Keen demand for SIA direct service to San Francisco

Toulouse, France

DEMAND for Singapore Airlines' (SIA) upcoming direct service to San Francisco has been robust ahead of its relaunch of non-stop flights to the United States later this month.

The carrier is due to collect its sixth Airbus A350-900 in Toulouse on Friday, which is the 10,000th aircraft that plane-maker Airbus has delivered to date. The 253-seater plane will then be deployed to San Francisco in a direct service from Oct 23, complementing an existing daily flight to San Francisco via Hong Kong.

"The uptake has been very strong," said Campbell Wilson, SIA's senior vice-president (sales and marketing), speaking at Airbus' headquarters in Toulouse. "That non-stop option clearly is beneficial to business travellers (and) people wanting to connect beyond San Francisco."

United Airlines is the only other carrier that currently operates direct flights to the West Coast city from Singapore.

SIA has had a long history with Europe's biggest aircraft maker, dating as far back as 1979 when it placed its first order for the A300B4. Singapore's flag carrier has placed orders for 67 A350-900s in total, including seven of the Ultra Long Range (ULR) variant for which the premium carrier is the launch customer.

The A350 has been hailed as a "game-changer" by the airline as it allows SIA to expand its long haul network with new cities and/or direct flights. Non-stop flights cut travel time and deliver a competitive advantage over rivals such as the rapidly expanding Gulf carriers, which operate flights via their individual hubs in the Middle East.

Analysts have said it may enable SIA to attract new passengers who transit at other hubs besides Changi as well as to regain market share lost from when it pulled the plug on the direct flights to the US.

When SIA takes delivery of the A350-900ULRs in 2018, it will relaunch non-stop flights to New York and Los Angeles. SIA axed its non-stop flights to New York and LA back in 2013, which it then operated using a four engine A340, as stubbornly high fuel prices and weak demand from business travellers made it tough to operate the route profitably.

With a range of 9,700 nautical miles, the A350-900ULR can fly for up to 19 hours, with a modified fuel system for greater fuel-carrying capacity. SIA's A350-900 ULR will be in a two class configuration, although the carrier hasn't confirmed which classes as yet.

By this time next year, SIA will have 18 A350s in its fleet, enabling it to replace older aircraft such as the B777-200s and A330s.

According to SIA's deputy chief pilot (A350) Capt Aloysius Wee, transitioning to the A350 from the A330 is fairly smooth and takes about a month of training, versus three months for other aircraft models.One hundred and sixty pilots have been trained for the A350 so far.

The twin-engine wide body A350 offers 25 per cent lower fuel burn compared to previous aircraft as well as reduced maintenance costs, thanks to the use of corrosion resistant materials for its airframe.

SIA also has options for 16 A350s - which can be converted to the A350-1000s - and a firm order for five jumbo A380s. In addition, SIA is the launch customer for Boeing's 787-10, with 30 on order due from 2018.

From 2018, A350-900s will have the flexibility of being retrofitted into an A350-900ULR and vice versa, said Marisa Lucas-Ugena, head of A350XWB (marketing) for Airbus. She added that the plane-maker is also seeing interest for the ultra long range variant from other carriers in Australia and Asia.

Forty-two A350s have been delivered to nine customers so far including Cathay Pacific and Qatar Airways. A total of 810 orders have been placed by airlines worldwide for the A350.

Meanwhile, Airbus said that its A350-1000 model is on track for entry into service in 2017, with Qatar Airways slated as the launch customer.