SIA says superjumbo A380 to join Paris route

SINGAPORE - Singapore Airlines will fly the world's biggest passenger aircraft, the Airbus A380 superjumbo, to Paris beginning from June 1, the airline said on Monday.

The daily Singapore-Paris flights will be in addition to SIA's A380 service to London, Tokyo and Sydney.

Singapore Airlines and travel agents said last week that the carrier is cutting more than 200 flights to Europe, Australia, China, and India in response to falling passenger numbers during a global economic slowdown.

The airline said December passenger numbers were down 7.5 per cent year-on-year.

But on Monday it said the A380 Paris service is a response to 'growing demand'.

The double-decker aircraft will replace the existing 10-times-a-week service by Boeing 777-300ER planes, SIA said.

Superjumbos can carry up to 853 passengers but SIA uses a setup with a maximum of 471 seats.

SIA was the first airline in the world to operate the A380. -- AFP


Source: Business Times