South Australian capital Adelaide will be the global launch destination for Singapore Airlines’ first Airbus A350-900 aircraft fitted with its new medium-haul cabin products.
The December 18 launch on flights SQ278/279 will see the two-class, 303-seat A350-900 operating to Adelaide daily and deliver a 7 percent increase in seat capacity to one of the city’s strongest air routes.
The A350 is the Airbus answer to Boeing’s 787 and has similar advantages in terms of lower cabin pressure and improved lighting. It’s wider body and the way Airbus has designed the cabin walls impart a sense of spaciousness.
Singapore plans to use an ultra-long range version of the A350-900 to launch the world’s longest flight, between Singapore and New York, in October.
The medium-haul aircraft is equipped with the Airline’s recently launched new medium-haul business and economy class products, with 40 business seats are in a 1-2-1 configuration that provides all customers with a direct aisle access and 263 economy seats are in a 3-3-3 arrangement.
The new Stella Aerospace business class seat reclines into a 76-inch fully-flat bed It is 26 inches wide and comes with retractable armrests, ample storage space and a 17-inch high definition touchscreen monitor.
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The economy seats feature an ergonomically-designed contour backrest, a six-way adjustable headrest with foldable wings to provide more neck support and an 11.6-inch HD touchscreen monitor.
There is also personal storage for small items, a coat hook, USB port and in-seat power.
The A350 is equipped with in-flight wi-fi and the latest Thales AVANT in-flight entertainment (IFE) system. The new IFE includes Krisworld’s more intuitive navigation options and the ability to personalize the experience with content recommendations based on preferences and viewing history.
Members of Singapore’s KrisFlyer frequent flyer program are also able to bookmark and resume content, as well as customize and save preferences and playlists for their subsequent flights.
The arrival of the A350 comes as Singapore is poised to celebrate the 35th anniversary of its Adelaide operations.
“We have proudly operated services to Adelaide since 1984 and the deployment of our first A350-900 medium-haul aircraft with our new medium-haul cabin products to the South Australian capital is an exciting new chapter in our 34-year history,” said Singapore Airlines regional vice president, South West Pacific Philip Goh.
“The decision to deliver increased capacity to the city reinforces our commitment to South Australia and will provide more opportunities to grow inbound and outbound travel.
“The introduction of the new aircraft will allow us to better serve the South Australian travel market and continue to provide our customers with a premium service offering.
“I am sure our South Australian customers will embrace being the first in the world to experience the new medium-haul cabin products onboard the A350.”
Goh also announced that Brisbane would be the second Australian city to receive the medium-haul A350-900, subject to regulatory approval.
“To better meet the growing demands of the market in Brisbane, we will deploy the medium-haul A350-900 with more Economy Class capacity to Queensland next year,” he said.
“This aircraft change will happen once we receive the second of our A350 aircraft fitted with the medium-haul product.”
“The change will increase the number of seats available on a weekly basis between Brisbane and Singapore by around 5 percent.’’
Singapore has ordered 67 A50-900s, 21 of which have already been delivered.
