Singapore Airlines’ Sydney office is lobbying hard for the launch of the airline’s new Airbus A380s to take place on the 10th anniversary of the superjumbo’s first ever scheduled service between Singapore and Sydney.
A Singapore spokesman confirmed that the airline’s local boss, TK Tan, was pushing for the first flight of the new A380 to be Singapore-Sydney on the 10th anniversary of the world-first flight on October 25, 2007.
But he said the possibility was still up for discussion and there was work to be done in terms of product fitting and certification before a launch date and launch destination could be confirmed.
“We here are very, very keen to have it in Sydney and we’ve certainly made than known to the powers-that-be,’’ the spokesman said.
Singapore Airlines (SIA) has five new A380s on the way and will use them as a platform to launch new product in first and business class.
This is believed to include relocating first class to the upper deck to make that space an all-premium affair.
The launch is part of a busy year Singapore as it also this month celebrates its 50th anniversary in Australia.
The celebrations have included functions in Perth and Sydney, an anniversary flyover in Perth by one of the airline’s new Airbus A350s, a guest inflight appearance by members of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and a special menu featuring Australian food.
The airline has come a long way since April 5, 1967, when SIA-forerunner Malaysia-Singapore Airlines flew its first service to Perth using a 100-seat de Havilland Comet.
The airline had chartered a Qantas Boeing 707 a few days earlier to take travel agents to Singapore but the first commercial flight used the Comet on Singapore-Perth-Sydney and back.
Except for a few ad hoc services, Sydney went offline until later in the year when services started using a Boeing 707 via Jakarta. At that stage, Perth services were operated twice a week and the Sydney got the service by Jakarta once a week and via Perth once a week.
Today, it offers 119 weekly flights from six Australian cities.
It has also been an airline synonymous with in-flight innovation.
it started with free drinks, choice of meals and plastic headsets for economy passengers in the 1960s and has never stopped.
The airline’s mantra has been passengers first and it tells with a fierce loyalty that has stood the test of time.
When Singapore split from MSA in 1972 to form Singapore Airlines it quickly established a reputation for operational excellence with aircraft manufacturers and the airline is at the forefront of aircraft design.
For instance, it was the launch customer for the 747-400 and amongst the first airlines to buy the A380 and has been a key customer for the A350, 787 and the new Boeing 777X.
One of the major innovations for Singapore Airlines was the in-flight entertainment for economy passengers in the early 1990s.
Around the same time, the airline was the first to introduce satellite-based inflight telephones and the first to offer global inflight fax machine service on board its 747-400s.
Such was the power of the Singapore Airlines brand, its iconic Singapore Girl was unveiled at Madame Tussauds in London in 1993, becoming the first commercial figure to be displayed in the museum.
The airline was also the first to introduce beds for First Class which were installed on the upper deck of its Boeing 747-200s.
Although that was short lived, the airline typically has been a leader in cabin innovation, although it was a late adopter of premium economy, a shortcoming it has now rectified.
Singapore Airlines took the inflight culinary experience to new levels in 1998 when it was the first airline to involve a comprehensive panel of world-renowned chefs, the International Culinary Panel, in developing inflight meals.
In 2001, Singapore Airlines was the first to offer Audio and Video on demand (AVOD) capabilities on KrisWorld in all classes.
To put that innovation in perspective, at the time, many other airlines – such as Qantas and Air New Zealand – were yet to roll out in-flight entertainment for economy passengers and were still offering only main screen movies.
SIA also launched with Matsushita the ability for passengers send a text message of up to 160 characters to an e-mail address or a mobile phone, using their personal in-seat monitor screens and handsets.
The 2003 introduction to the fleet of the long-range A340-500 saw Singapore introduce the world’s longest flights with premium services to US west and east coasts. Although this service was subsequently axed in 2013, the airline plans to restart it next yer using the ultra-long-range version of the Airbus A350-900.
In 2006, the airline launched the eX2™ IFE system from Panasonic and the video programs were displayed on much larger, high-resolution screens across all classes.
Then on October 25, 2007 Singapore Airlines launched the world’s first A380 service from Singapore to Sydney.
More recently the airline has introduced premium economy and revamped its award-winning business class.
It continues to modernise its fleet with the introduction of the Airbus A350 as well as orders for the 787-10 and Boeing 777X.
