Airbus A380 Super Jumbo

Since the customers of the A380 are Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Federal Express, Virgin Atlantic, Air France, Qatar and Korean Air etc. you can expect to see the A380 in these places..

Singapore
London
Dubai
Frankfurt
Kuala Lumpur
Sydney
Memphis
Paris
Doha
Los Angeles
New York
San Francsico
Hong Kong
Bangkok
Seoul
Shanghai
Melbourne
Tokyo
Osaka

Just a rough list.

SIA sticks to plans to fly Airbus A380 in 2006

Time is GMT + 8 hours
Posted: 18 May 2004 1822 hrs

By Chan Hwa Loon, Channel NewsAsia

Singapore Airlines, the world's second largest carrier by market value, is sticking to its plans to become the world's first airline to fly the 555-seat Airbus A380 in 2006.

This is despite Virgin Atlantic announcing on Monday that it is delaying by over a year its plans to start flying the double-decker aircraft until late 2007.

Virgin Atlantic is 49 percent owned by SIA.

Virgin says it is facing troubles with airports, especially Los Angeles, in making the necessary preparations to accommodate such a large plane as the A380.

It has also run into problems trying to source components for customising the all-new A380's vast cabin.

SIA has 10 A380s on order, while Virgin is committed to 6 orders. - CNA

Copyright © 2004 MCN International Pte Ltd

Business Times - 08 Jul 2004

SIA cargo arm upbeat on outlook, plans fleet expansion

SINGAPORE - Singapore Airlines' cargo arm expects a strong second half of its financial year and plans to expand its fleet, despite signs of a weakening in high-tech industries that are major consumers of airfreight services, a senior executive said on Thursday.

'I'm expecting a robust second half. March and June were bellwether months, and they were not disappointing,' Sudheer Raghavan, senior vice-president, sales and marketing for Singapore Airlines Cargo, said.

'We do hear of layoffs in the high-tech industries and that is a concern. But demand hasn't softened. The numbers are encouraging,' Mr Sudheer added.

The cargo unit - a key part of the Singapore Airlines family that last year accounted for nearly 30 per cent of the group's operating profit - plans to convert four or five Boeing passenger aircraft to freighters after they are retired from passenger service. He did not say when, however.

It may also add Airbus' giant A380 to its roster of cargo planes, Mr Sudheer said on the sidelines of Cargo 2000, an airfreight conference in the republic.

The new plane, which has yet to fly, is among the new generation of so-called super-jumbos. The A380's freighter variant will be able to carry about 150 tons of cargo, compared with 110 tons for the Boeing 747-400F, which Singapore Airlines Cargo now uses.

The A380 is also expected to shave two hours off flying times between Asia and the US, as it would not need to refuel in Alaska.

The cargo company filled 68.5 per cent of its capacity in March, 62.4 per cent in April and 64.6 per cent in May. A figure for June has yet to be announced. Break-even last year was 66.8 per cent.

Its current fleet comprises 14 Boeing 747-400 freighters, with firm orders for three more Boeing freighters by March 2006.

Copyright © 2004 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved.

The A380 in SIA livery at an exhibition:

Time is GMT + 8 hours
Posted: 01 October 2004 2144 hrs

Changi Airport undergoing S$45m upgrading for super-jumbo A380
By Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE : Changi Airport is getting ready to welcome the super-sized Airbus A380. It is investing S$45 million to accommodate the much larger plane and the increase in passenger load.

Works started early this year and should be completed in time to welcome the plane when it takes to the skies in 2006.

The A380 is a super-sized plane with two decks that can accommodate up to 550 passengers or about 30 percent more than a 747.

By the second quarter of 2006, Singapore Airlines will be the first airline worldwide to use it.

As part of preparations, while its runways are fine, Changi has to widen the runway shoulders.

Once the A380 lands, taxiway junctions will also have to be widened for it to turn easily.

Parking bays will also have to be adjusted so that there is a safe distance between planes.

But if you are one of its 550 passengers, boarding and disembarking from such a large plane can be tricky.

Changi is considering various aerobridge options, including aerobidges to both main and upper decks, and even increasing this to three aerobridges.

Depending on the options, getting on and off a A380 can take between 11 and 24 minutes.

Other changes include expanding passenger holding areas, and lengthening luggage conveyor belts from the current 70 metres to about 90 metres.

