Singapore Airlines fleet

Boeing 777-300ER (9V-SWA), the first of the -300ER variant delivered on 23 November 2006, taking off from Zürich Airport. SIA is one of the world's largest operators of the Boeing 777 family, with 58 in its fleet.

The Singapore Airlines fleet features exclusively wide-body aircraft from four aircraft families: the Boeing 777, Airbus A380, Airbus A350, and the Airbus A330.[1] In keeping with its policy of maintaining a young fleet, which stands at an average of seven years and one month as at 1 January 2015, it renews its fleet frequently.[2]

As of 30 April 2016, there were 107 aircraft registered in the Singapore Airlines fleet, and it is awaiting the delivery of 30 Boeing 787-10s to replace their A330-300s, 65 Airbus A350-900s to replace their 777-200, 200ERs, some A330s,[3] and five A380s to replace their older A380s.

Current fleet

The Singapore Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft registered (as of 30 April 2016):[4]

Singapore Airlines Fleet
Aircraft In Service Orders Passengers[5] Notes
R F C Y+ Y Total
Airbus A330-300 29 — — — 30 — 255 285 All to be replaced by Airbus A350s and Boeing 787-10 from 2018-2019.[3]
Airbus A350-900 2 65[6] — — 42 24 187 253 Replacing Boeing 777-200ER and original 200 series.
Seven are ULR variant (Launch Customer).[7]
Airbus A380-800 19 5 12 — 86 36 245 379 Launch Customer. Five to be delivered from 2018 to 2019.
12 — 86 — 311 409
12 — 60 36 333 441
12 — 60 — 399 471
Boeing 777-200 11 — — — 38 — 228 266 Replacement Aircraft: Airbus A350-900.
— — 30 — 293 323
Boeing 777-200ER 13 — — — 26 — 245 271 Replacement Aircraft: Airbus A350-900.
— — 30 — 255 285
Boeing 777-300 6 — — 8 50 — 226 284
Boeing 777-300ER 27 — — 4 48 28 184 264 13 to be refitted with new Cabin Products.[8]
— 8 42 — 228 278
Boeing 787-10 — 30
TBA
 EIS: 2018-2019; launch customer.
Total 107 100

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 5 May 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. Examples of typical 9V-SQ* series routes include Singapore to Perth, Singapore to Jakarta and Singapore to Beijing. All un-refurbished 9V-SQ* aircraft have since been retired. 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 18 June 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). Singapore Airline has only two of unrefitted 9V-SR* aircraft. 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. 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 (decade), and current examples of the routes they serve include Singapore to Cape Town via Johannesburg (SQ478), Singapore to Istanbul (SQ392), Singapore to Copenhagen (SQ352) and Singapore to Christchurch (SQ297).

On 10 December 1998, Singapore Airlines took delivery of its first Boeing 777-300, 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 777-300ER.

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. 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,[9] and has 60 in its fleet as of 6 August 2014.[10][11] It has since been surpassed by Emirates, which currently has 130 examples in its fleet. 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 (SQ1/SQ2) or Seoul-Incheon (SQ15/SQ16), and as short as Singapore to Hong Kong (SQ 866). Sometimes, Singapore Airlines also uses its B777-300ERs for even shorter Singapore - Jakarta and Singapore - Manila routes, when there is additional demand.

The 777-300ER introduced Singapore Airlines' new First Class, Business Class, and Economy Class products. Singapore Airlines also took delivery of the 600th 777 produced.[12] Singapore Airlines 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 adopted new cabin products similar to that 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. All 777-200s, 777-200ERs and 777-300 aircraft feature this product, with the exception of one B777-200 and two B777-200ER as of March 2016. Singapore Airlines has since started retirement of older B777 aircraft, starting with 9V-SQI, a Boeing 777-200.[13]

On 9 July 2013, Singapore Airlines, in collaboration with two design firms, James Park Associates and DesignworksUSA, unveiled the next generation of cabin products for First, Business, and Economy class, which will first enter service onboard new Boeing 777-300ERs. London was the first city served with the new product in September 2013.[14] The product was later extended to all Boeing 777-300ERs.[15] Singapore Airlines also introduced its new Premium Economy product on 9 August 2015 on the Boeing 777-300ER.

