had uncovered oil leaks in the turbine area of three engines on three different A380s. All six of the Australian airline's A380s remained grounded Wednesday.

London-based Rolls-Royce, an aerospace, power systems and defense company that is separate from the manufacturer of Rolls-Royce cars, had recommended a series of checks for the Trent 900 engines that are used in the A380s operated by Qantas, Singapore Airlines and Germany's Lufthansa.

Singapore Airlines grounded its entire fleet of 11 A380s following last Thursday's engine explosion on Qantas. After initial checks, Singapore returned those to service on Friday. However, on Wednesday, based on fresh analysis of the tests, Singapore took three of its A380s out of service again, due to oil stain results.

Singapore's eight other A380s, also flying with Trent 900 engines, remain in service.

Bryony Duncan-Smith, a Sydney-based spokeswoman for Singapore Airlines, said she did not know whether the oil staining found in the Singapore engines was similar to the oil leaks found on the Qantas planes.

The affected engines will all be replaced with Trent 900s, Duncan-Smith said. The airline does not know how long that will take, she said.

Rolls-Royce did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment Wednesday. On Monday, it issued a statement saying it had made progress in understanding what caused the Qantas engine to burst, but offered no details on what that cause might be.

Joyce said Monday that Qantas was focusing its investigation on the oil leaks, which he said were abnormal and should not be occurring on new engines.

Singapore said the engine changes don't affect its eight other A380s at this point.

The Qantas and Singapore incidents are not the first problems Rolls-Royce have faced with its engines. In September 2009, a Singapore Airlines A380 was forced to return to Paris mid-flight after an engine malfunction. Last August, a Lufthansa crew shut down one of its engines as a precaution before landing in Frankfurt after receiving confusing information on a cockpit indicator.

On Tuesday, the European Aviation Safety Agency said it was closely monitoring the probe into the Qantas incident. The agency issued orders twice this year advising airlines about extra inspections or repairs needed for the Trent 900s.

A380s flown by Emirates and Air France are instead kitted out by the Engine Alliance, a 50/50 joint venture between GE Aircraft Engines and Pratt & Whitney.

[Vrooms]

Source:http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/2010110...i-c1b2fc3.html

EU fines 11 airlines 800 million euros for air cargo cartel
AFP - Wednesday, November 10

BRUSSELS (AFP) - – Europe's competition watchdog hit 11 airlines with nearly 800 million euros in fines Tuesday for running a global cargo cartel that included Air France-KLM, British Airways and Japan Airlines.

"It is deplorable that so many major airlines coordinated their pricing to the detriment of European businesses and European consumers," said European competition commissioner Joaquin Almunia.

The fines, totalling 799.4 million euros (1.1 billion dollars), were slapped on airlines that span the globe, from Air Canada and LAN Chile in the Americas to Cathay Pacific Airways and Singapore Airlines in Asia and Qantas in Australia.

The 11 cargo carriers coordinated their action on surcharges for fuel and security without discounts over a six-year period, between December 1999 and February 2006, the European Commission said.

The cartel covered flights from, to and within the European Economic Area.

The Air France-KLM group was hit with the biggest fine, 310 million euros, of which 183 million euros was for Air France and 127 million euros for KLM. Martinair, which is owned by Air France, was fined 29.5 million euros.

Air France-KLM said it plans to appeal the fine.

"The group will file an appeal against the decision in the EU General Court," it said in statement.

Elsewhere in Europe, British Airways was ordered to pay 104 million euros, Scandinavia's SAS group was fined 70.2 million euros and Luxembourg's Cargolux will have to pay 79.9 million euros.

In Asia, Singapore Airlines was fined 74.8 million euros, Cathay was hit with 57.1 million euros and Japan Airlines will pay 35.7 million euros.

Air Canada must pay 21 million euros while Qantas and LAN Chile got the smallest fines, 8.9 million and 8.2 million euros, respectively.

Five airlines applied for a reduction in the fine, claiming they were unable to pay it, but the commission said none of them met the conditions.

Lufthansa and its subsidiary Swiss International Air Lines escaped a fine under the commission's leniency programme for being the first to provide information about the cartel.

The commission said it dropped charges against another 11 carriers and one consultancy firm which it did not name.

