Singapore Airlines takes delivery of first A350-900

by Payload Asia

Singapore Airlines has taken delivery of its first A350 XWB in Toulouse, France, becoming the fifth operator of the all-new widebody airliner. After an initial period flying on regional services to Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta the aircraft will be deployed on long haul flights from May, starting with Amsterdam and then Dusseldorf.

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(l-r): Didier Evrard, Airbus executive VP for programmes, Goh Choon Phong, Singapore Airlines CEO and Eric Schulz, Rolls-Royce president for Civil Large Engines.

With 67 A350-900s on order, the aircraft type will form the backbone of Singapore Airlines’ future mid-size widebody fleet. Most will be operated on long range flights, as well as on selected regional services and seven of the aircraft will be delivered with an ultra-long range capability for flights of up to 19 hours, allowing the carrier to resume non-stop flights to the US. The A350 XWB will join an existing Airbus fleet at Singapore Airlines that currently comprises 19 A380s and 29 A330-300s.

To date, Airbus has recorded a total of 783 firm orders for the A350 XWB from 42 customers worldwide.