Today, for the first time, Singapore Airlines customers travelling to and from Auckland were welcomed aboard the luxury and comfort of the world’s largest aircraft, the Airbus A380.
Singapore Airlines is the first airline to provide a long haul service out of Auckland on the A380 super-jumbo, which is designed specifically for long haul flying.
Edwin Chiang, general manager, Singapore Airlines New Zealand, says the arrival of the A380 in Auckland will benefit travellers, the travel trade and the tourism sector in both New Zealand and Singapore.
“I am delighted that those travelling to and from Auckland can now enjoy the more spacious and comfortable travel experience that only the A380 can provide.
“Customers heading to Europe can travel all the way in the comfort of the A380 with connecting services to Frankfurt, Paris, London and Zurich and only a single stop en route – as can those travelling to Beijing and Shanghai in China, and Mumbai and New Delhi in India.
“Introducing the A380 as part of our alliance with Air New Zealand will contribute to a boost in capacity on the Singapore-Auckland route by up to 30 percent year round over time.
“Since Singapore Airlines established a presence in New Zealand in 1976, we have remained deeply committed to supporting and promoting the wonderful and varied tourist attractions in New Zealand. The additional capacity the A380 brings will mean more of our customers will be able to experience the warm welcome, generous hospitality and unique experiences only New Zealand can offer,” said Mr Chiang.
Adrian Littlewood, chief executive, Auckland Airport, says he is delighted with the introduction of the A380 aircraft on the Auckland to Singapore route.
“Singapore is a critical hub airport, providing access to South East Asia and key emerging markets such as India and Indonesia. In the past five years, we have seen eight per cent growth per annum in South East Asia arrivals to New Zealand, mirrored by an 11 per cent growth per annum in New Zealanders visiting the South East Asia region. The introduction of the A380 by Singapore Airlines, and the extra capacity and luxury it brings, will certainly help to further stimulate this impressive growth,” said Mr Littlewood.
“We also look forward to the commencement of the Singapore Airlines and Air New Zealand alliance early next year, in which the A380 service will play a pivotal role. Auckland Airport is committed to working with Singapore Airlines, continuing to advance the significant contribution it already makes to the New Zealand tourism industry,” said Mr Littlewood.
Passengers arriving on inbound flight SQ285 were welcomed into Auckland with a traditional powhiri while those departing today enjoyed a complementary morning tea before boarding their flight and received a commemorative gift to mark the occasion.
The height of luxury
Passengers flying from New Zealand will now be able to travel in their own private haven, Singapore Airlines Suites, a new standard of sophistication, luxury and comfort for travellers. There are 12 exclusive Suites on the 471-seat A380. Each Suite is effectively an individual cabin with sliding doors and self-adjustable roller-blinds giving customers control over their level of privacy. Every Suite contains a full sized bed measuring 27 inches by 78 inches. The unique design of the Suite allows for separate sleeping and sitting surfaces, meaning that the bed is not converted from the seat.
In Singapore Airlines Business Class customers can enjoy seats that are amongst the largest in the industry at 34 inches wide, with a generous seat pitch of 55 inches. The seat transforms into the largest full-flat business class bed in the sky.
For business travellers who wish to work inflight, the Business Class seat is easily transformed into an office, with a height-adjustable table, well positioned reading lights, in-seat laptop power supply, USB ports and a suite of office applications available on KrisWorld, the inflight entertainment system.
The Economy Class seat on the A380 provides every traveller with an unprecedented level of comfort and personal space. The special seat design gives customers more personal space and increased leg room and knee room.
Onboard service and entertainment
While on board, customers can enjoy a wide range of delicious meals thoughtfully created by our renowned International Culinary Panel. Those travelling in Singapore Airlines Suites can dine in style at their preferred time with meals available throughout the flight. Singapore Airlines offers customers a selection of the finest wines handpicked by its distinguished panel of wine experts to complement their meals.
Singapore Airlines KrisWorld inflight entertainment system provides customers with some of the largest screens and sharpest picture quality in the sky. Using the intelligent controls on the easy-to-use handsets travellers can enjoy the latest movies, TV programmes and music as well as 3D interactive and console games all on demand. Customers in Singapore Airlines Suites and Business Class can experience unprecedented audio quality via active noise cancelling headphones.
Daily flights
The super-jumbo A380 is deployed daily[1] on flight SQ285, departing Singapore at 2050hrs and arriving in Auckland at 1145hrs the following day. The return flight SQ286 will depart Auckland at 1330hrs, arriving in Singapore at 1900hrs[2].
Singapore Airlines operates 12 weekly flights to Auckland, including five others that are operated with 777-200ERs. The Airline also operates daily 777-200ER services to Christchurch.
The A380 has proven exceptionally popular with customers since its inaugural flight in 2007. Singapore Airlines now operated 19 A380s to Auckland, Beijing, Frankfurt, London, Los Angeles, Mumbai, New Delhi, New York, Paris, Shanghai, Sydney, Tokyo Narita and Zurich.
