Singapore Airlines
 

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/20...nt_3363779.htm

SINGAPORE, Aug. 16 (Xinhuanet) -- To be compensated by Airbus for the eight-month delivery delay of its first A380 aircraft is Singapore Airlines' (SIA) preferred option up to now, SIA's vice-president for Public Affairs Stephen Forshaw said on Tuesday.

According to Channel NewsAsia report, SIA, the first customer of the largest commercial aircraft ever built, "has not ruled out a lawsuit against the plane manufacturer" while having compensation talks with it.

SIA might ask for over 6 million US dollars, said the report.

As a A380 plane has 555 seats, which is 30 percent more than a Boeing 747-400, SIA said that it has to expand the leases on some of the Boeing 747s to deal with high passenger loads during the period of the delay.

SIA has ordered 10 A380 planes, together with another 15 on option. The first delivery was scheduled in March 2006.

In early June this year, Airbus confirmed the delay of the delivery of its super-jumbo jet for no specific reason. Enditem

No big deal for Airbus. Just less launch aid returned to the taxpayer, if any at all.

The interesting thing in this article is the mention of an 8 month delay versus the six month delay announced by Airbus. Several airlines have said they will reconsider their purchase of the 380 if deliveries slip any further. I'm wondering if the press release is simply wrong (likely) or there's an unannounced further delay.

Punkalouvre, all, repeat, all launch aid since the A320 first came on the market has been repaid within the time frame specified by each Government involved. There is no reason to think this will be any different for the A380.
Save your cheap and ill-informed digs for something you actually know about.

8 months
 

8 months delay is not new, it is just forgotten. Once upon a time, Airbus 380 was supposed to make a first flight in March 2005 and Enter into Service in March 2006. Then the first flight was delayed to April and late April at that, and EIS was delayed to 2nd quarter. So, this 6 months delay that caused scandal came on top of a 2 months delay accepted previously.

I just wonder why Singapore Airlines are doing so much megaphone diplomacy about this. There have been programme delays before (one of the 777 variants had similar hiccups in its development with aircraft sat at Seattle for the best part of a year), without such constant press releases from the customer about the same subject time after time.

Chorn

Thanks for the info. That explains the 8 month delay but not why SIA decided to make an issue of it now.

Hint at QF/SQ Merger
 

PM hints at Qantas merger
November 17, 2005 - 3:32PM

Prime Minister John Howard today indicated that he would like to see Qantas and Singapore Airlines work more closely together, including a possible merger, at some stage in the future.

Mr Howard made the comment to Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) forum in Busan, South Korea.

During their meeting the pair discussed Australia's open skies policy, which is currently under review.

Mr Howard said he told Mr Lee that he would "like one day to see Qantas and Singapore Airlines to come together".

Asked if that meant a merger, Mr Howard said: "Whatever that might ultimately mean, including the word you just used."

- AAP

If they do merge, please don't take away the Singapore Girls!

Could call them the "Singapore Sheilas"

What about the reduction in competition? Just another way to keep screwing the poor bloody Australian passenger!

Yep Sunfish I couldnt have put it better.
A merger would simply increase the size of the monopoly.
Anyway it can only happen in Howards dreams.
Paper today in Singapore under the heading "Howard wants close ties for Qantas and SIA" got this answer from an SQ spokesman-- "Qantas and SIA are competitors and that means consumers win from having a choice". This is a very nice way of saying 'forget it mate'.

Yep, Merge with the hangn place.
World, strange it is.

I was under the impression that QF had been privatised, so why is JH doing the forward planning? Imagine if Tony Blair started telling BA what he'd like its future partner strategy to be....

Actually it happens all the time. It's generally achieved by lobbyists selling a particular message to politicians and public servants.

Typical messages:

"Australia can only support two car companies" - Meaning don't bail out the others if they go under.

"Australia can only support one International Airline" - meaning Qantas.

"Australia can only support one defence ship builder" - and its going to be in Adelaide mate!

