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Singapore Airlines fleet

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Boeing 777-300ER (9V-SWA), the first of the -300ER variant delivered on 23 November 2006, completing its first flight to Zürich Airport. SIA is one of the world's largest operators of the Boeing 777 family, with 66 in its fleet.

The Singapore Airlines fleet features an exclusively wide-body aircraft from four aircraft families: the Boeing 777, Airbus A380, Airbus A340, and the Airbus A330.[1] In keeping with its policy of maintaining a young fleet, which stands at an average of 6.3 years as at 7 April 2012, it renews its fleet frequently.[2]

The airline used to name its fleet according to plane makes. The Boeing 747-400s were called "Megatop", the Boeing 777s were called "Jubilee" and the Airbus A340-500s were named "Leadership". Names for airliners previously flown by the airline include: "Superbus" for the 8 Airbus A300, "3TEN" for the 23 Airbus A310-300, "Celestar" for the 17 Airbus A340-300,"Super B" for the 23 Boeing 747-200B, "Big Top" for the 14 Boeing 747-300. By contrast, Singapore has never named the Airbus A380 or Airbus A330.

In September 2009, the Airbus A380 marked a milestone with the airline when the tenth delivery of its frame exceeded that of the Boeing 747-400 for the first time.[3]

Historical fleet

An Airspeed Consul (VR-SCD) – the first aircraft type operated by Malayan Airways, which was the forerunner of Singapore Airlines

Since 1937, the predecessors of Singapore Airlines operated the Airspeed Consul, Boeing 707, Boeing 737, Bristol Britannia, Douglas DC-3, Douglas DC-4 Skymaster, de Havilland Comet 4, Fokker F27, Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation and the Vickers Viscount.Upon its incorporation as Singapore Airlines Limited on 28 January 1972, the airline acquired seven Boeing 707s and five Boeing 737s from MSA on 30 September 1972.[4]

Its first purchase since incorporation was for another Boeing 707 from Continental Airlines which was delivered on 1 October 1972. The first Boeing 747-200 for the airline was delivered soon after on 31 July 1973, which also marked SIA's first direct delivery of a new aircraft. Boeing 727s were first delivered on 30 August 1977, Boeing 747-300s from 29 April 1983, and Boeing 757s from 12 November 1984.[5] The airline ordered its first aircraft from Airbus, the A300B4 in 1979,[6] which joined the fleet in 1980. Other Airbus models flown include the Airbus 310 since 1984 and the Airbus 340-300 from 26 October 1996.

The airline ordered the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 on 16 January 1990, involving 5 firm orders and 15 options, to operate long-haul routes with demand deemed too thin for the Boeing 747.[7] When it was revealed that the aircraft's performance was below expectations in terms of range and fuel burn, the order was cancelled in favour of the Airbus A340-300 with 20 orders. The cancellation was seen as particularly damaging to McDonnell Douglas due to the company's reputation.[8] Airbus in turn suffered a setback, however, when rival Boeing successfully negotiated to take SIA's existing A340-300 fleet as well as any still on order in exchange for 10 orders for the Boeing 777 in 1999,[9] prompting an upset Airbus to call the move an "act of desperation" on Boeing's part.[10]

In 1977, and from 1979 to 1980, SIA flew a Concorde that it shared with British Airways.[11] Concorde G-BOAD had Singapore Airlines' livery on the port side and British Airways' livery on the starboard side. It was used on the London to Singapore via Bahrain service. The service was withdrawn for financial reasons and complaints about noise from the Malaysian government.[12]

On April 6, 2012, Singapore Airlines retired its last Boeing 747-400, 9V-SPQ, which was the last Boeing 747 delivered to the airline. A pair of commemorative flights, SQ 747 and SQ 748, were scheduled to fly from Singapore to Hong Kong and back. Farewell ceremonies were organized at both airports. The retirement of the 747 marked the end of 39 years of 747 service (from 1973) for the airline (starting with the -200B), as well as the end of 23 years of Boeing 747-400 service (from 1989, when Singapore Airlines operated the world's first international 747-400 service with 9V-SMA and 9V-SMB).

