Tag Archives: Singapore Airlines

Virgin Australia makes three bold moves

Virgin Australia Holdings Limited (Virgin Australia Airlines) (Brisbane) is making three bold moves. The company issued the following statement:

Virgin Australia Holdings Limited today announced three transactions designed to accelerate the growth of the business, diversify its earnings and increase competition in Australia.

The transactions include:

making a placement of shares to Singapore Airlines (Singapore), which will see Singapore Airlines owning a 10% interest in Virgin Australia Holdings;
entering a Share Purchase Agreement to acquire 60% of the existing shares in Tiger Airways Australia (Melbourne) from Tiger Airways; and
entering an in-principle agreement with Skywest Airlines (Perth) to acquire 100% of its business.

Virgin Australia Chief Executive Officer John Borghetti said: “The transactions announced today are in line with Virgin Australia’s strategy to become the airline of choice in all markets, in order to diversify our earnings and drive growth opportunities for the business.

“The acquisition of Tiger Australia and Skywest provides Virgin Australia with a strong presence in the budget, Fly-in Fly-Out (FIFO) and regional markets, enabling us to fast-track our expansion in these areas and become a stronger competitor”, Mr Borghetti said.

“These transactions will bring important benefits to Australia, driving growth in jobs, tourism and competition”, Mr Borghetti said.

If approved, following the completion of the transactions, the Virgin Australia Group will expand to 139 aircraft and over 9,000 employees .

Virgin Australia will keep the market updated regarding progress on these transactions.

Meanwhile partner Singapore Airlines (Singapore) has ordered 20 Airbus A350-900s and five A380s and will assign its 20 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners to subsidiary Scoot (Singapore).

Top Copyright Photo: Lloyd Fox. If approved, Skywest Airlines (Perth) will become a 100% subsidiary of Virgin Australia. The regional carrier is already operating ATR 72-500s for Virgin Australia in their livery. The Skywest brand used for other Western Australia routes is now likely to disappear.

Virgin Australia:

Skywest Airlines:

Tiger Airways (Australia):

Bottom Copyright Photo: Micheil Keegan. Since Singapore Airlines and its Tiger Airways (Australia) subsidiary are now partners with Virgin Australia, it is unclear if Tiger Airways (Australia), a competitor of Virgin Australia, will continue to use the the Tiger Airways brand in Australia or operate now under the Virgin Australia name. Airbus A320-232 VH-VNO (msn 4053) climbs away from Sydney.

Singapore Airlines to conduct an Airbus A380 delivery flight contest

Singapore Airlines (Singapore) has launched a contest for a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be on the delivery flight of SIA’s 19^th Airbus A380 from Toulouse, France in early September.

The winner of the lucky draw and a guest of his or her choosing will be flown to Airbus’ headquarters in Toulouse from any point in the SIA network. In Toulouse, the pair will enjoy two nights’ accommodation, a half-day tour of the city, and dinners hosted by SIA and Airbus. They will also be treated to an exclusive tour of Airbus’ production center, before boarding the super jumbo aircraft for its delivery flight to Singapore.

Being on a delivery flight is a unique experience usually restricted to a small number of cabin and technical crew, as well as a handful of other SIA staff involved in accepting the aircraft. The operational nature of the flight means service is limited, but its exclusive nature offers a sneak peek into the real workings of the airline industry.

To qualify for the draw, contestants are required to own a passport on SIAJourneys.com. Those who currently do not have an existing passport may create one on the microsite. The contest ends on August 28, 2012 and the winner will be chosen from those with valid passports. More details are available on SIAJourneys.com.

Singapore Airlines currently operates 18 A380s and was the first to operate the world’s largest commercial aircraft in October 2007. The Airline’s 19^th A380 (9V-SKT) is due for delivery on September 6, 2012.