"Australia cannot build aircraft"

and so on and so on.

There is a wealth of this conventional wisdom spread by self serving individuals and John Howard is just parroting what he has obviously been told. - And it appears he has been told that QF needs to grow to achieve "Economies of Scale".

That would be consistent with the desire of management to preserve their positions in a management structure which seems increasingly top heavy and inward looking.

SQ orders 20 787-9
 

Singapore Airlines has signed a Letter of Intent to purchase 20 Boeing 787-9s, with purchase rights for another 20 of the same aircraft.
At current manufacturer catalogue prices, the value of the 20 firm aircraft is US$4.52 billion.
Deliveries will be scheduled between early 2011 and mid 2013, and will be for fleet renewal as well as to cater for growth.
The decision to purchase the 787-9 is the culmination of an extensive evaluation of the performance characteristics and operating economics promised for the different versions of Boeing’s new 787 aircraft.
The –9 is the newest version on offer, and has the largest cabin and longest range. In a standard three-class configuration, it can carry between 250 and 290 passengers. It also has space for about 20 tonnes of cargo, and will have a range of 8,600 to 8,800 nautical miles (15,900 to 16,300 kilometres).
Singapore Airlines plans to deploy the aircraft on routes to North Asia, the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East.
Apart from its extensive use of composites and advanced technology, which will enhance operating efficiency, the 787 will enable Singapore Airlines to further its commitment to innovation and improvement in providing service, comfort and entertainment to customers.
The engines to power the aircraft will be selected at a later date.
Singapore Airlines will be able to fund the acquisitions by cash flow generated from airline operations.

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)

And they were so cocky just a couple of years ago led by John Leahy who seems silent now. Did pride and job support outdo business sense?

SIA A388 EGLL alternates?
 

This question came up, unanswered, on another forum, but someone on here is sure to know.

Given that very few airports are yet capable of accommodating the A380, what are SIA's alternates for Heathrow? Clearly they haven't needed to divert anywhere as yet, but if and when they did, where would it go ?

MTIA
Dave

Read somewhere that it is Amsterdam and/or CDG.

BHX is one diversion point according to a CAA A380 airfield diversion compliance letter I read last year. Code 'E' runway and taxiways etc but obviously only as a fuel or emergency diversion as cannot take off fully laden on the existing runway. Maybe after 2012 though when the extension is built? :ok:

So I guess most of the other major UK airports fall into the same catagory.

Im not sure on SIA's existing diversion points, but as a guess they are probably airports that are huge or are already handling A380's so will have all the necessary kit ie AMS, CDG or FRA.

I suppose a mix of A380 ready airports and airports that already have an SQ service (that way they have ground agents who know the SQ method of dealing with pax/diversions/compensation procedure etc etc.)
This weekeds visit of the A380 to MAN will se if it can be 'officialy' recognised as a diversion point, as rumour has it that its due to double back from LPL and land at MAN

FRA & CDG are the SIA official diversion airfields for the LHR services.

Following is a current NOTAM for Gatwick airport.
Not sure if acceptable for SIA - however still better than sending pax to FRA!

EGKK AD AVBL AS A FILED ALTERNATIVE FOR A380 ACFT. PPR WITH 30MIN NOTICE
FOR LANDING AND TAKEOFF. MAX TKOF WT 391 TONNES
FLIGHT LEVEL FROM SFC TO UNL
VALID FROM 1249 13-MAY-2008 TO 1700 19-DEC-2008: (A1369/08)

Frankurt is SIAs preferred alternate from LL at the moment.
The A380 is a code 'F' aircraft so Birminghams code 'E' runway and taxiways are unable to handle such an aircraft.
So how does an A380 performing a missed approach at Manchester 'offcially' recognise Manchester as a diversion point ? :sad:

Thanks.

point 5,
I did say IF RUMOUR HAS IT THAT THE A380 WILL COME BACK AND LAND
I know that a missed approach will not give it diversion point status, otherwise we could say LPL will be a diversion point also.