These plans were revealed by airport planners at an international aviation safety conference organised by ALPA-S. - CNA

Copyright © 2004 MCN International Pte Ltd

Dec 6, 2004
Frequent fliers to test SIA cabin prototypes
By Karamjit Kaur
Transport Correspondent

AFTER three years of brainstorming and gathering feedback from hundreds of customers worldwide, Singapore Airlines (SIA) has come up with potential prototypes for the seats, tray tables, lights, toilets and other fittings for the Airbus 380 jumbo jet.

Frequent fliers have been invited to survey and test the different products and more will do so in the coming months - the first time the airline has involved customers in a big way, and from Day One.

SIA spokesman Stephen Forshaw was tight-lipped about the 'commercially sensitive' details of the products, saying only that work is at an advanced stage.

It is such a big secret that customers involved in the design process are made to sign non-disclosure documents which prevent them from telling others what they know.

SIA, which will be the launch customer for the new aircraft, which can carry 550 passengers in a three-class configuration, has until the middle of next year to decide on the final design.

This is to allow enough time for the aircraft to be fitted before the planes join the fleet in early 2006.

Mr Forshaw said: 'This (the design work) has been a lengthy process... work is at an advanced stage and the options are now very narrow.'

Routes for the new craft have not been finalised, but SIA is likely to fly the Airbus 380 to major hubs like Sydney, London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

The airline, which has ordered 10 of the planes with an option to buy 15 more, also has to decide on the facilities it wants to offer passengers.

Some of the suggestions include a gymnasium with shower rooms, a massage centre, a childcare centre and even a casino.

In weighing the suggestions, SIA will strike a balance between profits and design, Mr Forshaw said, adding: 'Airbus designed this aircraft to take advantage of lower operating costs and efficiencies. That helps us keep our fares affordable for customers.'

While innovation is important, he said: 'Let's keep in perspective that this is an aircraft, and the offerings on board have to be realistic and economically viable.'

Customer involvement in the project goes back several years. In August and September 2002, for example, a series of workshops was conducted in Singapore, London and New York for frequent fliers.

Together with staff, they spent two full days to design, create and build their ideal aircraft cabin to scale.

Mr Forshaw said: 'As the design options narrow, we continue to involve some customers in the assessment process... Their feedback continues to drive us in the refinement of designs.'

Apart from SIA, other airlines that have ordered the Airbus 380 include Emirates, Thai Airways, Qantas and Lufthansa.

Airbus will unveil the aircraft in a grand ceremony in Toulouse, France, next month.

Copyright © 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

Business Times - 24 Dec 2004

SIA Cargo checking out A380, Boeing 777

SINGAPORE Airlines Cargo, the world's third-largest air cargo carrier, said it will choose between Airbus SAS's A380 and Boeing Co's 777 freighter versions to boost its fleet as global trade expands.

'We are looking at the A380 freighter,' said Hwang Teng Aun, president of the wholly owned unit of Asia's most profitable airline, in an interview on Wednesday. 'The mother company has already bought the passenger aircraft so there is a lot of commonality. We are also very interested in the 777.'

Mr Hwang, 59, is aiming to expand the company as demand in the US and Europe for Asian-made semiconductors and other electronic products grows.

The International Air Transport Association forecast on Dec 15 international cargo traffic will rise 6 per cent annually between 2004 and 2008. This year, freight traffic will rise 10 per cent, the group said.

Singapore Airlines Cargo currently has a fleet of 14 747-400 aircraft and is also planning to convert three or four 747-400 passenger planes into freighters, Mr Hwang said.

The company may opt to convert more 747s rather than investing in new aircraft, Mr Hwang added.

Mark Hooper, a Hong Kong-based spokesman for Boeing, said the company was in constant talks with Singapore Air Cargo about plane options. Anthony Phillips, a Singapore-based spokesman for Airbus, wasn't immediately available for comment.

The freighter versions of the 777 and the A380 will both be available in 2008.

Chicago-based Boeing, the world's second-biggest commercial aircraft maker, will base its freighter on the twin-engine 777-200LR, the company's longest-range passenger model, which is scheduled for delivery for the first time next year. The plane will be able to carry 101 metric tons and have a range of 9,622 kilometres with a full load.

Toulouse-based Airbus, the world's largest commercial aircraft maker, said the A380 freighter will carry a payload of 150 metric tons and have a range of 10,340 km fully loaded.

