The Airbus A380 is set to add a second European capital to its list of scheduled stops from the beginning of June, when Singapore Airlines will launch service to Paris.
SIA currently flies the big Airbus to London twice a day, and to Sydney and Tokyo daily. From June 1, following delivery of the airline’s seventh and eighth aircraft out of 19 on order, daily service with 471-seat A380s will replace a ten-times-a-week frequency with 278-seat Boeing 777-300ERs. The airline says the move will answer growing demand from business and leisure travellers on the route.
The airline continues to sing the praises of the A380 cabin, with its fully enclosed suites in first-class. Behind the sliding doors of each suite is a leather seat, a 23in LCD delivering the KrisWorld IFE service via Panasonic eX2 hardware, and, separate from the seat, a full-sized flat bed.
Business class features roomy 34in-wide seats, each with direct access to the aisle and capable of converting into a fully flat bed in seconds. The economy seat is designed to maximise knee and legroom for a given pitch, and includes features such as a non-intrusive reading light and height-adjustable leather headrests with side panels.
SIA’s announcement of the Paris service brings to eight the total of A380 routes unveiled to date. Second operator Emirates serves London and New York from Dubai, while Qantas flies from Sydney to London and Los Angeles.
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This week on the Shephard Defence Podcast, senior naval reporter Harry Lye and military training & simulation reporter Norbert Neumann chat with Professor John Louth.
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