Point 5

The CAA have obviously done their calculations and measurements on BHXs runway/taxiways or else they wouldnt have made it an A380 diversion alternate :ugh:
BHX has handled C5 Galaxys, 744s and huge Antonovs in the past so the A380 is not dis-similar in size really. Runway width is 46 meters.

Not true, it is way bigger. Really.

A380 - Man
 

MAN is currently not listed as an alternate for SQ. However as Airbus make more deliveries to airlines that already serve the airport, that may change.

23R -05L is able to accommodate the A380, having the length and most importantly, the strengthened shoulders to 60m. There are major taxiway works underway at the moment. Whilst most work is replacement, elements of the airfield capacity plan will provide Code F routes.

Code F's can be handled, but require an Airfield Ops service, and non-standard parking remote on the West Apron. This is until the work is completed on Stand 12, and also on Pier C, Stand 31. This being undertaken as Emirates have suggested to the Airport that they intend to operate an A380 to Dubai by around 2010.

EGPK / Prestwick is capable of handling the giant... :)

Singapore Airlines to cut 17% of fleet
 

Singapore Airlines said Monday it will cut 17 percent of its fleet and is exploring other cost-saving measures amid a global economic slump which has hit travel and cargo demand.

The airline, one of Asia's major carriers, said in a statement that it will decommission 17 passenger aircraft over the financial year from April 2009 to March 2010, and was not ruling out the possibility of deferring plane orders.

Singapore Airlines (SIA) said it had originally planned to decommission four planes before the global downturn hit major markets.

"The drop in air transportation has been sharp and swift," SIA chief executive Chew Choon Seng said in the statement.

SIA said it made the decision in view of falling demand which is reflected in advance bookings. It said it plans to reduce capacity by 11 percent from the preceding 12 months.

In a separate statement further confirming this year's bleak outlook, the airline said it filled 74.1 percent of available passenger seats in January, down from 80.5 percent a year earlier. The cargo load factor, a measure of capacity utilisation, dropped to 54.2 percent from 58.6 percent.

"Given the falls of over 20 percent that we have seen recently in air cargo shipments and the tradition of demand for air travel following closely behind trends on the cargo side of business, we have to face the reality that 2009 is going to be a very difficult year," Chew said.

A reduction of 17 airplanes is equivalent to 17 percent of the 102 passenger aircraft which SIA had as of February 1.

No decision has yet been made on whether to defer current aircraft orders, including 13 Airbus A380s, the world's biggest passenger plane, SIA spokesman Stephen Forshaw said.

"But don't discount this possibility as we consider the options for our fleet going forward," he told AFP. "That said, new aircraft deliveries do also allow us to retire our older, less fuel-efficient aircraft from our operating fleet."

SIA already has six A380 superjumbos and has orders for 18 A330s, 20 Boeing B787-9 "Dreamliners" and 20 A350-900 XWBs, with deliveries running up to 2016.

Forshaw said SIA has yet to decide what to do with the 17 planes that will be taken out of service but the options include selling, leasing or parking them in a desert, which is an accepted industry practice.

Shukor Yusof, an aviation analyst with Standard and Poor's, said: "It's going to get worse... It is likely that layoffs will come next."

SIA chief executive Chew said management has met with labour unions about plans to cushion the impact of the downturn. These include asking staff for voluntary unpaid leave, early retirement, shorter work months and accelerated clearance of leave applications.

If there are cuts in salary, management will take them first, Chew said.

SIA's latest announcement came two days after it said it will indefinitely suspend its thrice-weekly service from Singapore to Vancouver due to poor passenger demand.

Unlike airlines of bigger countries, SIA does not have a domestic operation to soften the impact of the international traffic slump, so management must act decisively, Chew said.

