SIA to order more A380s and A350s
Singapore Airlines (SIA) has announced that it will order 25 more wide-body aircraft from Airbus – five A380s and 20 A350-900s.
The latest A380 order will be the third to be placed by the airline, bringing the total number of A380s ordered by SIA to 24. SIA, which was the A380’s launch customer, now operates 19 of the double-decker jets to 10 destinations in Europe, the US and Asia from its base at Singapore’s Changi airport.
The 20 extra A350s will double the airline’s total order for the new aircraft to 40 units. The A350-900 is the medium-sized version of the ‘extra wide-body jet’, carrying approximately 315 passengers in a three-class configuration.
“This major order will provide us with additional growth opportunities and is consistent with our long-standing policy of maintaining a young and modern fleet. It demonstrates our commitment to the Singapore hub, and our confidence in the strength of the market for premium full-service travel,” said SIA’s CEO, Goh Choon Phong. “The aircraft will enable us to further enhance our network, providing more travel options to our customers. They will also feature the next generation of in-flight cabin products to keep us at the forefront of airline product innovation.”
The announcement of the new order follows SIA’s decision to transfer its order of 20 Boeing 787 Dreamliners to its new low-cost unit, Scoot.
The new orders take SIA’s total outstanding order book to 69 aircraft, also including 15 A330-300s and eight B777-300ERs. SIA will also phase out its A340-500s by the end of 2013, following the cessation of B747-400 operations earlier this year. In total, SIA’s fleet is expected to expand from 102 to 166 aircraft over the coming decade.
Meanwhile, SIA also announced that it would cease operating direct flights to Los Angeles and New York’s Newark airport. But Goh said SIA remains “very committed to the US market”.