Singapore Airlines : SQ : SIA

Jeannot a écrit:Premier vol à la mi-2012

Scoot to launch services by mid-2012

Singapore Airlines' (SIA) new long-haul low-cost carrier Scoot will launch services by the first half of 2012.

The carrier will start operations with four Boeing 777-200s and grow to a fleet of 14 aircraft by 2016, said CEO Campbell Wilson.

He added that the aircraft will be purchased from SIA and that the airline will fly to at least four destinations initially, including cities in Australia and China.

Scoot will also be purchasing 777-200ERs, which have a longer range, and therefore be able to offer services to destinations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, said Wilson.

The purchased aircraft will go through heavy maintenance checks, with the interiors refurbished and retrofitted for Scoot, Wilson told reporters.

The aircraft will have a two-class cabin with 32 to 40 premium seats and about 370 economy seats in a 3-4-3 configuration.

Scoot will operate out of Singapore's Changi Airport Terminal 2 as the Budget Terminal is unable to accommodate widebodies, added Wilson.

The low-cost carrier, which will be managed separately from SIA, expects to receive its Air Operator's Certificate by the first quarter of 2012.

"We are not a substitution of SIA, the mission is to bring incremental numbers to grow the SIA group. Whether it is new routes or targeting new markets on existing routes, we are incrementing," said Wilson.

He added that Scoot will also be able to leverage on SIA's expertise and experience in fuel hedging and currency hedging, but that the airline has the mandate to make independent decisions when necessary.

Kuala Lumpur-based AirAsia X, in which Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia has a 16% stake, pioneered the long-haul low-cost model in Southeast Asia in 2007 and its network now includes London, Paris, Tehran, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Christchurch, New Delhi, Mumbai, Chengdu, Tianjin, Hangzhou, Taipei, Seoul, Tokyo and Perth.

Scoot will differentiate itself from its competitors with its "short, sharp, catchy" name and attitude, said Wilson.

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Singapore Airlines has signed a new Flight Hour Services (FHS) Tailored Support Package contract with Airbus to integrate and provide full component support, line and base airframe maintenance, as well as fleet technical management services for its 15 additional A330 aircraft ordered in September this year.

Under this long-term agreement, the airline will benefit from Airbus’ expertise in the areas of maintenance, engineering, reliability and supply chain management, partnering together with component manufacturers and with maintenance, repair and overhaul organisations.

Didier Lux, Airbus’ Executive Vice President, Customer Services said: “This further order extends the FHS support to Singapore Airlines into the year 2021 and we are particularly proud of their continued confidence in Airbus’ customer service achievements.” He adds: “Through the delivery of our solutions, we are committed to providing world leading on-time performance for Singapore Airlines’ A330 fleet.”

This contract builds on the existing FHS agreement signed with the airline in 2008 for 19 A330 aircraft. In addition, Airbus is already committed to Singapore Airlines with a components support agreement signed in 2007 for its A380 fleet, as well as a contract signed in 2010 covering its five A340-500 aircraft.

‘Airbus FHS’ incorporates a portfolio of guaranteed services ranging from material supply and inventory provisioning, to repair services, information systems, reliability optimisation, aircraft maintenance and fleet technical management. As of today, Airbus has such agreements covering over 90 aircraft across Asia, Europe and Latin America.

Airbus is the leading aircraft manufacturer offering the most modern and efficient passenger aircraft families from 100 to over 500 seats.

Boeing, Singapore Airlines Finalize Order for Eight 777-300ERs

SEATTLE, Nov. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing (NYSE: [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]) and Singapore Airlines announced an order for eight additional 777-300 Extended Range (ER) airplanes. The orders were previously recorded on Boeing's Orders & Deliveries website, attributed to an unidentified customer.

"This order is part of our ongoing fleet expansion and modernization program, which enables us to offer our latest cabin products to our customers," said Goh Choon Phong, chief executive officer for Singapore Airlines (SIA). "The additional 777-300ERs will also help us further strengthen the Singapore Airlines network, providing our customers even more travel options."

The Singapore Airlines order is valued at $2.4 billion at Boeing current list prices. The order was first announced on August 10.

In total, Singapore Airlines has ordered 85 Boeing 777s, 27 of which are 777-300ERs.

"The men and women of Boeing are proud to build safe, comfortable and reliable airplanes for the passengers and crews of Singapore Airlines," said Ray Conner, senior vice president of Sales and Customer Support for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "For six generations, Boeing and SIA have together served Southeast Asia and the world with distinction. We are honored to have earned the trust and confidence that such a longstanding partnership requires."

The Boeing 777-300ER is a favorite of passengers and airlines because of its ability to fly point-to-point and bypass crowded hub airports. The 777-300ER is distinguished by its fuel efficiency, spacious cabin interior, range capability and commonality. SIA currently operates nearly every 777 model produced, including the 777-200, 777-200ER, 777-300 and 777-300ER.