Singapore Air Cargo also uses cargo space on Singapore Airlines passenger planes. The cargo unit is scheduled to take delivery of two more 747-400s in the final quarter of 2005.

Singapore Airlines will be the first carrier to fly the A380, which will be the world's largest passenger aircraft, in 2006. The airline has ordered 10 of the planes and has the option to order 15 more.

Analysts say the recent jump in aircraft orders among low-cost carriers may lead to a pick-up in business for dedicated freight carriers such as Singapore Air Cargo.

'The trend toward low-cost carriers in short-haul markets, which tend not to carry much cargo due to tight turnarounds, could also boost the region's requirement for dedicated freighter aircraft,' said Peter Harbison, managing director at the Australia-based Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation.

Mr Hwang said growth in the air cargo market will be about 5 per cent or 6 per cent next year, based on global economic expansion of between 1.5 per cent and 3.5 per cent.

Singapore Airlines Cargo, which accounts for about 15 per cent of its parent's operating profit, carried 8.8 per cent more cargo in the July-September quarter. It filled 63 per cent capacity in the period, from 65.9 per cent a year earlier.

Singapore Airlines Cargo is 'definitely interested' in pursuing joint ventures in India, China and the US, Mr Hwang said, declining to give details.

Singapore Airlines Cargo will also be cutting its fuel surcharge to reflect falling oil prices, Mr Hwang said. The charge will be lowered to 30 US cents per kilogram from 35 US cents, effective Jan 3.

Airlines imposed surcharges this year to cover a surge in oil prices, which typically account for a fifth of an airline's operating costs. Jet fuel prices have fallen about 19 per cent to US$52.03 a barrel.

Singapore Air Cargo made an operating profit of $49.3 million in the July-September quarter, 5 per cent higher than a year earlier, according to Bloomberg's calculation based on Singapore Airlines' $331 million operating profit for the quarter. - Bloomberg

Copyright © 2004 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved.

Business Times - 18 Jan 2005

SIA to install only 500 seats in Airbus superjet

S'pore carrier will be launch customer of A380, to be unveiled today

By VEN SREENIVASAN
IN TOULOUSE, FRANCE

SINGAPORE Airlines plans to install just 500 seats, instead of the full complement of 555 seats in a three-class configuration in the new Airbus A380, thus giving more space for passenger comfort.

SIA is one of 13 airlines around the world which has placed 139 firm orders for the megajet that will be 'revealed' for the first time to Europe's leaders and the world's media today.

Combining the latest technologies in material, systems and industrial processes and costing billions of euros to develop, the first A380 aircraft will take to the skies next year in the livery of the Singapore carrier, the A380's launch customer. SIA four years ago placed an US$8.6 billion firm order for 10 A380s and another 15 on option.

The A380's other big customers include Emirates, which has ordered 43, Lufthansa (15), Air France (10), Federal Express (10) and International Lease Finance Corp (10). The plane has a range of up to 15,000 km/8,000 nm and boasts 15-20 per cent lower seat-mile cost, making it ideal for long-haul routes such as London-Singapore and Sydney-Los Angeles.

SIA plans to put its first few planes on the London-Singapore-Sydney 'kangaroo route'.

The aircraft that will be unveiled at today's 'Reveal' ceremony at Toulouse's Blagnac airport, is one of four test-planes whose components were built in four European countries, France, Britain, Germany and Spain, the backers of the development of the new super jet. They will not be sold to customers. Instead, the A380 which SIA will take delivery of next year will be the fifth plane, which has yet to be built.

Once production begins, Airbus will build four A380s a month for delivery, but has the capacity to crank up production if demand picks up.

The A380 fits in with Airbus' forecast that passenger traffic will rise by 5 per cent per year over the next two decades, raising demand and utilisation of large aircraft to 3,400 flights a day, with about 70 per cent of them clustered around just 25 airports around the world, including Singapore and Sydney.

Meanwhile, airports around the world are bracing up for the much higher traffic of passengers which the A380s will disgorge each time they touch down.

San Francisco and Singapore airport authorities have said they are already prepared, having invested in higher capacity facilities, while others like New York's JFK, London's Heathrow and Sydney expect to be ready by next year.

Airbus, owned by the European consortium EADS, sold 370 planes last year, beating rival Boeing for the second year in a row to become the world's number one plane-maker.

Copyright © 2004 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved.