3rd March saw the arrival of Singapore Airlines‘ new A350 airframe to Changi airport. Aviation fans celebrating the arrival which pulled onto stand with a traditional water cannon salute. But the first of 67 A350’s for the carrier signals more than just the arrival of a new aircraft, it’s about renewing the airline’s fleet with some of the most state of the art technology and comfort with the first flights to Amsterdam scheduled on the 9th May.
“The A350 is a key element in our overall capacity growth and fleet renewal strategy. Its improved operating efficiency offers us the opportunity to open up even more new routes, providing more travel options to our customers,” Singapore Airlines CEO, Mr Goh Choon Phong, said at the ceremony.“With its arrival, Singapore Airlines is staying true to our longstanding commitment to maintain a young and modern fleet of aircraft. The A350 will ultimately enable us to help further enhance the three main pillars of the Singapore Airlines brand promise: service excellence, product leadership and network connectivity.”
The A350-900 aircraft in a long haul configuration will feature 42 of the newest business class seats, created by JPA Design, 24 brand new premium economy seats and 187 of the latest economy seats. The business class seats in a 1 x 2 x 1 configuration will be identical to those found on the latest 777-300ER aircraft flown by SIA (you can see a report of the product here) and the premium economy seats in a 2 x 4 x 2 are an adaptation of the premium economy seats that were rolled out last year, also by JPA Design.
In a world first, the aircraft will also feature new technology brought to life by Panasonic Avionics which will be rolled out across the fleet. A new companion app for Singapore Airlines will enable customers to review the IFE video and audio content that will be available on their flight, create pre-selected favourites lists, and control the seat-back IFE system – all using their personal electronic devices. The app is now available on iOS and Android tablets, with availability on iOS and Android mobile phones in the second quarter of 2016.
Similar to using the handheld controller, passengers who link the app to the IFE system enable their personal device as a remote control, to pause, play, or skip through media content. “Customers will be able to multi-task, thereby maximising their experience of KrisWorld, such as by browsing through the index of KrisWorld content on their device while watching a movie on the seat monitor. Customers can even access real-time information on the flight progress and flight path without interrupting their movie viewing.”
One thing is for sure, Singapore Airlines is certainly making sure they stay ahead of the curve. No wonder they continue to appear on our Top 10 lists, including the recent Top 10 First Classes for 2016.
Don’t forget, if you like what we are doing here at TheDesignAir, you can help us keep the site advert free by donating even the smallest amount through PayPal. Thank you for your support.
TheDesignAir 