Singapore Airlines (SIA) has started the process of checking two thirds of its 15-plane Airbus A380 fleet as the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) warned of new cracks on the superjumbo's wings.

2012 AFP

Ils ont du mal à voir qu'il s'agit de donner un rappel et un petit 'coup de coude' à certains des acteurs concernés, puisqu'ils peuvent avoir des appareils (représentant approximativement un tiers des A380-800 en service), qui soient très proches de la limite du nombre de vols (1,800) fixée par l'EASA. ;)

Singapore Airlines is giving the faithful Boeing 747 a send-off at the show ahead of the jumbo's retirement from passenger services at the end of March after nearly four decades of service.

"The B747 was the flagship aircraft in SIA's fleet for nearly four decades, serving us through much of our history, and it is only fitting that we mark its retirement in a special way," said the airline's executive vice president commercial, Mak Swee Wah.

SIA's last passenger 747-400 (9V-SPQ) is gracing the static display for the last three days of the show, ahead of the final scheduled flights from Singapore to Melbourne and back on 24-25 March. A special commemorative flight is also planned before the final farewell. The type continues to serve the airline's cargo arm, which operates 13 747-400Fs.

Why Singapore Airlines is reducing Houston to less than daily service


[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] decided earlier this week to reduce capacity to [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], which in late March will become the carrier’s only [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] destination without daily service. The decision to drop two of the seven weekly [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] 777-300ER frequencies SIA currently operates on the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]-Moscow-Houston route is a response to low demand. Houston has been the worst performing [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] destination for SIA since the carrier began serving the Texas city in 2008.

Data from the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] (DoT) show that SIA’s average annual load factor between Houston and Moscow has been 61% or lower since the service was launched in Mar-2008. Despite an average 55% load factor in 2009, SIA decided last year to increase frequency to Houston from five weekly flights to daily. But this increase, which went into effect in Nov-2010, will be reversed as SIA reverts to five weekly flights from the start of the next Northern Hemisphere winter season on 25-Mar-2012.

Houston is an attractive long-haul premium market given its large concentration of oil and gas companies. Two Middle Eastern carriers, [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], also serve Houston as well as four European carriers – [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]. But Houston can be a difficult long-haul market for filling the economy class cabin on a year-round basis.

A look at SIA’s performance on Houston-Moscow shows loads are typically highest in the summer months when there is more leisure demand. In the winter and shoulder seasons, the monthly load factor has typically been in the 50s or even lower.

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SIA currently operates seven US routes: Houston-Moscow-[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]; [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]-Tokyo-Singapore; Los Angeles-Singapore (all-premium non-stop); [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]-Singapore (all-premium non-stop); [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]-[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]-Singapore; [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]-[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]-Singapore; and San Francisco-[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]-Singapore. All routes are currently served daily except Los Angeles-Singapore, which was downgraded to five weekly flights earlier this year. SIA for now is maintaining the reduced schedule of five weekly flights on the Los Angeles non-stop route through next year while also reducing Singapore-Moscow-Houston to five weekly flights.

In 1H2011, Houston had the lowest load factor among SIA’s seven US routes for five out of six months. The average load factor on the Houston-Moscow sector in 1H2011 was only 61%.

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In 1H2010, before SIA upgraded the route from five weekly flights to daily, the average load factor on Houston-Moscow was a more respectable 65%. But in 1H2009, during the global economic financial crisis, the load factor was only 53%.

SIA’s struggle to fill up its Houston flights, particularly economy class, is evident in its pricing strategy. Houston-Singapore typically has lower economy class fares than New York-Singapore although it is a longer flight. For example, SIA offered promotional round-trip fares between Houston and Singapore of only USD1036 for travel in Oct-2011, Nov-2011 and early Dec-2011.

San Francisco-Hong Kong is SIA's best performing US route


San Francisco-Hong Kong has been the best performing US route for SIA from a load factor standpoint. San Francisco-Hong Kong had an average load factor of 86% in 1H2011 and recorded the highest load factor among all seven of SIA’s US routes every month from Jan-2011 to May-2011. Despite the high loads on San Francisco-Hong Kong, SIA continues to operate 777-300ERs rather than A380s on both of its San Francisco flights. SIA uses the same aircraft type for Houston.

DoT data also shows SIA’s Los Angeles-Tokyo service recovered quickly from the Mar-2011 tsunami and earthquake. SIA was able to achieve an average load factor on the route of 67% in Mar-2011 and 70% in Apr-2011 despite the crisis. SIA’s Los Angeles-Tokyo load factor increased to 79% in May-2011 and 93% in Jun-2011. The quick recovery on the Los Angeles-Tokyo route prompted SIA to upgrade the route to A380s at the beginning of Jul-2011.