Historical Singapore Airlines Fleet (1972–Present)[2]
Aircraft[3] Total delivered Period in fleet
Airbus A300B4-203 6 1980 - 1985
Airbus A300B4-2C 2 1982 - 1985
Airbus A310-222 6 1984 - 2000
Airbus A310-324 17 1987 - 2005
Airbus A340-313X 17 17 April 1996 - 5 October 2003
Boeing 707-312B 3 30 September 1972 - 16 January 1980
Boeing 707-324C 3 30 September 1972 - 27 April 1982
Boeing 707-327C 2 30 September 1972 - 7 November 1981
Boeing 707-338C 2 20 November 1972 - March 1981
Boeing 727-212 10 30 August 1977 - 6 March 1985
Boeing 737-112 5 30 September 1972 - 15 August 1980
Boeing 747-212B 19 31 July 1973 - 13 April 1994
Boeing 747-312 15 29 April 1983 - 27 February 2001
Boeing 747-412 42 18 March 1989 - 06 April 2012
Boeing 757-212 4 12 November 1984 - 12 June 1990
Boeing 777-212ER
(Derated as Boeing 777-200) 		31 (21 still in service) 5 May 1997 - ?
Boeing 777-212ER 15 (11 still in service) 19 July 2001 - ?
Concorde 1 1977; 1979 - 1980
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 8 1975; 1977 - 1985

Current fleet

The Singapore Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft:[13][14]

Singapore Airlines Fleet[14]
Aircraft In Service Orders Options Passengers Notes
R F C Y Total
Airbus A330-300 19 15 — — — 30 255 285
Airbus A340-500 5 — — — — 100 — 100 To be phased out in the fourth quarter of the 2013 calendar year.
Airbus A350-900 — 40 [15] 20
TBA
EIS: 2014
Airbus A380-800 19 5 [15] 1 12 — 60 399 471
12 — 86 311 409
Boeing 777–200 21 — — — — 38 228 266 Engines derated to non-ER standard.
— 12 42 234 288
— — 30 293 323
Boeing 777–200ER 11 — — — — 30 255 285
— — 26 245 271 Refitted
Boeing 777–300 7 — — — 8 50 226 284
— 18 49 265 332
Boeing 777-300ER 19 8 — — 8 42 228 278
Total 102 67 21

Boeing 777

Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-200 at Singapore Changi Airport

All of Singapore Airlines' 777-212s are the Extended Range (ER) models, featuring centre fuel tanks for maximum storage. The 9V-SQ* series was the first to enter service, with 9V-SQA having been delivered on May 5, 1997. These aircraft were configured in a three-class layout, seating 288 people. The 9V-SQ* series was intended for use on flights to Oceania and longer routes within Asia, which they still serve. Examples of typical 9V-SQ* series routes include Singapore to Perth and Singapore to Beijing. Some of the 9V-SQ* series aircraft have been transferred to Singapore Airlines' low-cost subsidiary, Scoot. The 9V-SR* series followed soon after, with the delivery of 9V-SRA on June 18, 1998, configured in a 323-seat, two-class layout for use on some of Singapore Airlines' short-haul Asian flights, such as popular routes for business travelers and routes to popular holiday destinations, such as Singapore to Bangkok and Singapore to Denpasar (Bali). Both series are powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 884 engines. The 9V-SQ* and 9V-SR* registered aircraft feature de-rated engines which can be electronically re-programmed to produce more thrust and thus operate longer flights at higher MTOWs if needed.[citation needed] The airline, however, has classified only the 9V-SV* registered series of aircraft - which are powered by more powerful Trent 892s - as 777-200ERs. Those aircraft are certified to 656,000 lb (298,000 kg) Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) and are utilized on the longer intercontinental routes to Europe and Africa. These aircraft have been utilized on routes as long as Singapore to Las Vegas via Hong Kong in the early 2000s, and current examples of the routes they serve include Singapore to Cape Town via Johannesburg (SQ478) and Singapore to Amsterdam (SQ324).

