History of Singapore Airlines
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This article explores the history of Singapore Airlines, the
flag carrier A flag carrier is a transport company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in a given sovereign state, enjoys preferential rights or privileges accorded by the government for international operations. Hist ...
of the
Republic of Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borderi ...
and based at the
Singapore Changi Airport Singapore Changi Airport, commonly known as Changi Airport , is a major civilian international airport that serves Singapore, and is one of the largest transportation hubs in Asia. As one of the world's busiest airports by international passen ...
.
Singapore Airlines Singapore Airlines (abbreviation: SIA) is the flag carrier airline of the Republic of Singapore with its Airline hub, hub located at Singapore Changi Airport. The airline is notable for highlighting the Singapore Girl as its central figure in ...
, also known by its abbreviations of SIA or SQ, has often been ranked throughout its history as either amongst the best or the best airline in the world. Ranked as a 5-star airline by
Skytrax Skytrax (originally known as Inflight Research Services) is a United Kingdom–based consultancy which runs an airline and airport review and ranking site. Services Skytrax conducts research for commercial airlines, as well as taking surveys ...
for the last 2 decades, It has also been ranked amongst the top 10 air carriers worldwide in terms of the scale of revenue-passengers-kilometres, and 10th in the world for the volume of international passengers carried. Singapore Airlines is also one of the largest airline businesses in Asia, with nonstop or direct flights to destinations in Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and North America. The airline's slogan is "A Great Way To Fly". The airline is notable for not having significantly changed its livery throughout its history, as well as the
Singapore Girl Singapore Girl is a consistent visual advertising slogan applied to depictions of flight attendants of Singapore Airlines (SIA) dressed in the distinctive ''sarong kebaya'' SIA uniform, in use since 1972, and remains a prominent element of SIA's ...
, which was first introduced in 1972.


Origins

Singapore Airlines began with the incorporation of Malayan Airways Limited (MAL) on 1 May 1947, by the Ocean Steamship Company of
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
, the Straits Steamship Company of Singapore and
Imperial Airways Imperial Airways was the early British commercial long-range airline, operating from 1924 to 1939 and principally serving the British Empire routes to South Africa, India, Australia and the Far East, including Malaya and Hong Kong. Passenger ...
. The airline's first flight was a chartered flight from the British
Straits Settlement The Straits Settlements were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia. Headquartered in Singapore for more than a century, it was originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Comp ...
of Singapore to
Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...
on 2 April 1947 using an
Airspeed Consul The Airspeed Consul is a twin-engined light transport aircraft and affordable airliner designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Airspeed Limited. Introduced during the immediate post-war period, it was a straightforward conver ...
twin-engined aircraft. Regular weekly scheduled flights quickly followed from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh and Penang from 1 May 1947 with the same aircraft type. The airline continued to expand during the rest of the 1940s and 1950s, as other British
Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
airlines (such as
BOAC British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) was the British state-owned airline created in 1939 by the merger of Imperial Airways and British Airways Ltd. It continued operating overseas services throughout World War II. After the passi ...
and
Qantas Empire Airways Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founded ...
) provided technical assistance, as well as assistance in joining
IATA The International Air Transport Association (IATA ) is a trade association of the world's airlines founded in 1945. IATA has been described as a cartel since, in addition to setting technical standards for airlines, IATA also organized tariff ...
. By 1955, Malayan Airways' fleet had grown to include a large number of
Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version ...
s, and the company went
public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...
in 1957. Other aircraft operated in the first two decades included the Douglas DC-4 Skymaster, the
Vickers Viscount The Vickers Viscount is a British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs. A design requirement from the Brabazon Committee, it entered service in 1953 and was the first turboprop-powered airliner. The Visc ...
, the
Lockheed 1049 Super Constellation The Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation is an American aircraft, a member of the Lockheed Constellation aircraft line. The L-1049 was Lockheed's response to the successful Douglas DC-6 airliner, first flying in 1950. The aircraft was also produc ...
, the
Bristol Britannia The Bristol Type 175 Britannia is a retired British medium-to-long-range airliner built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company in 1952 to fly across the Commonwealth. During development two prototypes were lost and the turboprop engines proved sus ...
