Airbus A-380 marks maiden visit to India

The first superjumbo Airbus A-380 plane landed here from Singapore with Singapore Airlines becoming the only global carrier to launch commercial flights of the 'big birds' to India.  The landing of the long-haul, wide-body and fully double -decker aircraft that can carry a total of 471 passengers, at the Indira Gandhi International Airport was preceded by a thunder storm and high-velocity winds that led to the diversion of 21 flights to nearby airports. On landing, the superjumbo was given a 'water-salute' by the fire brigade at the airport run by the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) which made special arrangements to handle the large number of passengers and their baggage. 

The passengers were welcomed by the SIA staff with gifts and bouquets.  'The A-380 has received an overwhelming response from the Indian travelers. This reiterates our belief in the Indian market and their aspirations to travel the world which has been the key factor for Singapore Airlines' growth story in India,' SIA general manager David Lau said at the launch of the superjumbo operations to India. The SIA's aircraft has a total seating capacity of 471 seats with 399 in economy, 60 in business class and 12 First Class suites. Of the 6,000 seats per week allowed in the bilateral air services agreement between India and the Southeast Asian city- state, SIA is estimated to use about 5,800 from Delhi and Mumbai.

Delhi and Mumbai airports had received DGCA certification and have made preparations to receive the superjumbos in terms of various services required to handle the large number of passengers these planes can carry when they land or take off.  Immigration and customs departments had made special arrangements for handling such a large number of passengers. Late January, government had cleared the deck for A-380 operations from Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore, lifting a five-year-old ban. 

The restriction, which was lifted by the Civil Aviation Ministry after several years of demands by major foreign carriers, was imposed in 2008 as the government had then felt these massive jets would help foreign airlines take away a large chunk of global traffic which could be detrimental to Indian carriers' interests. Major Gulf carrier Emirates would become the second airline to deploy these Airbus A-380s from Mumbai in July. Earlier, Gulf carrier Emirates had announced the launch of its A-380 operations between Mumbai and Dubai from July 21 adding a capacity of 2,127 seats per week in each direction.

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Singapore Airlines and Jetblue in codeshare agreement

Singapore Airlines and Jetblue Airways have filed an application with the US department of transportation to enter into a codeshare agreement.

The two airlines have been interline partners since 2011. The expanded partnership would mean Singapore travellers gain an extra 16 destinations in the US, while Jetblue customers would have access to five new cities in Europe and Asia.

“The partnership is testament to our continuous commitment to expand our network and provide customers with more seamless travel options,” said executive VP of commercial, Mak Swee Wah.

“The opportunities offered by our combined network also show how we can achieve more by cooperating with the right partners,” he added.

Jetblue president Robin Hayes, said: “By expanding our partnership, Jetblue customers will now have access to many more destinations around the globe, enjoying the ultimate service and comfort throughout their entire journey.

“This is another first-rate airline partner for JetBlue in a short time, which truly reaffirms our growing status among airlines globally.”

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Singapore Airlines Axing Cairo And Riyadh Routes From September

Singapore Airlines (SIA) will suspend its services to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia and Cairo in Egypt from September 28 and 30 respectively. The poor performance of the routes was due to lack of demand as well as increased competition from other carriers. Cairo, for instance, is well served by Gulf carriers, eating up a significant part of SIA’s market. SIA currently serves both Cairo and Riyadh three times per week, but its service to Cairo features a layover in Dubai.

Customers holding confirmed tickets for travel to either destination after the cancellation dates will be eligible for refunds, without administrative fees or penalties. This will also apply to any Kris Flyer redemption tickets, and all miles will be refunded accordingly. SIA will attempt to contact affected customers to offer alternative travel options. Connections to and from both cancelled destinations will still be possible on other airlines via connections through points such as Dubai in the UAE. SIA will continue to serve Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. However, instead of flying there via Riyadh as it currently does, Jeddah will be operated via Dubai from October 2 onwards.

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Emirates Launches Fifth Daily Flight To Singapore

Dubai-based Emirates announced that it will launch its fifth daily flight to Singapore from August 1, 2014, as the Asian country strengthens its position as a gateway hub for the airline.

The new service, operated via a 364-seat Boeing 777-300, will bring Emirates’ total number of flights between the two cities to 35 a week, with 28 non-stop services and seven flights via Colombo, it said in a statement. The airline also operates daily services from Singapore to Brisbane and Melbourne.

“The introduction of our fifth daily service between Dubai and Singapore is a reflection of the growing passenger demand for flights between these two important global business, trade and tourism hubs,” said Barry Brown, Emirates’ divisional senior vice president, Commercial Operations East.

“The increased frequency will give our customers greater flexibility in their travel plans allowing them to connect to other flights on Emirates’ extensive global network.”

Emirates began flights to Singapore in 1990 and the city has now emerged as an “important gateway” in the Far East and Australasia region, the airline said. It helps passengers connect to Melbourne, Brisbane, Colombo and Dubai, and onward to 35 destinations in Europe, nine destinations in the United States and more than 20 destinations in Africa.

Along with passengers, Emirates SkyCargo will also operate belly hold cargo space to help transport goods such as ship spare parts, mobile phones and various other electronic goods to and from Singapore.

Emirates has been expanding rapidly and has already launched services to three new destinations this year including Kiev, Taipei and Boston. It has also announced the start of services to Abuja and Kano, Nigeria (August 1), Chicago, USA (August 1), Oslo, Norway (September 2) and Brussels, Belgium (September 5).

The airline recently posted a 43 per cent rise in net profit for the financial year ended March 2014 to reach Dhs3.3 billion, thanks to higher revenues and lower fuel costs.

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Singapore Airlines and Turkish Airlines sign codeshare deal

Singapore Airlines and Turkish Airlines have agreed a major expansion of codeshare ties, covering destinations beyond both Istanbul and Singapore.

The Star Alliance partners have been codesharing on each other’s flights on the route from Istanbul to Singapore and vice versa since February 2009.

Singapore Airlines currently operates four weekly flights on the mentioned route, increasing frequency on a seasonal basis to six times per week to meet growth in demand, effective from May 30th 2014.

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