The cartel initially began with contacts between airlines to ensure that worldwide air freight carriers imposed a "flat rate surchage per kilo for all shipments," the commission said.

The cooperation expanded with the introduction of a security surcharge. The companies refused to pay a commission on such surcharges to their clients, the regulator said.

"By refusing to pay a commission, the airlines ensured that surcharges did not become subject to competition through the granting of discounts to customers," the commission said.

SAS also said it would appeal the fine.

"We adamantly maintain that these isolated incidents do not mean that SAS Cargo has been involved in a global cartel," the airline's chief legal officer, Mats Loennkvist, said in a statement.

"We are highly disappointed and strongly contest the considerable level of the fines, which we believe to be disproportionate to SAS Cargos actions."

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Source:http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx...CategoryId=108

Despite travel warnings: SilkAir load factor remains upbeat
By Joefel Ortega Banzon (The Freeman) Updated November 12, 2010 12:00 AM

CEBU, Philippines – Amidst recent advisories issued against travel to the Philippines
, particularly in the southern part of the country, it is such a relief that international airlines still enjoy upbeat passenger traffic to this date.

SilkAir Philippines Manager Ajish Henry Morris said "SilkAir load factors on our Cebu and Davao flights have been reasonably healthy, supported by sales from Philippines, Singapore and traffic connecting via the Singapore hub."

Morris added that SilkAir have not seen an erosion of forward loads arising from the travel advisories issued by some countries, stressing that "our passenger loads remain strong for the coming months."

Earlier this month, several foreign nations including the United States, Australia, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada, and France warned their nationals working or living in the Philippines to be cautious due to imminent terror threats in the country.

The travel warnings were feared to cause a negative impact towards the country's tourism industry.

Morris for his part said the travel advisories failed to generate such drastic adverse effects to the airline industry because the warnings were more generic rather than specific.

The usual peak periods for SilkAir are from December to January, then from March to April.

As testament to the airline company's confidence in the country, Morris said SilkAir is constantly on the lookout for new opportunities to expand their business in more destinations.

"We are closely monitoring the tourism developments in certain destinations that have the potential to sustain international flights. For the time being, our focus is on growing our business in Visayas and Mindanao, through our flights to Cebu and Davao," he said.

SilkAir operates the narrow body fleet of its parent airline, Singapore Airlines Group. Its passenger profile on Philippine flights is composed of business travelers, VFR market segment that includes visiting friends and relatives as well as overseas based Filipinos and family members, and the leisure travelers including tourists, backpackers, and adventurers.

It is a full service premium regional airline that first took the skies in 1989 as Tradewinds The Airline, and later became known as SilkAir in 1992.

SilkAir flies from its Singapore hub to more than 400 flights weekly to 33 destinations across 11 countries including Phnom Penh and Siem Reap in Cambodia, Chengdu, Chongqing, Kunming,Shenzhen, and Xiamen in China, Bangalore, Chennai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Kochi, and Thiruvananthapuram in India, Balikpapan, Lombok, Manado, Medan, Palembang, Solo, and Surabaya in Indonesia, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, Langkawi, and Penang in Malaysia, Yangon in Myanmar, Kathmandu in Nepal, Cebu and Davao in the Philippines, Chiang Mai and Phuket in Thailand, and Da Nang in Vietnam. (FREEMAN)

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Source:http://goodnewspilipinas.com/?p=13329

Singapore Airlines unit to expand facility in Clark
Posted on November 14th, 2010 under Biz Progress

The engineering unit of Singapore Airlines is set to expand its aircraft maintenance facility at the Clark Civil Aviation Complex this month, giving a fresh vote of confidence for the country, in general, and for prospects of the former US base, in particular.

According to the Clark International Airport Corp., aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) firm SIA Engineering Co. (SIAEC) will invest close to P1 billion to put up a second hangar at the facility.

The expansion program will allow SIAEC to service the carrier’s newest Boeing 747 and 777 aircraft. It will also generate an estimated 300 new jobs, while more allied industries may emerge as a result of the investment in the 2,367-hectare Clark air hub.

In a statement Thursday, CIAC president and CEO Victor Jose Luciano revealed that the construction of the second hangar will start sometime this month.

“SIAEC will be building a bigger hangar to accommodate wide-bodied aircraft such as the Boeing 747 and 777,” he said.

