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Singapore Airlines

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Singapore Airlines
File:Singapore Airlines logo.png
IATA ICAO Call sign
SQ SIA Singapore
Founded1947 (as Malayan Airways)
HubsSingapore Changi Airport
Frequent-flyer programKrisFlyer
AllianceStar Alliance
Fleet size88
Destinations61
Parent companySingapore Airlines Ltd.
HeadquartersSingapore
Key peopleChew Choon Seng (CEO)
Websitehttp://www.singaporeair.com

Singapore Airlines Limited (Abbreviated: SIA; Chinese: 新加坡航空公司, Pinyin: Xīnjīapō Hángkōng Gōngsī, abbreviated: 新航) (IATA: SQ, ICAO: SIA, call sign: Singapore) SGX: S55 

is the national airline of Singapore, and the world's second-biggest carrier by market value. It is the leading and founding entity of the Singapore Airlines Group of companies. One of Asia's most influential and successful airlines, it has a presence in most parts of Asia and Oceania, as well as having major operations in Europe and North America.

Operational members of the Singapore Airlines Group, such as its regional and wholly-owned subsidiary, Silkair, manage flights to secondary cities with smaller capacity requirements, particularly those in Southeast Asia, China and India. Since 2001, air freight operations have also been hired off to a separate subsidiary, Singapore Airlines Cargo, which took over the entire freighter fleet from SIA, as well as management of the cargo holds in passenger-cargo aircraft. A more recent addition was the low-cost carrier Tiger Airways, which marked the group's entry into the low-cost segment of the aviation industry.

Collectively, Singapore Airlines Group is the world's second largest carrier by market capitalisation, second only to Southwest Airlines of the United States. In addition, Singapore Airlines ranks amongst the top 15 airline carriers worldwide in terms of revenue passenger kilometres according to Air Transport World.

History

Early History

Singapore Airlines began with the the incorporation of Malayan Airways Limited (MAL) on October 12, 1937, by the Ocean Steamship Company of Liverpool, the Straits Steamship Company of Singapore and Imperial Airways(BOAC/BA). The airline's first flight was between Kuala Lumpur and the British Straits Settlement of Singapore on 2 April 1947 using an Airspeed Consul twin-engined airplane.

MAL continued to grow during the rest of the 1940s and 1950s, as other British Commonwealth airlines (such as BOAC/BA, Qantas) provided technical assistance, as well as assistance in joining the IATA. By 1955, Malayan Airlines' fleet had grown to include a large number of Douglas DC-3s, and went public in 1957.

When Malaya, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak federated in 1963 to form the Federation of Malaysia, the airline name was similarly changed, from "Malayan Airways" to "Malaysian Airlines" (though still abbreviated to MAL). MAL also took over Borneo Airways although Brunei remained a British colony until 1984.

In 1966, following Singapore's independence from the Federation, the airline's name was changed again, to Malaysia-Singapore Airlines (MSA). The next year saw a rapid expansion in the airline's fleet and route, including the purchase of MSA's first Boeing 707s, as well the completion of a new high-rise headquarters in Singapore.

MSA ceased operations in 1972, when political disagreements between Singapore and Malaysia resulted in the formation of two new airlines: Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines. Singapore Airlines kept all 10 of MSA's Boeing 737s and 707s, and retained the international routes out of Singapore as well as the corporate headquarters in Singapore. Air hostesses continued to wear the sarong kebaya dress, which had previously been used by MSA.

Singapore Airlines actively cultivates and promotes the image of the 'Singapore Girl' in its advertising, and aggressively recruits young women who fit the bill, though they do not have to be Singaporean.

Modern History

File:Singapore.b747.london.750pix.jpg
Singapore Airlines Boeing 747-412.
Singapore Airlines Boeing 777 at Changi Airport.
File:Singapore Airlines A380.jpg
Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 in full livery taking off at Changi Airport.

Singapore Airlines saw rapid growth during the 1970s, adding many cities in the Indian subcontinent and Asia to its 22-city network, and adding Boeing 747s to its fleet. The 1980s saw the addition of the United States, Canada, and many European cities to the airline's route map, with Madrid becoming the first and only Hispanic city to be served by Singapore Airlines. Services were extended to Africa in the 1990s, when the airline began flights to Johannesburg in South Africa. The network would eventually be expanded to include the cities of Cape Town and Durban.

During the 1990s, Singapore Airlines licenced model aeroplane companies like Schabak, Wooster plastic aeroplanes, Herpa Wings and many others, to manufacture promotional plane models for them. Their Boeing 747s became known as Megatops, and were complemented by Boeing 777s and various Airbus aircraft.