On December 10, 1998, Singapore Airlines took delivery of its first B777-300, a lengthened -200ER configured in a three-class, 332-seat configuration. The aircraft are all powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 892s, and were originally used on routes such as those from Singapore to Melbourne and Hong Kong (for services that did not continue onwards to San Francisco). Now that some of the aircraft have left the fleet, the B777-300s are used on regional flights where an aircraft that is slightly larger than the 9V-SR* series is required, as well as on some of their original routes. However, they have been replaced to a large extent on longer-haul routes by the newer and more advanced B777-300ER.

The airline announced the order of 19 Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in August 2004 with the order signed on 23 December 2004, during which an unused option for the Boeing 777 family was converted into an order for Boeing 777-300ER.[citation needed] Singapore Airlines became the world's largest operator of the Boeing 777 when it took delivery of its 58th such aircraft, a Boeing 777-200ER, on 6 May 2005,[16] and has 59 in its fleet as of 7 April 2012.[17][14] The airline's new Boeing 777-300ERs entered commercial service on 5 December 2006, on the Singapore-Paris route. They are powered by two GE90-115B engines, which hold the world record for being the most powerful jet engines in the world. Singapore Airlines' B777-300ERs are currently utilized on routes as long as Singapore to San Francisco via Hong Kong (SQ2) or Seoul-Incheon (SQ16), and as short as Singapore to Hong Kong (SQ 866).

Coincidently, this aircraft introduced Singapore Airlines' new First Class, Business Class, and Economy Class products. Singapore Airlines also took delivery of the 600th 777 produced.[18] Singapore Airlines has announced a cabin refit program for the 777 fleet of aircraft (minus the 777-300ER) which has commenced with the 777-200ER and -300 aircraft types (the 9V-SQ*, 9V-SR* and 9V-SY* series). The planes will feature the "New" First Class, the "New" Regional Business Class seat, and the improved Economy Class product offered on board the A330-300, A380-800 and 777-300ER aircraft. The first flight with the new cabin took place from Singapore - Sydney on 22 June 2009.

Airbus A330

The twenty A330-300s are being leased for five and six year terms, replacing most Asian and Australian routes currently served by the older Boeing 777s.

Airbus A340

The A340-500s feature all Business Class cabins in 1-2-1 configuration. The A340-500s are used for the ultra long-haul routes from Singapore to Los Angeles and Newark non-stop. Singapore Airlines operates the world's longest non-stop flights, SQ21 and SQ22 using the A340-500s that fly between Singapore Changi Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport.[19] When flying from Singapore to New Jersey, the plane usually flies over the North Pole and crosses the Arctic Ocean. The length of this route is 9530 mi (8280 nm) or 15340 km.[citation needed] Singapore Airlines announced that its five A340-500s would be reconfigured to seat 100 in a business class only layout with a 1-2-1 configuration by May 2008 for its non-stop flights to Newark and to Los Angeles.[20] Previously, the airline had operated its A340-500s with 64 Business Class seats and 117 Executive Economy Class seats.[21] The Executive Economy Class seats had more legroom than standard Economy Class seats, in addition to a larger seat pitch and a larger KrisWorld AVOD screen.[22] According to the airline, the change was decided due to the demand for business class seats on the 19-hour flight.[19] All five A340-500 would be sold back to Airbus under a deal in the fourth quarter of 2013 and direct non-stop Singapore-Newark and Singapore-Los Angeles will cease operations.

Airbus A380

Airbus A380 at Singapore Changi Airport.

