Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines (SIA)
新加坡航空公司（新航）

File:Singapore Airlines logo.png
IATA ICAO Callsign SQ SIA SINGAPORE
Founded	1947 (as Malayan Airways)
Hubs	Singapore Changi Airport
Frequent-flyer program	KrisFlyer
Alliance	Star Alliance
Fleet size	89 (+95 orders)
Destinations	64
Parent company	Singapore Airlines Ltd.
Headquarters	Singapore
Key people	Chew Choon Seng (CEO)
Website	http://www.singaporeair.com

Singapore Airlines Limited (Abbreviated: SIA; Malay: Syarikat Penerbangan Singapura, Chinese: 新加坡航空公司; pinyin: Xīnjīapō Hángkōng Gōngsī; abbreviated 新航) SGX: S55

is the national airline of Singapore, with a strong presence in Southeast Asia, East Asia, South Asia, and a major player on the competitive "kangaroo route" between Europe and Oceania. It also operates transpacific flights, including two of the world's longest non-stop commercial flights from Newark and Los Angeles, California.

Singapore Airlines has built up a strong brand name in the aviation industry since its formation in 1972, and has a reputation for being a trend-setter and industrial benchmark in service quality. It is the world's most awarded airline and is one of only four airlines to receive a 'five-star' rating by Skytrax. The other airlines holding this award are Cathay Pacific, Malaysia Airlines and Qatar Airways. An industry bellwether for aircraft purchases, it has a reputation for being a very demanding and meticulous buyer, with its purchases closely monitored by plane makers as an endorsement of their aircraft, and by other airlines for potentially reliable and cost-effective purchases.

The airline has diversified into various markets including ground handling, aviation engineering, air catering, and travel tour marketing, and is now the leading and founding entity of the Singapore Airlines Group of companies. Operational members of the Group, such as its regional and wholly owned subsidiary, Silkair, manage flights to secondary cities with smaller capacity requirements, particularly those in Southeast Asia, China and India. Since 2001, air freight operations have also been hired off to a separate subsidiary, Singapore Airlines Cargo, which took over the entire freighter fleet from SIA, as well as management of the cargo holds in passenger-cargo aircraft. A more recent addition was the low-cost carrier Tiger Airways, which marked the group's entry into the low-cost segment of the aviation industry.

Collectively, the Singapore Airlines Group is the world's second largest carrier by market capitalization, second only to Southwest Airlines of the United States, and ranks amongst the top 15 carriers worldwide in terms of revenue passenger kilometres [1]. In addition, it is the largest airline in Asia and ranked fourth in the world in terms of international passengers carried [2]. The airline was Asia's first and the world's third airline to be accredited by IATA with the IOSA (IATA Operations Safety Audit).

History

Early History

Singapore Airlines began with the incorporation of Malayan Airways Limited (MAL) on October 12, 1937, by the Ocean Steamship Company of Liverpool, the Straits Steamship Company of Singapore and Imperial Airways(BOAC/BA). The airline's first flight was between Kuala Lumpur and the British Straits Settlement of Singapore on 2 April 1947 using an Airspeed Consul twin-engined airplane.

MAL continued to grow during the rest of the 1940s and 1950s, as other British Commonwealth airlines (such as BOAC/BA, Qantas) provided technical assistance, as well as assistance in joining the IATA. By 1955, Malayan Airways' fleet had grown to include a large number of Douglas DC-3s, and went public in 1957.

When Malaya, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak formed the Federation of Malaysia in 1963, the airline's name was similarly changed, from "Malayan Airways" to "Malaysian Airlines" (though still abbreviated to MAS). MAS also took over Borneo Airways, although Brunei remained a British colony until 1984.

In 1966, following Singapore's separation from the federation, the airline's name was changed again, to Malaysia-Singapore Airlines (MSA). The next year saw a rapid expansion in the airline's fleet and route, including the purchase of MSA's first Boeing 707s, as well the completion of a new high-rise headquarters in Singapore.

MSA ceased operations in 1972, when political disagreements between Singapore and Malaysia resulted in the formation of two new airlines: Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines. Singapore Airlines kept all 10 of MSA's Boeing 737s and 707s, and retained the international routes out of Singapore as well as the corporate headquarters in Singapore. Air hostesses continued to wear the sarong kebaya dress, which had previously been used by MSA.

Singapore Airlines actively cultivates and promotes the image of the 'Singapore Girl' in its advertising, and marketing communications, and aggressively recruits young women who fit the image, though they do not have to be Singaporean citizens.