SIA was the “First to Fly” the A380 in 2007, with an inaugural flight to Sydney on October 25, 2007. Today, the airline operates the super jumbo to ten destinations across its network, including Sydney, Melbourne, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Los Angeles, New York (JFK), London (Heathrow), Paris (CDG), Zurich, and Frankfurt.

In other news, Singapore will inaugurate Singapore-Munich-Manchester service with Boeing 777-300 ERs on October 28, 2012.

Singapore Airlines Slide Show:

Frameable Color Prints and Posters:

SilkAir defects to Boeing for 23 Boeing 737-800s and 31 737 MAX 8s

SilkAir (Singapore), the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to purchase up to 68 new aircraft from Boeing.

The order is the largest in SilkAir’s history and remains subject to the negotiation of a final purchase agreement.

It will comprise firm orders for 54 aircraft and purchase rights for another 14. Firm orders will comprise 23 Boeing 737-800s and 31 Boeing 737 MAX 8s. SilkAir will have the flexibility to switch to other variants within the Boeing 737 product range.

SilkAir currently operates 21 A319s and A320s, with three more A320s due for delivery by the end of 2013. The new aircraft will cater for both growth and fleet renewal.

SilkAir:

SAS and Singapore Airlines sign a joint venture agreement

Scandinavian Airlines-SAS‘ (Stockholm) and Singapore Airlines‘ (Singapore) CEOs, Rickard Gustafson and Goh Choon Phong, today (May 11) signed a joint venture agreement in Singapore. This follows the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that was signed in January and covers routes between Scandinavia and Singapore.

With a signed joint venture agreement, the Star Alliance carriers can now move forward to plan further business opportunities within the partnership, such as the co-ordination of flight schedules and joint sales activities, all of which is subject to regulatory approval. Regulatory approval will now be sought from authorities in Singapore and Europe.

The partnership is expected to lead to growth in existing air services between Singapore and Scandinavia, and, subject to market conditions at the appropriate time, pave the way for a new route between Singapore and Stockholm. Singapore Airlines currently operates three weekly flights between Copenhagen and Singapore in a code-share partnership with SAS.

Top Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough.

SAS Slide Show: CLICK HERE

Singapore Slide Show: CLICK HERE

Bottom Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing.

Singapore Airlines’ fiscal year operating profit declines by 77% to $228.8 million (US)

Singapore Airlines (Singapore) reported on its financial performance for the past 12 months, its fiscal year. The group reported its operating profit declined by 77 percent to $228.8 million (US). The group issued this report (all amounts below in Singapore dollars):

GROUP FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE

Financial Year 2011-12

High fuel prices and an uncertain global economy weighed heavily on the Group’s earnings in the 2011-12 financial year, pushing net profit down by $756 million or 69% to $336 million.

Against these challenges, Group revenue grew by $333 million (+2%) to $14,858 million, on the back of a 3.6% improvement in passenger carriage, partially offset by weaker yields.

Expenditure, however, rose at a faster pace. Jet fuel prices remained high throughout the year, resulting in a 32% spike year-on-year in average jet fuel prices to USD133 per barrel. This translated to a 29% (+$1,314 million) increase in fuel cost before hedging, which contributed to the 10% (+$1,318 million) rise in Group expenditure.

Consequently, the Group’s operating profit fell $985 million (-77%) to $286 million.

Singapore Slide Show: CLICK HERE

Singapore Airlines to retire the Boeing 747 with two special flights on April 6

Singapore Airlines Boeing 747-412 9V-SPQ (msn 28025) LHR (Antony J. Best), originally uploaded by Airliners Gallery.

Singapore Airlines (Singapore) has announced it will operate special commemorative flights between Singapore and Hong Kong on April 6, 2012 to mark the retirement of the Boeing 747 after nearly four decades of service.

Flight SQ 747 from Singapore to Hong Kong and SQ 748 from Hong Kong to Singapore will be operated with this Boeing 747-400 (9V-SPQ), replacing existing flights SQ 860 and SQ 863, which are normally operated with Airbus A330-300s.

