Singapore Airlines has started serving Los Angeles using the Airbus A380. The inaugural Singapore-Tokyo-Los Angeles A380 flight departed Changi airport around 0930 on Friday. Singapore’s flag carrier also plans to expand its fleet.
Singapore Airlines has launched Singapore to Los Angeles flights via Tokyo with the Airbus A380, the world’s largest passenger jetliner.
The airline’s first A380 flight departed Singapore on Friday morning with more than 400 passengers on board. The superjumbo, operating as flight SQ12, made its maiden touchdown in Los Angeles airport at around 1330hrs local time on Friday. The City of Angels is the eighth destination in Singapore Airlines’ set of connections to receive the services of the world’s most popular commercial aircraft. Los Angeles also becomes the airline’s first point in the North America to be served by an A380.
This piece of development comes as good news for not only those travellers who wish to experience the A380 charm, but it also offers hope to more travellers with restricted budget to land up with cheap flight tickets as greater number of economy class seats will be available for them.
Singapore Airlines’ all A380 routes have proved to be extremely popular with the travellers, with almost each A380 travel route doing remarkably well for the airline in terms of passenger traffic. As per the records, as many as 5 million people have flown with Singapore Airlines’ A380s since the very first flight of the superjumbo in 2007. Singapore Airlines was the first airline in the world to operate the A380. Singapore’s flag carrier currently has twelve A380s in service with several more on firm order.
“The introduction of the A380 to Los Angeles is another wonderful milestone in our history. We have had the privilege of serving customers on this route since 1980, and we are proud to be able to introduce our flagship aircraft to North America. We are confident that our customers will appreciate the industry-leading cabin products available on the A380,” Mr Mak Swee Wah, Singapore Airlines’ Executive Vice President Commercial, was quoted in the company’s website.
Singapore Airlines’ A380 has passenger suites that feature fully-adjustable leather seats, full-sized beds and 23-inch LCD monitors. The aircraft’s Economy Class seats have more leg room owing to new design features. This ensures comfort and ease to those passengers who book cheap tickets on the flight. Singapore Airlines’ entertainment system is a popular feature with travellers, with over 1,000 entertainment options available on the new KrisWorld, Singapore Airlines’ in-flight entertainment system.
Singapore Airlines to Lease 15 New Aircrafts
Singapore Airlines is set to expand its fleet with 15 new Airbus 330-300 aircrafts that will be delivered to the carrier between 2013 and 2015. These aircrafts will be operated by the airline within the Asian continent as well as to some destinations in Australia and the Middle East.
Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines will be used in the aircrafts and they will be leased for at least for a minimum of six years.
“The A330s will enable us to add more capacity on regional and medium-range routes and further strengthen Singapore Airlines’ network offering. These new planes will also provide enhanced levels of comfort to our customers and boost operational efficiency,” Singapore Airlines’ CEO Goh Choon Phong was quoted by various news sources as saying.
“Together with the additional A380s that we are taking delivery of this year, as well as Airbus A350s and Boeing 787s on order for the years ahead, the lease of the A330s is consistent with our longstanding policy of operating a young and modern fleet,” Mr Phong continued.