Modern History

File:Sqtt.jpg

Singapore Airlines timetable from 1978, showing the Concorde on the cover, which was operated briefly in cooperation with British Airways.

Singapore Airlines saw rapid growth during the 1970s, adding many cities in the Indian subcontinent and Asia to its 22-city network, and adding Boeing 747s to its fleet. The 1980s saw the addition of the United States, Canada, and many European cities to the airline's route map, with Madrid becoming the first Hispanic city to be served by Singapore Airlines. Services were extended to Africa in the 1990s, when the airline began flights to Johannesburg in South Africa. The network would eventually be expanded to include the cities of Cape Town and Durban.

During the 1990s, Singapore Airlines licenced model aeroplane companies like Schabak, Wooster, Herpa Wings and many others, to manufacture promotional plane models for them. Their Boeing 747s became known as Megatop, and were complemented by Boeing 777s and various Airbus aircraft.

In 2004, Singapore Airlines began non-stop long haul flights from Singapore to Los Angeles International Airport in California and Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey. This marked the first ever non-stop air service between Singapore and the United States of America, using Airbus A340-500 aircraft named "Leadership". The Singapore to Newark flight holds the record as the longest scheduled commercial flight, with a flying time of approximately 18 hours between Singapore and Newark and 20 hours on the way back.

In 2005, the airline unveiled the slogan "First to fly the A380 - experience the difference in 2006", to promote itself as the world's first airline to take delivery of the A380-800 double-decker super jumbo, then expected to take place in the 2nd quarter of 2006. In early 2006, the first A380 was painted in full Singapore Airlines livery for an appearance at the Asian Aerospace Show 2006. However Airbus admitted in late 2005 that, due to unforeseen technical problems, it would delay delivery of the aircraft by up to six months, with the first delivery in Nov 2006 after the peak northern hemisphere summer travel season.

The announcement was met with fury by SIA's CEO, Chew Choon Seng, who threatened to sue Airbus. He further claimed that SIA will be receiving the Boeing 777-300ER before the A380. Nevertheless, SIA has indicated that this would not affect its promotional campaign. The first few aircraft will be used on the Singapore to London, and Singapore to Sydney routes. On June 14, 2006, Singapore Airlines placed an initial order for the Boeing 787 as part of its future aircraft expansion. The order consisted of 20 787-9s and rights for 20 more. This order came one day after Airbus announced that the A380 superjumbo would be delayed by another 6 months. In August 2006, the airline began to publish details on its first A380 flight, which will be launched from Singapore to Sydney, before returning to Singapore and onwards to London and back, with the aircraft seating less than 480.

Then, on 3 October, 2006, upon completion of a review of the A380 program, the new CEO of Airbus, Christian Streiff, announced a third delay for delivery of the first A380 to Singapore Airlines. The largest delay yet, it pushed the first delivery of a single A380 aircraft to Singapore Airlines in October 2007.

On April 20, 2006, the media broke the news on the airline's possible investment of up to 20% in China Eastern Airlines. SIA confirmed that negotiations were underway.

Service and Innovation

Main article: Singapore Airlines awards and accolades

SIA's in-flight entertainment system, KrisWorld, was introduced in 1977 and is now offered to passengers in all classes with over 600 entertainment options. Utilizing the Wisemen 3000 hardware and Dolby Digital Personal Cinema Headphones for economy class, and active noise cancelling headphones for Raffles and First Class, they include the latest stock of at least 100 movies, 80 TV Shows, Nintendo games, 200 CD's, audio channels, flight camera's, flight statistics, destination info and traveller guides, and live TV channels. Since 2001, all entertainment options are available on demand to all classes with options to pause, forward, and rewind them at will.

In 2005, it was one of the earliest to introduce high-speed, in-flight internet service in March by installing the Connexion by Boeing system, and became the first airline in the world to offer live international television broadcasts using the same system from June [3]. In the same month, free language lessons became available, with 22 languages offered. [4]. In December 2005, the airline offered free live news feeds it called "Live Text News" via its KrisWorld entertainment system [5].

Uniform and Branding

File:SIA Girl.jpg

The Singapore Girl, an icon of SIA that reflect its warmth and friendly services.