, the
de Havilland Comet 4 The de Havilland DH.106 Comet was the world's first commercial jet airliner. Developed and manufactured by de Havilland in the United Kingdom, the Comet 1 prototype first flew in 1949. It featured an aerodynamically clean design with four d ...
and the
Fokker F27 The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner developed and manufactured by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker. It is the most numerous post-war aircraft manufactured in the Netherlands; the F27 was also one of the most successful Euro ...
. When
Malaya Malaya refers to a number of historical and current political entities related to what is currently Peninsular Malaysia in Southeast Asia: Political entities * British Malaya (1826–1957), a loose collection of the British colony of the Straits ...
, Singapore,
Sabah Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indone ...
and
Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the M ...
formed the Federation of
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
in 1963, the airline's name was changed, from "Malayan Airways" to "Malaysian Airways". MAL also took over
Borneo Airways Borneo Airways Limited also known as Borneo Airways ( ms, Sharikat Penerbangan Borneo), was the flag carrier and the principal domestic airline in British Borneo (later constituting the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak and the country of ...
. 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 routes, including the purchase of MSA's first
Boeing The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product ...
aircraft, the
Boeing 707 The Boeing 707 is an American, long-range, narrow-body airliner, the first jetliner developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype first flown in 1954, the initial first flew on December 20, ...
s, as well the completion of a new high-rise headquarters in Singapore.
Boeing 737 The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Renton Factory in Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the 707 fuselage width and six abreast seating with two un ...
s were added to the fleet soon after. In 1970, the airline began what turned out to be very lengthy negotiations aimed at obtaining approval to operate services to the US.


Incorporation and growth

MSA ceased operations in 1972, and both Singapore Airlines and Malaysian Airlines System commenced operations in its place. The reason for this development was strategic: Singapore wanted to increase its international routes, but Malaysia wanted to develop its domestic network before moving on to international routes. Singapore Airlines kept all of MSA's Boeing 707s and 737s, and retained the international routes out of Singapore as well as the existing corporate headquarters in the city, with J.Y. Pillay, former joint chief of MSA, as its first chairperson. Female flight attendants continued to wear the ''
sarong A sarong or sarung () is a large tube or length of fabric, often wrapped around the waist, worn in Southeast Asia, South Asia, Western Asia, Northern Africa, East Africa, West Africa, and on many Pacific islands. The fabric often has woven plaid o ...
kebaya A kebaya is an upper garment traditionally worn by women in Southeast Asia, notably in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Southern Thailand. Outside of Southeast Asia, it is worn by Javanese, Malays and Portuguese Eurasians in Australi ...
'' uniform, which had been first introduced in 1968. A local start-up advertising company
Batey Ads
was given the right to market the airline, eventually selecting the sarong and kebaya-clad air stewardesses as an icon for the airline and calling them Singapore Girls. SIA expanded almost overnight after the split from MSA in 1972, adding cities in the
Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...
and Asia to its network, and new airliners, including
Boeing 747 The Boeing 747 is a large, long-range wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2022. After introducing the 707 in October 1958, Pan Am wanted a jet times its size, t ...
s, to its fleet. The first two 747s arrived in the summer of 1973 and were deployed on the lucrative Singapore-Hong Kong-Taipei-Tokyo (Haneda Airport) run. As of 1976, SIA had an all-Boeing fleet of 21 aircraft: 5 Boeing 737-100s, 11 Boeing 707-300s, and 5 Boeing 747-200s. The airline's passenger network covered 28 cities in 23 countries, ranging from London in the north west to Auckland in the south east. The 737s flew regional services, including most of the company's 52 flights per week to Kuala Lumpur. The larger airliners operated on longer distance routes. Flights to London were operated daily by 747s, departing from
Singapore International Airport Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borderin ...
at Paya Lebar at 8.30 pm each night, but with a variety of flight numbers and routings. On Tuesday and Saturday nights at 9.00 pm, a 707 flight departed for Amsterdam. That year, SIA also operated daily 747 flights to Tokyo, daily 707 flights to Osaka, and daily flights to Sydney using a mix of 747s and 707s. Other flights went more frequently to Jakarta, Bangkok and Hong Kong, and less frequently to Perth, Melbourne and Auckland. The 707s were the company's workhorses; they flew 189 passenger flights per week. One of the 707s was configured as a 'pure' freighter, and each week it operated three out and back cargo services, to Amsterdam, Los Angeles and Paris, respectively. However, SIA passenger services to the US were still three years away. In August 1976, negotiations between SIA and the US
Civil Aeronautics Board The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) was an agency of the federal government of the United States, formed in 1938 and abolished in 1985, that regulated aviation services including scheduled passenger airline serviceStringer, David H."Non-Skeds: Th ...
