Four years of work and no less than 850 million will have been needed to develop the new cab unveiled on 2 November by Singapore Airlinesdesigned to equip Airbus A380 of the airline. One of the main reasons why the presentation attracted international media attention was that it marked the first complete refurbishment of the A380 cabin since its arrival in the SIA fleet just ten years ago. The Singapore was then the pioneer on the Airbus star. Since then, the 19 A380 aircraft have travelled 570 million kilometres, carrying 12 million passengers.
The new cabin embodies the airline's upmarket positioning. Symbolising this shift towards luxury, the new Suites have been " created for an exceptional clientele "says Singapore Airlines. Transferred from the main deck to the upper deck, the number of seats has been halved, allowing us to offer a much higher level of individual space (60 %).
Admittedly, ordinary business travellers are unlikely to regularly visit this new upmarket area designed by the Pierrejean studio and featuring Lalique products. But other classes are also benefiting from Singapore Airlines' "full service" strategy. In Business class, for example, all the centre seats can now be converted into double beds.
the world's most advanced in-flight connectivity
The presentation on 2 November also highlighted the airline's investments in technology. Singapore Airlines did not hesitate to talk about "the most advanced in-flight connectivity in the world", thanks to the integration of the Sitaonair Global Xpress (GX) system - a world first for an A380 - which would guarantee "performance equivalent to that recorded on the ground", according to company officials.
As mentioned above, the Singapore-Sydney route will be the first to discover the new offer. But thethe entire A380 fleet SIA's 19 aircraft will be fitted with this new cabin: not only the five new aircraft joining the fleet in 2017-2018, but also the 14 already in service. The refurbishment will take place between November 2018 and the end of 2020.