The personalization of the Singapore Airlines brand is the mixed male and female cabin crew, where especially the flight stewardesses commonly referred to as 'Singapore Girls' have become very well-known. SIA engaged French haute-couture designer Pierre Balmain at the inauguration of the airline in 1972. He designed a special version of the Malay Sarong Kebaya as the uniform which later became one of the most recognized signatures of the airline. A very designated and visual part of the entire brand experience. The company has not changed its uniform in more than three decades.

Singapore Airlines also runs one of the most comprehensive and rigorous training programs for cabin and flight crew in the industry to make sure the SIA brand experience is fully and consistently delivered. The social status of the Singapore Girl has also reached near-celebrity in Asia. This has allowed Singapore Airlines to be highly selective in the recruiting process for talent which has added further to the strength of the brand icon and the myth around it.

The Singapore Girl strategy turned out to be a very powerful idea and has become a successful brand icon with an almost mythical status and aura around her. The Singapore Girl encapsulates Asian values and hospitality, and could be described as caring, warm, gentle, elegant and serene. It is a brilliant personification of SIA's commitment to service and quality excellence. The icon has become so strong that Madame Tussaud's Museum in London started to display the Singapore Girl in 1994 as the first commercial figure ever.

This sculpture was later sent to the Delta Air Lines shuttle concourse at La Guardia Airport in New York City on June 1, 1995. The sculpture was in two different parts: The wax figure's head will be removed and hand carried by Tussaud's staff, while the body is being shipped separately in a case. It took two days before the Singapore Girl's mind and body were reunited.

On April 2001, all Singapore Airlines flight attendants received new designer safety shoes to wear during takeoffs and landings.

The shoes were also designed by Pierre Balmain and consisrs of slingbacks featuring a front toe-cap that is made of polyurethane to protect the toes. This cap with a chrome buckle is attached to an ankle strap. The shoes were designed to enhance safety after flight attendants complained of losing their sandals during the crash of an SIA aircraft in October 2000 at Taiwan's Taipei Chiang Kai Shek international airport.

Mattel made two Singapore Girl Barbie dolls. The first doll was issued in 1992 in the brown box. On the box were the words "Singapore Girl" with SIA's logo. The doll was only sold onboard Singapore Airlines planes as a duty-free product. This doll is harder to find of the two.

The second doll was issued in 1994 and was packed in a slim pink box.

Destinations

Main article: Singapore Airlines destinations

Fleet

Main article: Singapore Airlines fleet

Singapore Airlines Boeing 777 at Changi Airport.

Singapore Airlines operates one of the youngest fleets in the world. Its fleet features three aircraft families: the Boeing 747, the Boeing 777, and the Airbus A340, although more aircraft types are expected to appear as the fleet undergoes a renewal programme. Singapore Airlines is the world's largest operator of the Boeing 777, with 60 in its fleet as of 28 November, 2006[6].

The airline has a history of naming its fleet according to plane makes. The Boeing 747-400s are dubbed "Megatop", while the Boeing 777s are called "Jubilee". The Airbus A340-500s were named "Leadership", but that has since been dropped. Names for airliners previously flown by the airline includes "Superbus" for the 8 Airbus A300, "3TEN" for the 23 Airbus A310-300, "Celestar" for the 17 Airbus A340-300,"Super B" for the 23 Boeing 747-200B, "Big Top" for the 14 Boeing 747-300.

Singapore Airlines flew, for a short period of time, a Concorde that it shared with British Airways. The plane had Singapore Airlines' livery on one side, and British Airways' logo on the other.

It is the launch customer for the Airbus A380-800, and will be the first airline to operate it when it comes into service in October 2007. It has 19 of these aircraft on order, options on a further 6 aircraft and plans to introduce it on its Kangaroo route services from Sydney to London via its base at Changi Airport (ref: Airliner World, March 2005), though, after a new 6 month delay that was announced by Airbus, seems to have put off the entry into service date to 2007. [7]

The airline received its first two Boeing 777-300ER on 28 November 2006, with another 17 due for delivery.[8] It will enter commercial service on 5 December 2006, on the Singapore-Paris route, followed by a daily flight to Hong Kong on the following day. The aircraft are also fitted with the airline's new cabin products introduced in the same year. Six more 777-300ER will be delivered by the end of 2006, and they will be deployed on the Singapore-Milan-Barcelona route from 20 December, 2006; followed by Zürich, Seoul-Incheon and San Francisco in January 2007, as well as Frankfurt in May.[9]

The Singapore Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft as of December 2006:

Singapore Airlines Fleet

Aircraft	Number	Passengers (First*/Business/Executive Economy**/Economy)	Routes	Notes
Airbus A330-300	(19 Orders)		Medium-Long Haul	To Be Leased From Airbus Entry Into Service: 2009-2011
Airbus A340-500	5	181 (64/117)	Long Haul
Airbus A350XWB-900	(20 Orders)		Medium-Long Haul
Airbus A380-800	(19 Orders)		Long Haul
Boeing 747-400	24	375 (12/50/313)	Long Haul
Boeing 777-200	17	323 (30/293)	Short-Medium Haul
Boeing 777-200	14	288 (12/42/234)	Medium-Long Haul
Boeing 777-200ER	15	285 (30/255)	Long Haul
Boeing 777-300	12	332 (18/49/265)	Medium Haul
Boeing 777-300ER	3 (16 Orders)	278 (8/42/228)	Long Haul
Boeing 787-9	(20 Orders)		Medium Haul

^{*First Class only available on some aircraft.**Executive Economy offered on A340-500 in place of Economy Class}

Notes

The average age of the fleet of Singapore Airlines is 6.3 years as of March 31, 2006.

• Singapore Airlines operates the world's longest nonstop flight (SQ21 and 22). It uses an A340-500 that flies from Singapore's Changi International Airport to New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport. The aircraft, which have a special seat configuration on 181 passengers, have its own 'Executive Economy class' and Raffles Class. When flying from Singapore to New Jersey, the plane flies over the North Pole and crosses the Arctic Ocean. The length of this route is 9530mi (8280nm) or 15340km.

• All of Singapore Airlines' 777-212s are the Extended Range (ER) models; featuring centre fuel tanks for maximum storage. The airline however chooses to only refer to the 9V-SV* registered series of aircraft as 777-200ERs as those planes are certified to 656,000 lb (298,000 kg) Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) and fly the longer intercontinental routes. The 9V-SR* and 9V-SQ* registered aircraft feature derated engines which can be electronically reprogrammed to produce more thrust and thus operate longer flights at higher MTOWs if ever needed.

Singapore Airlines Boeing 747-412.

• 6 of the Boeing 747-400 were withdrawn from regular operation since the SARS crisis in the year 2003. Another 2 will be withdrawn later, and all 8 will be sold to two airlines from the year 2006 to 2008, after being converted into freighters. There is a possibility they may be transferred to Singapore Airlines Cargo, as an addition to its existing 14 B747-412Fs (dubbed "MegaArk"s).

• In August 2004, the airline decided to order 19 Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, and the order was signed on 23 December 2004, during which an unused option for Boeing 777 family was converted into an additional order for Boeing 777-300ER.

• British Airways, for a short period of time, flew a Concorde (registered G-BOAD) that had Singapore Airlines' livery on one side, and British Airways' logo on the other. The aircraft, operated by BA pilots and staffed with flight attendants from both airlines, flew between Singapore and London via Bahrain.

• Singapore Airlines is the largest Boeing 777 operator in the world with 61 in service, 9 more than the next largest operator and Star Alliance partner, United Airlines. The airline has 29 more on order or on options.

• It should be noted that Singapore Airlines has never painted an aircraft without its trademark tail livery. Even special liveries such as the Tropical Megatop and the Star Alliance livery still retain the signature 'Golden Pigeon' on their vertical stabilizers. Another recent example would be the 2 freighters leased to Great Wall Airlines, which suspended operations. Thus, the aircraft now operate in a hybrid livery, with Great Wall fuselage colours and a SQ tail logo.

Cabin

To date, Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific are the two airlines that have announced their new cabin products for first, business and economy classes to be implemented beginning in 2007.

Singapore Airlines announced that Panasonic Avionics Corporation has been selected to create the new KrisWorld, Singapore Airlines' IFE system, using the new ex2 system..

On 17 October 2006 Singapore Airlines anounced the details of the new cabin designs and enhanced KrisWorld IFE system for SIA's 19 new Boeing 777-300ER. Singapore Airlines has stated the upgrade of the seats in all classes, as well as onboard amenities. These includes the new Givenchy designed bedding amenities in First, Business, and Economy class. New tableware and linen designed by Givenchy will also be part of the new products.

The new Airbus A380-800 superjumbo will also fit the new seat product.