Singapore Airlines became the first airline to operate the Airbus A380-800 on 25 October 2007 after a series of delays.[23][24] The airline has orders for 19 A380s with six options. The first flight was a return trip from Singapore to Sydney, with a flight designation of SQ380 to signify the first commercial flight of the A380.[25] To mark this moment in aviation history, SIA auctioned all the tickets in a special agreement with eBay, beginning on 27 August 2007 for two weeks, and donated all the proceeds to charity.[26] Close to $1.3 million dollars was raised for charity through the auction.[27]

With the delivery of the third A380, services to London Heathrow commenced on 18 March 2008,[28] and delivery of the fourth aircraft saw the commencement of flights to Tokyo (Narita) on 20 May 2008 .[29] The fifth and sixth aircraft allowed SIA to operate a double daily A380 flight from Singapore to London, from September 2008. Delivery of the seventh aircraft in May 2009 and the eighth aircraft in June 2009 permitted SIA to replace the 10 times weekly return 777-300ER Singapore-Paris flight with an A380 daily return flight from 1 June 2009. Singapore Airlines started a daily flight on the route Singapore-Hong Kong from July 9, 2009, with the delivery of the 9th aircraft. Then they started a daily flight to Melbourne from 29 September 2009 with the 10th aircraft. From March 28, 2010, Singapore Airlines commenced A380 daily services on the route to Zurich, replacing the previous 12 times weekly served with Boeing 777-300ER. Singapore Airlines had planned to replace the Singapore-Narita service with the launch of a Singapore-Narita-Los Angeles service using A380s on 27 March 2011, but due to the Great East Japan Earthquake, it was postponed to July 1, 2011.[30] The airline launched the A380 aircraft on its New York-JFK-Frankurt-Singapore route on 16 January 2012.[31]

Also, the airline became the first to operate commercial A380 flights into Beijing when the Singapore-Beijing route utilised the A380 from 2 to 8 August 2008 to meet higher passenger traffic during the Beijing Summer Olympic Games.[32]

References

Notes
  1. ^ "Seat Map & Fleet Information". Retrieved 2009-05-29.
  2. ^ "Annual Report 07/08" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-05-18.
  3. ^ Flightglobal.com
  4. ^ Airline Pilots Association - Singapore - Aviation Landscape in Singapore
  5. ^ Airlinerlist.com
  6. ^ "Singapore Airlines looks to the future with orders for A380 and A350 XWB" (Press release). 2006-07-21. Retrieved 2008-02-02.
  7. ^ Operators-The ones that never were!
  8. ^ McDonnell Loses Sale To Airbus - International Herald Tribune
  9. ^ Boeing: Boeing Confirms Singapore Airlines Choice Of 777-200ERs
  10. ^ Boeing and Airbus Battle Over Singapore Airline Sales - New York Times
  11. ^ As depicted on the reserve of the 20 Dollars banknote, Bird Series of the Singapore Currency
  12. ^ Singapore Concorde Services
  13. ^ "Singapore Airlines Fleet"
  14. ^ a b c "List of Aircraft on Singapore Register". Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore. Last updated August 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ a b "Singapore Airlines in $7.5 billion Airbus deal | Reuters". Uk.reuters.com. 2007-04-24. Retrieved 2012-10-24.
  16. ^ Singapore Airlines becomes largest operator of Boeing 777
  17. ^ Singapore Airlines Fleet Details and History - Planespotters.net Just Aviation
  18. ^ Boeing reaches milestone with 600th 777 jet
  19. ^ a b Singapore Airlines to pioneer all-business-class flights across Pacific - Los Angeles Times
  20. ^ Singapore Air plans all-business class flights to US | Industries | Industrials, Materials & Utilities | Reuters
  21. ^ Singapore Airlines A340-500 - Business Traveller
  22. ^ In a class of its own
  23. ^ "Airbus announces new A380 delivery delays; EIS put off until 2007". ATW Daily News. 2006-06-14.
  24. ^ "Singapore Airlines reveals delivery date for first Airbus A380" Flight Global, 16/08/07
  25. ^ First A380 Flight On 25-26 October
  26. ^ Singapore Airlines A380 > First A380 flight to be sold for charity
  27. ^ "SIA's A380 auction raised nearly $1.3 million" Flight Global, 13/09/07
  28. ^ Singaporeair.com
  29. ^ Singapore Airlines News Releases
  30. ^ Singapore Airlines - News Releases
  31. ^ [1][dead link]
  32. ^ A380 News Promo
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