In November 2008, SIAEC, together with joint venture partner Cebu Pacific Air, began construction of the first hangar for the Airbus A320 and A319 aircraft in Clark. This, in turn, paved the way for the further development of the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA).

The first hangar cost an estimated P800 million. It started operations in July 2009, providing maintenance service for the Airbus A320 aircraft of various foreign and local airlines.

“Starting this month, we will see the development of the second, much larger hangar in Clark,” Luciano said. “This will generate no less than 300 direct jobs and about 200 indirect jobs for our people in Central and Northern Luzon.”

The SIAEC facility is expected to start operations by the end of 2012.

Singapore-based SIAEC is an internationally renowned aircraft MRO company providing total maintenance solutions to wide-bodied aircraft in the service of more than 85 international airlines worldwide. It has 24 joint ventures and subsidiaries across nine countries that form the SIAEC Group.

Its services include airframe, component, engine, and aircraft conversions and modifications.

SIAEC also provides support services at the Changi International Airport in Singapore, as well as line maintenance support services in Australia, the United States, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines.

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Source:http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news...115-17tvy.html

Two Singapore Airlines A380s back in air
November 15, 2010 - 3:09PM

AFP

Singapore Airlines (SIA) has resumed flying two of three grounded Airbus A380s after replacing Rolls-Royce engines found to have oil stains, a spokesman for the carrier said on Monday.

"Over the weekend, two were put back into service," the spokesman said, adding that checks were still being conducted on the third plane.

One engine in each of the grounded SIA A380s was found to have oil stains and all three engines were replaced as a precaution.
Advertisement: Story continues below

The airline was the launch customer of the A380 and now has 11 of the massive aircraft in service, with another eight on order.

The three SIA aircraft were grounded after a Qantas A380 using similar Rolls Royce Trent 900 engines was forced to make an emergency landing in Singapore on November 4 after one of the engines blew out.

Qantas has grounded its entire fleet of six A380s and not announced when they will fly again.

Rolls-Royce said last week that the failure of a "specific component in the turbine area of the engine" sparked the fire which caused the mid-air blowout on the Qantas flight shortly after it took off for Sydney.

[Vrooms]

Source:http://www.businessweek.com/news/201...ngine-fix.html

Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa May Need A380 Engine Fix
November 15, 2010, 10:38 PM EST
By Chan Sue Ling

Nov. 16 (Bloomberg) -- Qantas Airways Ltd., Singapore Airlines Ltd. and Deutsche Lufthansa AG may need to replace one component in each of the engines powering their Airbus SAS A380 fleets, Rolls-Royce Group Plc said.

Rolls-Royce, the world’s second-largest maker of engines, is working with customers to replace the part as inspections of its Trent 900 engines continue, the London-based company said in an e-mail today. The engine maker has identified the component that led to the blowout of a turbine on a Qantas A380 flight earlier this month and has said the incident is isolated to the Trent 900 engine, designed specifically for the A380.

“Over a period of time, it is likely we will replace the relevant module on all engines,” Rolls-Royce said. “We seek to minimize disruptions and this program will enable our customers progressively to bring the whole fleet back into service.”

One of the four engines on a Qantas A380 blew up shortly after takeoff from Singapore on Nov. 4, forcing an emergency landing and damaging a wing. The blast prompted Qantas to ground its fleet of A380s, while two other carriers switched engines and the European Aviation Safety Agency ordered mandatory checks of Trent 900 engines at regular intervals.

Qantas, Australia’s largest airline, kept its fleet of six A380s grounded for the 13th day as the Sydney-based carrier continued inspections of the engines and probed potential oil leaks found in three engines.

Pulled From Service

Qantas fell 2.5 percent to A$2.72 as of 1:44 p.m. in Sydney trading, while Singapore Air dropped 0.1 percent in Singapore. Rolls-Royce declined 2.3 percent in London yesterday, when Lufthansa gained 0.5 percent in Frankfurt.

Singapore Air pulled three A380s out of service last week to change one engine on each aircraft. The last of three planes will be back in service today, Nicholas Ionides, a spokesman for the airline, said by phone. The carrier has declined to “speak definitively” on the number of engines that may require modification work.