First class

• At least 35-inch seat width
• 23-inch LCD screen for IFE
• Amenity kit from Salvatore Ferragamo

Singapore Airlines redesigned First Class

Business class

• 30-inch seat width
• 15.4-inch LCD monitor

Singapore Airlines redesigned Business Class

Economy class

• 19-inch seat width and
• 10.6-inch widescreen personal TV and USB Port

Singapore Airlines redesigned Economy Class

New KrisWorld

• Large widescreen LCD TV with 1280 X 768 resolution
• More extensive options for movies, TV, music and games
• Interactive programs
• Built-in office software, based on Sun Microsystems StarOffice Productivity Suite for use with USB Port
• In-seat AC power port

Singapore Airlines redesigned KrisWorld

Alliances

Singapore Airlines is a member of the Star Alliance since April 2000. On 30 March 2000, it bought a 49% stake in Virgin Atlantic Airways. The airline owns a similar 49% stake in Tiger Airways, a low-cost carrier flying from Singapore which it founded in September 2004 with Indigo Partners LLC, the investment firm founded by Bill Franke, (24%); Irelandia Investments Limited, the private investment arm of Tony Ryan and his family, (16%); and Temasek Holdings Pte Ltd (11%). Silkair is a wholly owned subsidiary serving new destinations in Asia and regional connections using Singapore as a hub.

Singapore Airlines purchased 25% of Air New Zealand in 2000. However following the near collapse of Air New Zealand the New Zealand government bought into the airline to rescue it from bankruptcy, reducing SIA's stake to 4.5%. This was subsequently sold in October 2004.

Subsidiaries

The Singapore Airlines Group has over 50 subsidiaries and associates, including:

• International Engine Component Overhaul (IECO) (43.3%)
• SIA Engineering Company (SIAEC) (86.6%)
• Singapore Aero Engine Services Private Limited (SAESL) (43.3%)
• Singapore Aircraft Leasing Enterprise (SALE) (35.5%)
• Singapore Airlines Cargo (100%)
• Singapore Airport Terminal Services (86.5%)
• Singapore Flying College (100%)

KrisFlyer

Main article: KrisFlyer

KrisFlyer is the frequent flyer programme of Singapore Airlines and its subsidiary Silkair. It has three levels/tiers of membership (KrisFlyer, KrisFlyer Elite Silver and KrisFlyer Elite Gold) and another three levels in the PPS Club (PPS Club, Solitaire PPS and Lifetime Solitaire PPS).

Codeshare agreements

The airline has codeshare agreements with the following airlines to the following destinations:

• Air Canada (Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver)
• Air New Zealand (Auckland, Christchurch, Rotorua, Wellington, New Plymouth, Dunedin, Queenstown, Palmerston North and Sydney)
• All Nippon Airways (Tokyo)
• Asiana (Seoul)
• Austrian Airlines (Vienna)
• LOT Polish Airlines (Warsaw)
• Lufthansa Airlines (Frankfurt, Munich, Hannover, Bremen, Hamburg, Dresden, Dusseldorf, Leipzig, Stuttgart, Cologne, Nuremberg, Berlin, Friedrichshafen, Munster, Paderborn, Geneva, Brussels, Vienna, Prague, Nice, Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Helsinki, Oslo, Malaga, Barcelona, Bilbao, and Madrid)
• Malaysia Airlines (Kota Kinabalu, Kuching and Penang)
• Royal Brunei Airlines (Bandar Seri Begawan)
• Silkair (Phuket, Yangon, Chang Mai, Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Medan, Manado, Trivandrum, Da Nang, Kuching, Kochi, Surabaya, Kota Kinabalu, Kunming, Xiamen, Chengdu, Chongqing, Shengzhen, Palembang, Solo City, Balikpapan and Langkawi)
• South African Airways (Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth and East London)
• Virgin Atlantic Airways (Washington, Boston, Miami, Orlando,Los Angeles, San Francisco and Dubai)

Events

2006

• At a Cabinet meeting on February 22, 2006, the Australian government decided not to grant fifth freedom rights to Singapore Airlines on flights from Australia to the United States. Singapore Airlines had argued that transpacific flights from Australia suffered from under-capacity, leading to limited competition and relatively high air fares.
• On June 14, 2006, Singapore Airlines placed an initial order for the Boeing 787 as part of its future aircraft expansion. The order consisted of 20 787-9s and rights for 20 more. This order comes just one day after Airbus announced that the A380 superjumbo would be delayed by another 6 months.
• On July 21, 2006, Singapore Airlines signed an order of intent to buy 29 new Airbus planes, 20 A350XWBs and 9 A380s.
• On November 17, 2006, Singapore Airlines announced that it will be expanding its codeshare arrangement with Virgin Atlantic Airways to include Virgin's London-Heathrow-LAX, San Francisco, and Dubai routes, as well as Singapore Airline's Singapore-Sydney routes. [10]

2005

In Singapore, the airline also operates a local tourist bus service, the SIA Hop-On.

