Singapore Airlines says it will receive four Airbus A380
superjumbos as planned this year but could not rule out deferring
future deliveries as passenger and cargo volumes drop.
SIA said that load figures, an industry measure of capacity
usage, remain encouraging on the aircraft, the biggest airliner
ever built.
SIA is the first airline to fly the double-decker A380 and it
had placed orders for 19 of the planes, six of which are on
option.
Six A380s have already been delivered and the four this year
will raise its fleet to 10.
The giant plane can carry up to 853 passengers but SIA chose a
set-up with a maximum of 471 seats to give passengers more
space.
SIA, regarded as a bellwether for the industry, in Tuesday
reported a huge drop in passenger numbers and cargo shipments for
February.
--938Live