"We will contemplate retrenchment only as a last resort but we do not have the luxury of time and we need to agree and act on some measures quickly so that we can push back the point of retrenchment as far as possible and improve our chances of avoiding it altogether," he said.

SIA said in December it was in talks with cargo pilots to take leave with no pay in view of weaker freight demand.

It had 14,245 employees as of March 31 last year, including 7,172 cabin crew and 2,286 passenger pilots.

The airline, 54 percent owned by Singapore sovereign wealth fund Temasek Holdings, reported a 42.8 percent fall in net profit in the third quarter to December from the year before.

SIA shares closed down 16 cents at 10.44 Singapore dollars.

Same thing happened in 1980/81 after the Iranian oil price increase, fleet then decreased by over 20%...mostly older aircraft sold off or parked.
Ten 707's and six 747's went to the desert.
Pilots received don't come Monday letters, however, SV and GF were hiring at the time, so most pilots found work straightaway.
Standard policy for SQ....nothing changes, only the faces in the boardroom.

Not sure where the drop in passenger bookings are but they don't appear to be on the Lon/Sing route. Our travel people have just booked my monthly return flights for the coming nine months and on two of the Sing/Lon flights for July & August I have to overnight in Singapore coming from HCM due to the flights being booked out.

Same for flight from New delhi (india) to Sydney (Australia).....
No ticket was available for 3 weeks as all the tickets were sold.....

The Manchester to Singapore route is being reduced to 3 a week from the beginning of May operating only on a Wednesday, Saturday & Sunday. However, on the other days the flights are showing in the CRS but with no seats available. It gives an indication that the flights are full when in fact they are not operating at all.

Even SQ are suffering...
 

This may be relevant,

I just flew SQ back from SYD on the A380.

Ex SYD the thing was half empty in Y and had about 20 per cent load factor in C.

Ex SIN the next A380 was about 60 per cent load in Y and about 40 per cent load in C.

Of note, my friend travelling a few hours behind me on an SQ 744 - SYD - LHR reprots that there were 62 people on board- yes 62 passenegrs.

Fair makes you think...

Major lay-offs?
 

I heard on the grapevine (and I must say in all unambiguity, it's a RUMOUR, I don't know whether it's substantiated) that Singapore are about to lay off a huge chunk of expat pilots. Can any Singaporean confirm whether there is truth in this??

Thanks,

KK:confused:

Why have SQ been going mad on new A330's A380's?

The 744's do the job just as well.

SQ fares have never been economical compared to the others.

Can see SQ merging in the future?

The 744 is 20+ years old now and SQ have a long standing policy of only operating younger aircraft. Indeed they had to keep the 744 on longer due to delays on the A380.

SIA staff to take 10% pay cut....
 

12,000 SIA staff to take 10% pay cut after carrier posts loss in Q1
By Timothy Ouyang, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 30 July 2009 2141 hrs

SINGAPORE: An estimated 12,000 non-management staff at Singapore Airlines (SIA) will take a pay cut of 10 per cent for at least three months starting from August 1.

This comes after the carrier posted a S$271 million loss at the company level in the first quarter.

As a group, SIA's net loss was S$307.1 million for the three months ended June 30, compared to a net profit of S$358.6 million a year earlier.

Under current union agreements, a pay cut is automatically triggered if the airline suffers a net loss of S$50 million at the company level in any given quarter.

The quantum is determined by the amount of losses. The pay cuts start at 2.5 per cent if the carrier loses S$50 million at the company level, and go up to as much as 10 per cent if the losses exceed S$200 million.

The 10 per cent pay cut involves non-managerial staff, as managerial staff have already taken pay cuts ranging from 10 to 20 per cent, according to an SIA spokesman.

Channel NewsAsia understands the bulk of those affected comprise cabin crew, pilots and ground staff employed in Singapore.

The SIA spokesman told Channel NewsAsia that the pay reduction may continue beyond November even if the carrier posts a profit in the second quarter. This is because the losses are calculated accumulatively throughout the financial year.