Oct 17, 2007
SIA's first A380 to touch down in S'pore at 6.30pm on Wed
By Karamjit Kaur
SIA received its new giant baby - the biggest commercial plane ever
built - just two days ago from Airbus in a glitzy event in
Toulouse. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
THE 'new queen in the sky' - the world's first Airbus 380
superjumbo is due to arrive at Changi Airport at 6.30pm
today.
Christened 9V-SKA on the Singapore aircraft register, the
double-decker jet - as long as a soccer pitch and with a tail seven
storeys high - will receive a water cannon salute.
It is a privilege reserved for the very special and the aircraft
dressed in Singapore Airlines' livery is believed to the first that
will receive such an honour at Changi.
The giant bird, piloted by a four-member SIA crew led by chief
A-380 pilot Captain Robert Ting, is flying in from the the Airbus
headquarters in Toulouse, France.
Upon landing, it will be towed into position and docked at the
soon-to-be-opened Terminal 3, where Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
and other guests are awaiting.
SIA received its new giant baby - the biggest commercial plane ever
built - just two days ago from Airbus in a glitzy event in
Toulouse.
It was attended by over 500 suppliers, guests and media from around
the world.
SIA, the first to operate the new plane, will start its inaugural
A-380 flight to Sydney on Oct 25.
From Oct 28, the plane will be put into regular commercial service,
flying once a day on the Singapore-Sydney route.
SIA, which has signed for 19 of the planes, also plans to fly them
to London, Tokyo, Hong Kong and San Francisco next year.
So far, 16 airlines worldwide have ordered 189 A380s that can each
carry more than 500 passengers in a three-class configuration -
over 100 more passengers than the Boeing 747 which is the biggest
plane now in commercial service.
SIA is fitting its aircraft with just 471 seats - 12 suites, 60 in
business class and 399 in economy - to offer customers more space
and luxury.
Unveiled for the first time in Toulouse on Monday, the private
suites, tagged as 'beyond first-class drew plenty of wows.
Each is a personal cabin complete with a seat and a separate bed,
which can be folded against the wall when not in use.
Travellers in business and economy class also get more comfort with
the widest seats and biggest personal entertainment screens in the
sky.
Seats in business class are 34 inches wide, compared to 20 inches
on the B-747 which the new giant is meant to replace. Each seat
also comes with a 15.4-inch in-flight entertainment screen.
In economy, seats are 19 inches wide, about two inches more than
those on the Boeing jumbo. In-flight entertainment screens are 10.6
inches wide.
The aircraft has three floors, connected by stairs in the front and
rear.
Passengers will be seated on the two top decks, while the bottom
deck carries cargo.
But luxury comes at a price, and at the top end, travellers can
expect to pay 25 per cent more than what they now pay for the
Boeing 747.
The increases, however, will be more moderate for economy class
passengers.
SIA chief executive officer Chew Choon Seng said at the delivery
ceremony: 'From today there is a new queen in the sky.'