In 2004, Singapore Airlines began long-haul flights from Singapore to Los Angeles International Airport in California and Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey. This marked the first ever non-stop air service between Singapore and the United States of America, using Airbus A340-500 aircraft named "LeaderShip". The Singapore to Newark flight currently holds the record as the longest commercial flight in the history of aviation, with a flying time of approximately 18 hours between Singapore and Newark and 20 hours on the way back.

In 2005, the airline unveiled the advertising campaign, "First to fly the A380 - experience the difference in 2006", to promote itself as the world's first airline to take delivery of the A380-800 double-decker super jumbo, then expected to take place in the 2nd quarter of 2006. In early 2006, The World's First A380 was painted in full Singapore Airlines Livery to tour on the Asean Airspace Show 2006. It has been flying around Changi Airport at Singapore in Feburary 2006. However, Airbus admitted in late 2005 that, due to unforseen technical problems, it would delay delivery of the giant aircaft by up to six months, with the first delivery in Nov 2006 (barring further delays) after the peak northern hemisphere summer travel season.[1] The announcement was met with fury by SIA's CEO, Chew Choon Seng, who threatened to sue Airbus. He further claimed that SIA will be receiving the Boeing 777-300ER before the A380. Nonetheless, SIA has indicated that this would not affect its promotional campaign [2]. The first few aircraft will be used on the Singapore to London, and Singapore to Sydney routes.

Incidents and Accidents

  • On 26 March 1991, Singapore Airlines Flight 117, piloted by Captain Stanley Lim on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore, was hijacked in mid-flight by four Pakistanis, led by Zahid Hussain Soomro, who demanded that the plane be flown to Sydney. The crisis ended at Singapore Changi Airport, where all four were killed by members of the Singapore Special Operations Force, while none of the 123 passengers and crew suffered injuries.
  • On 19 April, 2005, a Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-200 stopped 194 meters (640 feet) beyond a painted stop line at Bangkok International Airport, and its left wing-tip was clipped by a Thai Airways International Airbus A330-300 taxiing for take-off. THAI has already established a committee to investigate the incident, and has pledged to pay compensation if found to be at fault. However, the airline also stressed that the incident was a minor one, noting that neither pilot was aware of what had happened at the time, and said that the press had blown it out of proportion. Although the wing tip had fallen off the plane, this would not have compromised passenger safety should the plane have continued its flight.
  • On 19 October 2005, Singapore Airlines Flight SQ 073, from Manila to Singapore on a Boeing 777-300 received a bomb threat. Singapore Airlines and NAIA (Ninoy Aquino International Airport) received phone calls stating that a bomb will be carried by a seaman and will detonate the bomb 30 minutes after take-off. For the passenger's safety, airport authorities told all of the passengers to get off the plane to be inspected. After 2 hours and 30 minutes of checking and inspecting, the flight was finally allowed to depart. All of the passengers boarded the plane except for 4 pasengers who refused to board. The flight was scheduled to depart Manila 2:15 pm but it was delayed to around 5 pm. The flight departed and safely arrived in Singapore.
  • Despite these incidents, the airline was Asia's first and the world's third airline to be accredited by IATA with the IOSA (IATA Operations Safety Audit)

Service and innovation

Main article: Singapore Airlines awards and accolades

Singapore Airlines is considered a trend-setter in aviation passenger service, and made a name for itself early in its infancy when it was the first airline to offer complimentary headsets and free drinks. This attention to service quality has won it a string of awards and accolades over the years, making it the world's most awarded airline to date.

The airline continues to lead the industry with continual innovation. In 2005 alone, it was one of the earliest to introduce high-speed, in-flight internet service in March by installing the Connexion by Boeing system, and became the first airline in the world to offer live international television broadcasts using the same system from June [3]. In the same month, one can take up free language lessons using Berlitz Word Traveler's interactive language learning programme, with 11 languages offered, and subsequently beefed up to 22 by November [4]. In December 2005, the airline offered free live news feeds it called "Live Text News" via its KrisWorld entertainment system [5].

Subsidiaries and Alliances

Singapore Airlines is a member of the Star Alliance, which it joined in April 2000. Since 30 March 2000, it has owned a 49% stake in Virgin Atlantic Airways. The airline owns a similar 49% stake in Tiger Airways, a low-cost carrier flying from Singapore which it founded in September 2004 with Indigo Partners LLC, the investment firm founded by Bill Franke, (24%); Irelandia Investments Limited, the private investment arm of Tony Ryan and his family, (16%); and Temasek Holdings Pte Ltd (11%). Silkair is a wholly-owned subsidiary serving new destinations in Asia and regional connections using Singapore as a hub.

Singapore Airlines owns 4.5% of Air New Zealand (down from 25% after the New Zealand government bought into the airline to rescue it from bankruptcy).

The Singapore Airlines Group further consists over 50 subsidiaries and associates, including:

Code Sharing

The airline has code-share agreements with the following airlines:

Singapore Airlines Cargo also code-shares with Japan Airlines and Scandinavian Airlines System.

Fleet

Main article: Singapore Airlines fleet

Singapore Airlines operates one of the youngest fleets in Asia. Its streamlined fleet features aircraft from just 3 aircraft families: the Boeing 747, the Boeing 777, and the Airbus A340.

The airline has a history of dubbing its fleet according to plane makes. The Boeing 747-400s are dubbed "Megatop", while the Boeing 777s are called "Jubilee". The Airbus A340-500s were named "Leadership," but that has since been dropped. Names for airliners previously flown by the airline includes "Superbus" for the 8 Airbus A300, "3TEN" for the 23 Airbus A310-300, "Celestar" for the 17 Airbus A340-300,"Super B" for the 23 Boeing 747-200B, "Big Top" for the 14 Boeing 747-300.

Singapore Airlines flew, for a short period of time, a Concorde that it shared with British Airways. The plane had Singapore Airlines' livery on one side, and British Airways' logo on the other.

It is the launch customer for the Airbus A380-800, and will be the first airline in the world to operate it when it comes into service in the second quarter of 2006. It has 10 of these aircraft on order and options on a further 15 aircraft. It plans to introduce it on its Kangaroo route services from Sydney to London via its base at Changi Airport (ref: Airliner World, March 2005).

Current fleet by aircraft size (as of July, 2005)

Aircraft Engine Operation Order Option Type Seat Configuration
Airbus A340-541 Rolls-Royce Trent 553 5 0 0 Ultra long haul J64/Y117(181)
Airbus A380-841 Rolls-Royce Trent 900 0 10 15 Long haul
Boeing 747-412 Pratt & Whitney PW4056 27 0 0 Long haul P12/J50/Y310(372), P12/J50/Y313(375)
Boeing 777-212ER Rolls-Royce Trent 884 17 0 0 Medium haul J30/Y293(323)Reg:9V-SR*
Boeing 777-212ER Rolls-Royce Trent 884 14 0 0 Medium haul P12/J42/Y234(288)Reg:9V-SQ*
Boeing 777-212ER Rolls-Royce Trent 892 15 0 0 Long haul J30/Y255(285)Reg:9V-SV*
Boeing 777-312 Rolls-Royce Trent 892 12 0 0 Medium haul P18/J49/Y265(332)
Boeing 777-312ER General Electric GE90-115B 0 19 13 Long haul
Total 90 29 28

Notes

  • Singapore Airlines has the world's longest nonstop route. It uses an A340-500 that flies all the way from Singapore's Changi International Airport to New York's Newark Liberty International Airport. The route is so long that when flying from Singapore to New York, the plane flies via the Pacific, and when it flies from New York to Singapore, it goes by the Atlantic or sometimes even across the Arctic Ocean.
  • Contrary to popular belief, all of Singapore Airlines' 777-212s are the Extended Range (ER) models; featuring centre fuel tanks for maximum storage. The airline however chooses to only refer to the 9V-SV* registered series of aircraft as 777-200ERs as those planes are certified to 656,000 lb (298,000 kg) Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) and fly the longer intercontinental routes. The 9V-SR* and 9V-SQ* registered aircraft feature derated engines which can be electronically reprogrammed to produce more thrust and thus operate longer flights at higher MTOWs if ever needed.
  • 6 of the Boeing 747-400s were withdrawn from regular operation since the SARS crisis in the year 2003. Another 2 will be withdrawn later, and all 8 will be sold to two airlines from the year 2006 to 2008, after being converted into freighters. There is a possibility they may be transferred to Singapore Airlines Cargo, as an addition to its existing 14 B747-412Fs (dubbed "MegaArk"s).
  • In August 2004, the airline decided to order 18 Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, and the order was signed on 23 December 2004, during which an unused option for Boeing 777 family was converted into an additional order for Boeing 777-300ER.
  • The airline has a history of dubbing its fleet according to plane makes. The existing 29 Boeing 747-400s are dubbed "Megatop", while the 55 Boeing 777s are called "Jubilee". The 5 Airbus A340-500s were named "Leadership," but that has since been dropped.
  • Its A340 aircraft are equipped with special cupboards big enough to take a corpse in case any passengers die en route. [6]
  • British Airways, for a short period of time, flew a Concorde (registered G-BOAD) that had Singapore Airlines' livery on one side, and British Airways' logo on the other. The aircraft was operated by BA pilots, and staffed with flight attendants from both airlines, flying between Singapore and London via Bahrain.
  • Singapore Airlines is currently the largest Boeing 777 operator in the world with 58 in service, 6 more than the next largest operator, United Airlines. The airline has 32 more on order or on options.
  • Singapore Airlines has an in-flight entertainment system, KrisWorld, which screens the latest movies and includes Nintendo games. Each seat has it own personal television.