Qantas has six of the double-decker A380s in its fleet, while Singapore Air, the first to fly the superjumbo commercially, has 11. Lufthansa operates three A380s and is scheduled to take delivery of its fourth this week, according to Frank Puttmann, the carrier’s Singapore-based spokesman.

“We are working with Rolls-Royce very closely, and the authorities,” Puttmann said by phone today. “So far, we have no findings on our engines, so all our A380s are on schedule.”

--Editors: Terje Langeland, Suresh Seshadri.

[Vrooms]

Source:http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking...ry_603937.html

Nov 16, 2010
SIA senior exec steps down
By Hannah Koh

SINGAPORE Airlines' (SIA) senior executive vice-president for Marketing & Corporate Services will be stepping down next year.

Mr Bey Soo Khiang will leave SIA on Feb 28 after more than 10 years of service.

Following a 26-year career with the Singapore Armed Forces, Mr Bey joined SIA in 2000 as executive vice-president, Technical. He moved on to Operations and Planning areas in 2004 before assuming his current position earlier this year.

'He has made significant contributions towards the development of the company. All of us in SIA will miss him,' said SIA Chairman Stephen Lee.

Said Mr Bey: 'The time is right for me to move on. I will be leaving knowing that the Airline remains in good hands.'

Plans for new leadership of these divisions are still being finalised.

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Source:http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking...ry_604680.html

Nov 18, 2010
SIA to constantly inspect A380s

SINGAPORE Airlines (SIA) said on Thursday that it will constantly inspect Rolls-Royce engines powering its Airbus A380 superjumbos and replace them if advised to do so by the manufacturers.

SIA was reacting to a report that Rolls-Royce may replace up to 40 Trent 900 engines on A380s flown by Australia's Qantas, SIA and Germany's Lufthansa after a mid-air Qantas explosion this month triggered safety concerns.

An A380 operated by Qantas with 466 people aboard turned back and made a dramatic emergency landing in Singapore on November 4 after an explosion ripped through one of the plane's four Trent 900 engines shortly after takeoff.

The blast sparked a fire in the engine and sent metal debris falling on to a nearby Indonesian city.

'We remain in very close contact with both Rolls-Royce and Airbus, and all checks that we have carried out to date have been in full compliance with their recommendations and instructions,' said SIA spokesman Nicholas Ionides.

He said the carrier was also continuing with inspections of all its Trent 900 engines in compliance with an 'airworthiness directive' from the European Aviation Safety Agency. -- AFP

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A380 update on Singapore Airlines website:http://www.singaporeair.com/saa/Util...up.jsp?msgId=1

A380 UPDATES

16 November 2010

Singapore Airlines will be carrying out ongoing precautionary inspections on its Airbus A380 fleet, in full compliance with a directive from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and guidance from engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce.

These inspections are not expected to affect flight timings. Schedules are due to remain as normal.

In order to maintain a normal schedule and minimise disruptions to our customers, we will be deploying Boeing 747-400s and Boeing 777s, where necessary, in place of A380s on certain flights to/ from Sydney and Melbourne.

Details are as follows (ALL TIMES LISTED ARE LOCAL):

17 - 24 November 2010

* SQ 221, Singapore - Sydney, scheduled to depart 2035hrs, will be operated by a B747-400 aircraft.

* SQ 227, Singapore - Melbourne, scheduled to depart 2100hrs, will be operated by a B777-300 aircraft.



18 - 25 November 2010

* SQ 212, Sydney - Singapore, scheduled to depart 0915hrs, will be operated by a B747-400 aircraft.

* SQ 222, Sydney - Singapore, scheduled to depart 1630hrs, will be operated by a B777-300 aircraft.

* SQ231, Singapore - Sydney, scheduled to depart 0035hrs, will be operated by a B777-300 aircraft.

* SQ 238, Melbourne - Singapore, scheduled to depart 1110hrs, will be operated by a B777-300 aircraft.



22 November 2010

* SQ 241, Singapore – Sydney, scheduled to depart 0700hrs, will be operated by a B777-300 aircraft.

* SQ 242, Sydney – Singapore, scheduled to depart 1850hrs, will be operated by a B777-300 aircraft.



24 November 2010

* SQ 211, Singapore – Sydney, scheduled to depart 0900hrs, will be operated by a B777-300 aircraft.



