SINGAPORE AIRLINES CONFIRMS A380 ORDER

Singapore Airlines has signed a firm contract for 10 A380-800s, confirming its earlier announced commitment for the purchase of the 21st century jetliner. The A380, the only all-new very large aircraft on offer, has demonstrated its success in the market by winning 67 firm orders and commitments from eight customers to date. In addition to the firm orders, Singapore Airlines has options for a further 15 of the type.

Singapore Airlines will also be the first airline in the world to operate the 555-seat A380, with the delivery of the first aircraft scheduled for the first quarter of 2006. Subsequent deliveries of the firm order aircraft will continue through to 2007. The airline will deploy the A380 on high-density routes to London, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Sydney.

The A380 will also complement the non-stop services that Singapore Airlines plans to operate to US destinations with the arrival of the ultra long-range A340-500 in 2002.

Noël Forgeard, Airbus Chief Executive Officer said: “Singapore Airlines is one of the world’s most innovative airlines and the A380 will offer great potential in the development of exceptional new cabin amenities with which passengers have come to associate the airline.”

With forecast demand for some 700 very large aircraft in the Asia-Pacific over the next 20 years, Airbus sees excellent market opportunities for the A380 and as the key to coping with increasing air traffic, especially on routes between congested and slot constrained airports, including those in the Asia Pacific.

When it enters into service in 2006, the A380 will offer all the advantages of a completely new design, while retaining maximum commonality with the existing Airbus aircraft family. Built to the latest and most stringent certification requirements, the A380 embodies the most advanced technologies, providing 15 to 20 per cent lower operating costs than the largest aircraft flying today and 10 to 15 per cent more range.

With well over 4,300 orders booked to date from some 180 customers worldwide, Airbus consistently captures about half of the market for commercial aircraft seating more than 100 passengers. Headquartered in Toulouse (France), Airbus is an EADS joint Company with BAE SYSTEMS.