Singapore Airlines has deployed the new jetliner Airbus A350-900 between Singapore and Bengaluru from Friday. Airbus A350-900 can accommodate up to 325 passengers with a range of 15,000km, making it bigger than the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
Airbus A350-900 comes with wider fuselage resulting in better legroom. It also has better amenities like sophisticated inflight entertainment system and auto-mechanical shades. Cabin air will contain more moisture that will reduce fatigue.
Singapore Airlines will operate ten flights a week between Singapore and Bengaluru.
Other airlines are also planning to deploy Airbus A350-900 jetliners in the upcoming months. British Airways has confirmed its plan to deploy the model in Bengaluru. The airline will launch Airbus A350-900 in Osaka, Pittsburgh, and Charleston routes.
Cruising at a speed of 0.85 Mach, Airbus A350-900 has a length of 66.8m and has a wingspan of 64.8m. It has 253 long haul seats, 161 ultra-long range and 303 medium haul seats. The engine type is Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-84.
Singapore Airlines was using Boeing 777-200 in Singapore-Bengaluru route before.
Singapore Airlines full-year profit dips
For the fiscal Q4, Singapore Airlines posted a 28% drop in net profit registering S$202.6 million, compared to S$281.1 million reported a year ago. The net profit of the financial year ended on March 31 dropped 47.5% to S$683 million. Singapore Airlines attributed the loss to higher fuel price and cost incurred for SilkAir’s merger with the parent airline.
Despite the profit drop, the Group reported total revenue of S$16.3 billion for the financial year, compared to S$15.8 billion a year ago. The Group’s operating profit for the full-year came in at S$1.07 billion. Expenditure for the Group rose by 7% or S$999 million, with higher net fuel costs accounting for two-thirds of the increase. Passenger load factor for the Group’s carriers, which includes SIA, SilkAir and budget airline Scoot, rose to a record 83%.
