As the curtain fell on the A380 ceremony today, one airline could be forgiven for feeling just a little more excitement than the rest.

In 2006, Singapore Airlines will be the first airline in the world to accept the A380 for commercial service. The carrier has already launched a ‘first to fly A380’ logo, which for maximum effect has been placed between the aircraft’s twin row of windows - one of the new aircraft’s most recognisable features.

Speaking at the Reveal event, Singapore Airlines’ Chief Executive Chew Choon Seng said: "We feel privileged in having been one of the airlines that enabled the commercial launch of the A380 programme when we placed orders for 10 aircraft. The A380 will enable us to increase our capacity at the world’s busiest airports where it is difficult to obtain extra slots. For this reason alone, the A380 is vital to our future development."

Singapore Airlines will launch its first commercial flights in mid-2006 on routes to London and Sydney, and will use its subsequent A380s to operate flights to Hong Kong, San Francisco and later to Paris and Frankfurt.

"Our expansion will depend in part on our ability to secure more slots on busy routes - for example, from Australia to the west coast of America," said Mr Chew.
The airline’s A380s will seat just less than 480 passengers in a three-class layout, Mr Chew said, representing a 30 percent increase in passenger numbers compared to the maximum number on its Boeing 747 aircraft.

Mr Chew confirmed that the airline was in discussions with Qantas over sharing A380 maintenance facilities in Australia. "Where there could be economies of scale through combining these resources, they are opportunities to be explored," he said.

Mr Chew did not reveal details of Singapore Airlines’ cabin customisation plans, only saying that innovation in the cabin would match the innovation of the aircraft itself. "We have some interesting ideas for the cabin, but we will reveal them nearer the time of our first flights," he said.

Turning to the freighter market, Mr Chew described the A380F as ‘promising’ and said there was potential for future purchases for the carrier’s cargo subsidiary Singapore Airlines Cargo Pte. "We have at the moment quite a young fleet of freighter aircraft but we see potential in the A380 freighter," he said. "And if Airbus can make us a good offer, we will be prepared to listen."