• In 2005, the airline increased codeshare flights to New Zealand with Air New Zealand, and increased the frequency of flights to destinations in India and Australia.
• On 1 June 2005, flights to Beijing were increased to 3 times daily. The airline also added flights to Mumbai, increasing them to twice daily.
• Egypt Air announced codesharing with Singapore Airlines on SIA's thrice weekly Cairo-Dubai-Singapore-Sydney route.
• Attempts to fly the trans-Pacific route between Sydney and Los Angeles were put on hold indefinitely after the Australian government said that it needed more time to make a decision.
• Starting 1 September, Singapore Airlines will launch six-times weekly Bangkok–Tokyo flights.
• CEO Chew Choon Seng was reportedly "furious" with Airbus over its delays in delivering the A380 airliner and was said to be considering a suit for damages. He told a German weekly Focus On Saturday in an interview that the A380 would not be delivered until November 2006. He said that the ageing Boeing 747-400s would have to be kept flying longer and that the delays had "greatly upset our forecasts with regard to capacity", additionally causing disruptions in training flight crew and engineers. A clause in the sales contract allows SIA to seek damages for late delivery.

The company will now focus on delivery of 19 Boeing 777-300ER since the 777 will be delivered earlier than the Airbus aircraft. SIA is in talks with Airbus for compensation over the delays of delivering the A380. The airline's Vice-President for Public Affairs said that this was the best option, yet would not rule out a lawsuit against Airbus. SIA is not giving any details but earlier reports have said that it was seeking more than US$6 million in compensation. One of the issues that SIA will face is how to handle higher passenger loads during the affected period. The airline may have to extend the lease of its 747s until the arrival of the A380.

• On August 152005, Virgin Atlantic, which flies the Kangaroo route between Australia and the United Kingdom via Hong Kong, denied it was in talks with part owner Singapore Airlines about extending its code sharing arrangements from Singapore to Sydney. Virgin Atlantic, 49% owned by Singapore Airlines, began flying between Sydney and the United Kingdom via Hong Kong in December. The London-Heathrow to Hong Kong route is generally doing well but not the Hong Kong-Sydney sector, Virgin Atlantic claims that the Sydney route is now making a profit, and are looking at increasing their frequency from 7 to 14 flights per week in 12 to 18 months.
• On November 24 2005, Singapore Airlines decided to return to Pakistan after a three year hiatus. The airline discontinued flying to Pakistan due to "security problems" in Karachi. The airline withdrew service from Pakistan on the 10 May 2002. However after a recent visit by the Prime Minister of Pakistan Shukat Aziz to Singapore, the airline decided to reopen the route with a three times weekly service to Karachi and Lahore. Flights began on February 1 2006. Mr Huang Cheng Eng, Singapore Airlines’ Executive Vice President of Marketing and Regions said "Singapore Airlines is confident that flights to Karachi and Lahore will facilitate the growth of trade, investments and tourism between Singapore and Pakistan. In addition, we believe that the inclusion of Pakistan to its extensive route network further enhances Pakistan’s linkage to the rest of the world".

Incidents and accidents

• On 26 March 1991, Flight 117, on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore, was hijacked in mid-flight by four Pakistanis who demanded that the plane be flown to Sydney. The crisis ended at Singapore Changi Airport, where all four were killed by members of the Singapore Special Operations Force. Two of the 123 passengers and crew suffered injuries.

• On 31 October 2000, Singapore Airlines Flight 006, a Boeing 747-400 flying on a Singapore to Los Angeles via Taipei route rammed into construction equipment while attempting to take off from a closed runway at Chiang Kai Shek International Airport, caught fire and was destroyed, killing 79 passengers and 3 crew members. The accident prompted the airline to change the flight number of this route from 006 to 030 and to remove the "Tropical Megatop" livery on the accident aircraft's sister ship.

• On 19 April, 2005, a Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-200ER stopped 194 meters (640 feet) beyond a painted stop line at Bangkok International Airport. Its left wing tip was clipped by a Thai Airways International Airbus A330-300 taxiing for take-off.

External links

• Singapore Airlines
• Silk Air
• KrisFlyer - Singapore Airline's frequent flyer program (FFP)
• Star Alliance