Airbus A330

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

Airbus A350

Singapore Airlines placed an order for 30 Airbus A350-900 aircraft in 2006, with a further 30 orders placed in 2013.[16] The airline took delivery of the first of the aircraft in February 2016[4][17] and flew its delivery flight to Singapore on the 2nd of March.[18] The airline will begin operating regular services using the A350 on the Singapore-Amsterdam route beginning 9 May 2016,[19] although test flights have commenced on flights to Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta beginning March. The aircraft will also operate the airline's new Singapore-Dusseldorf route, to commence on 21 July 2016.[20]

On 13 October 2015, Singapore Airlines announced that it has placed orders for 7 Airbus A350-900ULR (Ultra-Long Range), which will see the return of non-stop flights between Singapore and both New York and Los Angeles.[21] The A350-900ULR will be configured with approximately 170 seats, compared to 253 in Singapore Airlines' standard A350-900, and will be fitted with the airline's all-new business class seat design due in 2018.[22]

The Airbus A350 aircraft is the replacement aircraft for existing Boeing 777-200, Boeing 777-200ER and Airbus A330-300 aircraft.

Airbus A380

Airbus A380 at Sydney Airport (May 2013)
Airbus A380 wearing a 50th anniversary of Singapore livery departing Singapore Changi Airport (May 2015)

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 placed 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 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 9 July 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 28 March 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 1 July 2011.[30] The airline launched the A380 aircraft on its New York-JFK-Frankfurt-Singapore route on 16 January 2012.[31]

Singapore Airlines further introduced the A380 on flights to and from Shanghai on 27 October 2013,[32] Mumbai and New Delhi on 30 May 2014,[33] Beijing on 1 August 2014 [34] and Auckland on 11 August 2014.[35]

The airline also uses the A380 to serve commemorative or seasonal flights. Singapore Airlines became the first to operate commercial A380 flights into Beijing from 2 to 8 August 2008 to meet higher passenger traffic during the Beijing Summer Olympic Games, and operated the A380 seasonally to Osaka in August 2012.[36] On 9 August 2015, a Singapore Airlines A380 took part in the Singapore National Day Parade as part of Singapore's 50th anniversary celebrations. The aircraft was painted with a special livery, retaining it through to the end of the year, and operated a special Charity Flight on 29 May 2015.[37]

In 2012, Singapore Airlines agreed to order five more A380s, to be delivered from 2017.[38] They will feature new Suites, Business Class and Economy cabins, as well as Premium Economy seats which are already being rolled out on existing A380s.[39]

Currently, Singapore Airlines operates the A380 to Auckland, Beijing, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Mumbai, New Delhi, New York, Paris, Shanghai, Sydney, Tokyo (Narita) and Zurich.

Fleet gallery

Fleet History

An Airspeed Consul (VR-SCD) – the first aircraft type operated by Malayan Airways, which was the forerunner of Singapore Airlines
The Singaporean Concorde (G-BOAD) at Heathrow in 1980

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.[40]

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.[41] The airline ordered its first aircraft from Airbus, the A300B4 in 1979,[42] 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.[43] 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.[14] 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,[44] prompting an upset Airbus to call the move an "act of desperation" on Boeing's part.[45] Some aircraft types in the fleet were named in the past, such as Megatop for the Boeing 747-400 and Celestar for the Airbus A340-300, although this policy no longer applies to current aircraft.

In 1977, and from 1979 to 1980, British Airways operated a Concorde (G-BOAD)[46] which was dual-liveried with 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 and Indian governments.[47]

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.[48] On 6 April 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). Currently the registration number of 9V-SMA has been reassigned to Singapore Airlines first Airbus A350-900,[49] while 9V-SMB will be assigned to the second A350 as the usual aircraft registration order.

An Airbus A380-800 at Zurich Airport in 2010.
Historical Singapore Airlines Fleet (1972 – present)
Aircraft 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
Airbus A340-541 5 December 31, 2003 – November 24, 2013
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 – 6 April 2012
Boeing 757-212 4 12 November 1984 – 12 June 1990
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 8 1975; 1977 - 1985

Aircraft naming

Certain aircraft types in the Singapore Airlines fleet were given names as shown in the following list, though this policy has now ended and there are no names attributed to the current fleet.

