First Heathrow Visit for Singapore Airlines Airbus A380
It has been announced that the first in-service flight to the UK by the Airbus A380 will take place on the 18th March. The gargantuan airliner entered service with Singapore Airlines in October last year - initially operating on a Singapore-Sydney route.
Its first commercial visit to this country will see it fly from Singapore to London Heathrow Airport.
Third A380 for Singapore Airlines
Presently, Singapore Airlines operates two examples of the A-380. It is shortly to take delivery of a third, and it is this aircraft that enables the airline to begin a regular Singapore-London route.
Flight SQ 308 will depart from Changi Airport at 9.00 am on the 18th March. Its Heathrow arrival time is slotted for 3.05 pm, and it will depart, as flight SQ 319, just under four hours later on the same day.
Singapore: A380 Means More Passengers, Less Flights
The Executive Vice President of Singapore Airlines, Huang Cheng Eng, highlighted the virtues of the new service, and of the A380.
"The A380 will provide a capacity expansion on the popular Singapore-London route", he said.
"For the first time, an aircraft larger than the (Boeing) 747-400 will fly this route, thereby meaning more seats without the need for more frequencies to what is already one of the world's busiest airports."
A380 Seats 471 in Triple-Class Configuration
In Singapore Airlines service, the A380 provides seating for 471 passengers in a triple-class format: 399 can be accommodated in Economy, 60 in Business and 12 in suites.
A380 Put Through Airport Tests During First Heathrow Visit
The A380's first flight took place in April 2005. In May 2006, it made its inaugural visit to London Heathrow, where airport compatibility tests were carried out.
Late in 2007, British Airways confirmed it had placed an order with Airbus for 12 A380s.
Source - Airport International's London Reporter
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