The special flights, which will be SIA’s last commercial passenger services with the Boeing 747, are now open for sale. In addition to more than 300 commercial passengers, on board will be employees who have worked on the aircraft throughout its storied history, as well as a group of underprivileged children and media.

The commemorative flights will have an extended flying time of one hour to enable those on board to be treated to a unique inflight experience. This will include specially crafted meal services and inflight entertainment. Customers will also receive limited edition Boeing 747 memorabilia.

First Class customers will be provided an additional experience – an exclusive tour of the Airline’s cabin crew training facilities and Boeing 747-400 flight simulator in Singapore.

A dedicated website has been set up to commemorate the jumbo’s retirement, at http://www.SIAjourneys.com, featuring milestones and records set over the years, historical photographs and video footage, including interviews with staff and customers. Information about fares for flights SQ 747 and SQ 748 can also be found on the website.

Top Copyright Photo: Antony J. Best.

Singapore Photo Gallery: CLICK HERE

Worldwide routes operated by Singapore Boeing 747s:

Bottom Copyright Photo: Christian Volpati. Please click on the photo for additional details.

QANTAS grounds one A380 with 36 wing cracks, Singapore makes repairs to 8 A380s

QANTAS Airways Airbus A380-841 VH-OQA (msn 014) SYD (John Adlard), originally uploaded by Airliners Gallery.

QANTAS Airways (Sydney) as previously reported, has already grounded one Airbus A380 and repaired 36 wing cracks due to turbulence. Meanwhile Singapore Airlines (Singapore) has repaired wings cracks on eight Airbus A380s according to this article by Reuters. QANTAS, Singapore and Korean Air are performing wing inspections earlier than planned.

European Air Safety Agency (EASA) has stated the A380 wing defects could pose a safety risk if not repaired.

Read the full article: CLICK HERE

QANTAS Photo Gallery: CLICK HERE

Singapore Airlines reports a 53% drop in quarterly profit

Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-212 ER 9V-SVJ (msn 32335) AMS (Ton Jochems), originally uploaded by Airliners Gallery.

Singapore Airlines (Singapore) reported its October-December quarterly profit dropped 53 percent to S$135.2 million ($108.4 million US). This was below expectations according to Reuters.

Read the full article: CLICK HERE

Singapore Slide Show: CLICK HERE

Singapore Airlines introduces the Airbus A380 on the Singapore-Frankfurt-New York route

Singapore Airlines Airbus A380-841 9V-SKF (msn 012) CDG (Christian Volpati), originally uploaded by Airliners Gallery.

Singapore Airlines (Singapore) has introduced the Airbus A380 to Frankfurt and New York (JFK), with the inaugural Singapore – Frankfurt – New York service having departed Singapore shortly after midnight today.

With more than 450 customers on board, flight SQ 26 was scheduled to make its inaugural touchdown in Frankfurt at 0610 local time this morning. SQ 26 will then depart the German city at 0820 and arrive at New York’s JFK airport at 1110 this morning, all times local. The daily A380 flights will replace an existing daily Boeing 747-400 service to JFK Airport via Frankfurt, representing a daily increase of 25% in seat capacity.

Frankfurt and New York will be Singapore Airlines’ ninth and tenth destinations to receive the superjumbo. Frankfurt is Singapore Airlines’ fourth point in Europe to be added to the list, after London, Paris and Zurich, while New York is the second point in North America, after Los Angeles.

Singapore Slide Show: CLICK HERE

Singapore Airlines and QANTAS Airways find minor wing cracks on some A380s

Singapore Airlines Airbus A380-841 9V-SKK (msn 051) ZRH (Andi Hiltl), originally uploaded by Airliners Gallery.

Singapore Airlines (Singapore) and QANTAS Airways (Sydney) reported today they have discovered cracks on the wing ribs of their Airbus A380s according to this report by Reuters.

Both airlines stated the cracks did not pose any safety threats and the repairs have been performed.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE