From AFP news:
Singapore Airlines orders 20 Boeing 787-9s amid delays in A380 delivery UPDATE
- (Updating with details of funding, background on delays of A380
aircraft delivery)
SINGAPORE (XFN-ASIA) - Flag carrier Singapore Airlines Ltd said it has
signed a letter of intent (LOI) to buy 20 Boeing 787-9s valued at 4.52 bln usd
at current manufacturer catalogue prices amid continued delays in the delivery
of Airbus 380 jumbo passenger aircraft.
The deal contains an option to buy another 20 units of the same aircraft.
SIA said deliveries of the Boeing aircraft will be scheduled between early
2011 and mid-2013. The acquisitions will be funded by cash flow generated from
airline operations, it said.
The Boeing 787-9 -- the latest variant of the series known as the
Dreamliner -- can carry between 250-290 passengers with space for about 20 tons of cargo and has the longest range of 8,600-8,800 nautical miles of Boeing
aircraft on offer.
"Singapore Airlines plans to deploy the aircraft on routes to North Asia,
the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East," it said.
SIA said the engines for the aircraft will be selected at a later date.
Meanwhile, SIA had expressed disappointment over Airbus announcement of
further delays in deliveries of Airbus A380 jumbo passenger aircraft by 6-7
months, citing production issues.
The airline said that it is in discussions with Airbus about compensation
for the delays.
"We are disappointed with the news of further delays but will work with
Airbus to minimize the impact," a spokesman for SIA said.
"We still expect to receive our first A380 by the end of 2006, and this
delay will not impact SIAs status as First to Fly the A380," he added.
Airbus said that it is still on track to win certification for the aircraft
and deliver the first of the aircraft at the end of 2006, but only a maximum of
nine A380 aircraft can be delivered in 2007.
Compared to the initial targets, there will be delivery shortfalls of five
to nine aircraft in 2008, and around five aircraft in 2009, it added.
(1 usd = 1.59 sgd)