Krisworld has recently been upgraded in all classes to feature On-demand video and audio, where each user can select any particular film or television programme from the considerably large inflight library at any time, and can pause, rewind and fast forward through it from their in seat video controller and personal screen. (Previously all airline inflight entertainment was limited to either a single large screen playing a film for the entire cabin, or users given a selection of channels that would all start and end simultaneously, usually soon after take off, with no control given to the user).

  • Singapore Airlines is known in the industry as being the first to launch new in-flight entertainment features, such as Nintendo or movies on demand. Their primary in-flight entertainment supplier is Panasonic Avionics Corporation
  • Their First Class Skysuites have 14-inch televisions and Business class (Raffles Class) seats are called Spacebeds with 180° recline.
  • Starting in 2005, Singapore Airlines will begin integrating wireless broadband for all classes on selected flights. As of August 2005, this facility is only available on flights to London and New York.

Flight Numbers

Generally, flight numbers are allocated according to geographical regions:

Destinations

Further information: [[:Singapore Airlines destinations]]

Events in 2005

In Singapore, the airline also operates a local tourist bus service, the SIA Hop-On.
  • On 1 June 2005, flights to Beijing were increased to 3 times daily. The airline also added flights to Mumbai, increasing them to twice daily.
  • Attempts to fly the trans-Pacific route between Sydney and Los Angeles were put on hold indefinitely after the Australian government said that it needed more time to make a decision.
  • CEO Chew Choon Seng was reportedly "furious" with Airbus over its delays in delivering the A380 airliner and was said to be considering a suit for damages. He told a German weekly Focus On Saturday in an interview that the A380 would not be delivered until November 2006. He said that the aging 747-400s would have to be kept flying longer and that the delays had "greatly upset our forecasts with regard to capacity", additionally causing disruptions in training flight crew and engineers. A clause in the sales contract allows SIA to seek damages for late delivery. The company will now focus on delivery of 19 Boeing 777-300ER since the 777 will be delivered earlier than than the Airbus aircraft.

Currently, SIA is in talks with Airbus for compensation over the delays of delivering the A380. The airline's Vice-President for Public Affairs said that this was the best option, yet would not rule out a lawsuit against Airbus. SIA is not giving any details but earlier reports have said that it was seeking more than US$6 million in compensation. One of the issues that SIA will face is how to handle higher passenger loads during the affected period. The airline may have to extend the lease of its 747s until the arrival of the A380.

  • On August 152005, Virgin Atlantic, which flies the Kangaroo route between Australia and the UK via Hong Kong, denied it was in talks with part owner Singapore Airlines about extending its code sharing arrangements from Singapore to Sydney. Virgin Atlantic, 49% owned by Singapore Airlines, began flying between Sydney and the UK via Hong Kong in December. The London-Heathrow to Hong Kong route is generally doing well but not the Hong Kong-Sydney sector.
  • On November 24 2005, Singapore Airlines decided to return to Pakistan after a three year hiatus. The airline discontinued flying to Pakistan due to "security problems" in Karachi. The airline withdrew service from Pakistan on the 10 May 2002. However after a recent visit with the Prime Minister of Pakistan in Singapore, the airline decided to reopen the route with a three times weekly service to Karachi and Lahore. Flights are expected to begin on February 1 2006. Mr Huang Cheng Eng, Singapore Airlines’ Executive Vice President Marketing and the Regions said "Singapore Airlines is confident that our flights to Karachi and Lahore will facilitate the growth of trade, investments and tourism between Singapore and Pakistan. In addition, we believe that the inclusion of Pakistan to our extensive route network further enhances Pakistan’s linkage to the rest of the world."

Events in 2006

  • At a Cabinet meeting on February 22, 2006, the Australian government decided not to grant fifth freedom rights to Singapore Airlines on flights from Australia to the United States. Singapore Airlines had argued that transpacific flights from Australia suffered from under-capacity, leading to limited competition and relatively high air fares.
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