SIA also unveiled plans in Sep-2011 to upgrade its Singapore-Frankfurt-New York service from 747-400s to A380s, effective 15-Jan-2012. This is currently SIA’s last remaining 747-400 route. SIA maintained a respectable load factor of 76% on the New York-Frankfurt leg in 1H2011 although the decision to go with the A380 is more a response to high demand between Frankfurt and Singapore. The trans-Atlantic leg of this route has traditionally had lower load factors than the Europe-Asia leg, especially in the winter and shoulder seasons.

Non-stop ultra long-haul Singapore-US flights are performing fairly well


DoT data show SIA’s exclusive non-stop flights to the US, which operate with all-premium A340-500s configured with 100 business class seats, have performed fairly well this year. The Newark-Singapore flight recorded an average load factor of 75% in 1H2011. The Los Angeles flight had an average load factor of 66% in 1H2011 but has performed better since capacity was cut from seven to five weekly flights at the beginning of May. Both non-stop routes were also scaled back during the global economic downturn as load factors sunk below 50% in late 2008 and early 2009.

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While SIA has struggled in Houston, it is unlikely the carrier will drop the route entirely. Houston is an important business destination with high yields in business class. Five weekly flights with no service during off peak days are typically sufficient to meet demand from the business sector, as is the case with SIA’s Los Angeles-Singapore service. But any further reduction would make it difficult for SIA to continue to meet the needs of business passengers.

Low load factors and low economy yields during most months of the year make Houston-Moscow challenging. But SIA, which several years ago also served [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] in the US, is hoping strong premium demand is sufficient to retain the service. SIA, given its strong focus on the top end of the market, would not want to cede Houston-Asia premium passengers to its competitors from Europe and the Middle East.

Sept. 15 (Bloomberg) -- Singapore Airlines Ltd., the world’s second-largest carrier by market value, said it may order Airbus SAS’s A350-1000 wide-body jet as the European planemaker plans improvements in range and payload.

The airline is also awaiting details of enhancements to Boeing Co.’s competing 777-300ER before deciding which model to purchase, Chief Executive Officer Goh Choon Phong said yesterday in a briefing at Airbus’s headquarters in Toulouse, France. He declined to discuss how many planes the carrier may buy.

Airbus in June said it would delay the introduction of the A350-1000 so it could make changes including the use of improved Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc Trent XWB engines. Singapore Air has 20 of the smaller -900 variants on order and also signed a deal for eight 777-300ERs in August to tap demand for long-haul travel.

Goh also said the carrier was concerned about a potential economic slowdown and the possibility of tighter credit after Moody’s Investors Service Inc. downgraded Credit Agricole SA and Societe Generale SA, France’s second- and third-largest banks.

“The most strategic concern is how the economy is going to go,” he said. “The recent downgrade of banks in France is a concern: the impact, if any, on the liquidity of banks, and whether there’s a contagious effect on the rest of the economy.”

Singapore Airlines (SIA) will introduce revamped seats and cabin interiors with a new inflight entertainment offering on its new Boeing 777-300ERs, starting second half of 2013.

It has appointed design firms DesignworksUSA and James Park Associates (JPA) for the works.

The products will first be introduced on the new -300ERs that are due to enter service in the later half of 2013. Subsequently, it will be introduced on its Airbus A350s and Boeing 787s to be delivered.

Retrofits may also be done on aircraft already in service, says SIA.

While DesignworkUSA works on the carrier's first class seats and cabin environment that will provide more privacy, stowage space and seat comfort, JPA will develop a new generation of business class seats.

Development work is also underway to improve seat and headrest comfort on economy class.

Enhanced cabin lighting and a new offering for inflight entertainment and connectivity will also be introduced progressively, adds SIA.

"Singapore Airlines is always looking towards the future and we have many major investments lined up for the years ahead to help us retain our leadership position. In this business, if your company stays still, it will move backwards and allow your competitors to catch up quickly," says its senior vice-president for product and services Tan Pee Teck.

SIA confirms talks to sell Virgin Atlantic stake


Singapore Airlines is in talks with "interested parties" about a possible divestment of its 49% stake in [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

The Star Alliance member adds that the discussions may or may not result in a transaction, and that it will make further announcements when necessary.

While the airline did not say who it was in negotiations with, reports from the US and the UK say that Delta Air Lines has approached SIA with a view to buying the stake.

Both Delta and Virgin Atlantic could not be reached for a comment.

Singapore Airlines bought its 49% stake in Virgin Atlantic in 1999 for £600m ($961 million), but it has been looking to offload that for several years.

In October, SIA bought a 10% stake in Virgin Australia for Australian dollars (A$) 105 million ($109 million) to help to cement a partnership that the two airlines signed in 2011.