25 November 2010

* SQ 232, Sydney – Singapore, scheduled to depart 1240hrs, will be operated by a B777-300 aircraft.

* SQ 241, Singapore – Sydney, scheduled to depart 0700hrs, will be operated by a B777-300 aircraft.

* SQ 242, Sydney – Singapore, scheduled to depart 1850hrs, will be operated by a B777-300 aircraft.



Singapore Airlines will also mount the following supplementary flights to both Melbourne and Sydney:

19 - 20 November 2010

* SQ265, Singapore - Melbourne - Sydney - Singapore, is scheduled to depart Singapore at 2325hrs and arrive in Melbourne on 0950hrs the next day. It is then scheduled to depart Melbourne at 1100hrs and arrive in Sydney at 1220hrs, after which it will depart Sydney at 1330hrs. The flight will be operated by a B777-200 aircraft.



24 November 2010

* SQ 265, Melbourne – Sydney – Singapore, is scheduled to depart Melbourne at 1100hrs and arrive in Sydney at 1220hrs. It is then scheduled to depart Sydney at 1330hrs. The flight will be operated by a B777-200 aircraft.



We apologise to affected customers for the inconvenience that may result and seek their understanding.

[Vrooms]

Source:http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stori...095383/1/.html

SIA, SAS sign code-share agreement
By Jonathan Peeris | Posted: 24 November 2010 2308 hrs

SINGAPORE: Singapore Airlines' (SIA) customers can now enjoy more options when travelling to Scandinavia.

Currently, SIA operates three flights per week between Singapore and the Danish capital, Copenhagen.

However, from December 1st, SIA customers will be able to travel beyond Copenhagen to Helsinki, Oslo and Stockholm.

That is due to a code-share agreement signed between Singapore Airlines and Scandinavian Airlines (SAS).

These flights will be operated by SAS but under SIA's SQ code.

In return, SAS will add its SK code to SIA's flights between Copenhagen and Singapore, as well as on selected flights between Singapore and Bangkok.

SIA said the tie-up will pave the way for more leisure and business travel by offering customers of both airlines more travel options via Copenhagen and Singapore.

-CNA/ac

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Source:http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/sub/...14867,00.html?

November 25, 2010, 5.20 pm (Singapore time)
SIA, Garuda sign codeshare deal
By ANGELA TAN

From 1 December 2010, customers of Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Garuda Indonesia will have more flights to choose from between Singapore and Denpasar (Bali, following the signing of a codeshare agreement between the two carriers.

Under the agreement, the two airlines will codeshare on a reciprocal basis on all flights between Singapore and Denpasar (Bali).

SIA operates three flights per day on the route while Garuda has daily flights.

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Source:http://www.silkair.com/mbe/en_UK/con...1_25112010.jsp

SILKAIR TO START SERVICES TO PEKANBARU

SilkAir, the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, will add the 34th destination to its route network with the launch of thrice-weekly flights between Singapore and the Indonesian city of Pekanbaru in February 2011.

Pekanbaru will be the airline’s eighth Indonesian destination after Balikpapan, Lombok, Manado, Medan, Palembang, Solo and Surabaya. The capital of Riau in Sumatra, Pekanbaru will be another major gateway into Indonesia from Singapore.

Subject to regulatory approvals, SilkAir will operate morning services between Singapore and Pekanbaru on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays beginning 28 February 2011. (Details of the flight schedules are shown in the attachment)

"We are very excited to announce the addition of Pekanbaru to the SilkAir network. We see good prospects for continued growth in air traffic between Singapore and Indonesia and believe that the launch of our eighth Indonesian destination will further boost travel between the two countries,” said Mr Marvin Tan, SilkAir’s Chief Executive.

Pekanbaru’s established role as a base for international oil companies and the pulp and paper industry presents promising prospects for corporate travel and airfreight.

For customers from Pekanbaru, the new service will offer direct flights to Singapore and the convenience of onward connections to more than 90 international cities in the joint Singapore Airlines-SilkAir network.

Pekanbaru also offers a number of cultural and leisure attractions, such as the Great Mosque of An-Nur, Riau Cultural Park, the Sang Nila Utama Museum and numerous traditional markets including Pasar Bawah and Pasar Tengeh.

For more information on SilkAir, including its destinations and services, please visit silkair.com.