References

Notes
  1. ↑ "Seat Map & Fleet Information". Retrieved 2009-05-29.
  2. ↑ "Annual Report 07/08" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-05-18.
  3. 1 2 "Singapore Airlines confirms Airbus A350 'medium-range' config". Business Travel Media Pty Ltd. 9 January 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
  4. 1 2 "List of Aircraft on Singapore Register". CAAS.gov.sg. Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore. 30 April 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  5. ↑ "Our fleet". singaporeair.com. Singapore Airlines. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
  6. ↑ "Airbus launches new Ultra-Long Range version of the A350-900". Airbus SAS. 13 October 2015. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  7. ↑ "Firm orders for the A350-900 to 60, with 7 on Airbus A350-900ULR". Airbus. 13 October 2015. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  8. ↑ "SIA To Invest US$325 Million To Fit Latest Cabin Products To Boeing 777-300ER". singaporeair.com. Retrieved 2014-05-09.
  9. ↑ Singapore Airlines becomes largest operator of Boeing 777
  10. ↑ "List of Aircraft on Singapore Register". Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore. August 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  11. ↑ Singapore Airlines Fleet Details and History - Planespotters.net Just Aviation
  12. ↑ Boeing reaches milestone with 600th 777 jet
  13. ↑ http://www.sqtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6799&page=32
  14. 1 2 "Singapore Airlines Unveils Next Generation of Cabin Products".
  15. ↑ "SIA To Invest US$325 Million To Fit Latest Cabin Products to B777-300ER". Singapore Airlines. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
  16. ↑ "SIA To Order US$17 Billion Worth Of Aircraft From Airbus & Boeing". Singapore Airlines. 30 May 2013. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  17. ↑ "Orders & Deliveries". Airbus. 29 February 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  18. ↑ "A350 First Delivery To Singapore Airlines". Retrieved 2016-03-04.
  19. ↑ hermesauto. "Singapore Airlines to start A350-900 services to Amsterdam on May 9". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2016-03-04.
  20. ↑ "Singapore Airlines To Add Düsseldorf To Route Network". Singapore Airlines. 9 November 2015..
  21. ↑ "Airbus launches new Ultra-Long Range version of the A350-900".
  22. ↑ "Singapore Airlines: non-stop USA flights with long-range A350". Australian Business Traveller. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  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. ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20121024205208/http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Singapore-Airlines-A380-to-prnews-2141621958.html?x=0&.v=1. Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 24 September 2011. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  32. ↑ "Singapore Airlines A380 To Serve Shanghai". Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  33. ↑ "Singapore Airlines A380 To Serve India". Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  34. ↑ "Singapore Airlines A380 To Serve Beijing". Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  35. ↑ "Singapore Airlines A380 To Serve Auckland". Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  36. ↑ "Singapore Airlines To Operate Commemorative A380 Services To Osaka In August". Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  37. ↑ "Singapore Airlines A380 To Fly In National Day Parade". Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  38. ↑ "SIA To Place US$7.5B Order For More A380s and A350s". Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  39. ↑ "Singapore Airlines: new A380 first class suites, business class in 2017". Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  40. ↑ Airline Pilots Association - Singapore - Aviation Landscape in Singapore
  41. ↑ Airlinerlist.com
  42. ↑ "Singapore Airlines looks to the future with orders for A380 and A350 XWB" (Press release). 2006-07-21. Retrieved 2008-02-02.
  43. ↑ Operators-The ones that never were!
  44. ↑ Boeing: Boeing Confirms Singapore Airlines Choice Of 777-200ERs
  45. ↑ Boeing and Airbus Battle Over Singapore Airline Sales - New York Times
  46. ↑ As depicted on the reserve of the 20 Dollars banknote, Bird Series of the Singapore Currency
  47. ↑ Singapore Concorde Services
  48. ↑ Flightglobal.com
  49. ↑ "Singapore Airlines A350-900 (9V-SMA) had arrived home.". 9V-ichigoLabbit - Aviation News. Retrieved 2016-03-06.
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