(CAB) over possible SIA services to the US stalled over the key issue of the route any such services could take. SIA wanted to operate via Tokyo, the most lucrative transit point at the time, but the CAB thought that such a routing would have too significant an effect on the profits of SIA's US-based competitor,
Pan Am Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and commonly known as Pan Am, was an American airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States ...
. The CAB reportedly insisted that SIA would have to fly "in parallel" with Pan Am services to Singapore to earn approval, on a Singapore – Guam – Honolulu – San Francisco routing. The following year, 1977, was SIA's 30th anniversary. To mark the occasion, the airline announced in late 1976 that it would be sponsoring the second running of the
London–Sydney Marathon The London–Sydney Marathon was a car rally from the United Kingdom to Australia. It was first run in 1968, a second event by the same organizers was run in 1977 and a third in 1993 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the original. Three furt ...
car rally, which was to take place in August-September 1977. In March 1977, negotiations between SIA and the CAB were resumed, and in August 1977 it was reported that the airline had placed an order for four
McDonnell Douglas DC-10 The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 is an American trijet wide-body aircraft manufactured by McDonnell Douglas. The DC-10 was intended to succeed the DC-8 for long-range flights. It first flew on August 29, 1970; it was introduced on August 5, 1971, ...
s. The same month, SIA took delivery of its first Boeing 727-200 Advanced, flying the aircraft on its inaugural service from Singapore to Manila. The B727 was SIA's successor to the B737-100s that it had inherited from MSA. In late September 1977, at the end of seven rounds of negotiations, SIA and the CAB finally agreed that the airline could operate passenger services to the US, on a route to San Francisco via Hong Kong, Guam and Honolulu, initially three times per week, and increasing to five times per week by 1980. In December 1977,
British Airways British Airways (BA) is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a populati ...
and SIA shared a
Concorde The Aérospatiale/BAC Concorde () is a retired Franco-British supersonic airliner jointly developed and manufactured by Sud Aviation (later Aérospatiale) and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC). Studies started in 1954, and France an ...
for flights between London and Singapore via Bahrain. The aircraft, BA's Concorde G-BOAD, was painted in Singapore Airlines livery on the port side and British Airways livery on the
starboard Port and starboard are nautical terms for watercraft and aircraft, referring respectively to the left and right sides of the vessel, when aboard and facing the bow (front). Vessels with bilateral symmetry have left and right halves which are ...
side. The service was discontinued after 4 days and three return flights because of noise complaints from the Malaysian government; it was reinstated on a new route bypassing Malaysian airspace. Then, India too cited problems with the boom and did not allow Concorde from reaching supersonic speeds in Indian airspace. Determined to make the route a success, British Airways and Singapore Airlines resumed flights on 24th January 1979, this time avoiding Malaysian airspace as well as Indian's. However, the service was discontinued for good on 1st November 1980. The two carriers cited decreasing traffic as one of the reasons, with the route estimated to be costing them around £2m a year. Meanwhile, SIA extensively publicised and then introduced its new passenger services to the US. The marketing campaign, using the slogan "California here we come", included the painting of the slogan on many of SIA's airliners from July 1978. SIA initially planned to operate the US services using new Boeing 747-200 'Super B' aircraft, but the new jets were not going to arrive until approximately September 1979. Thus, when the airline inaugurated the route in April 1979, it did so with its new fleet of DC-10s, three of which had entered service. Operation of the first few of the US flights was hampered by a severe aviation fuel shortage in the US, due to production cuts by Iran. Then, on 25 May 1979, shortly after the fuel shortage had abated, an
American Airlines American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...
DC-10 crashed in Chicago, causing 273 fatalities. Soon afterwards, and as a consequence of the crash, the US
Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...
banned the flying of DC-10s in US airspace. SIA therefore had to switch its new US services to operation by 707s until late August 1979, when its new Boeing 747-200 'Super Bs' took over the route. The airline also sold all of its DC-10s by late 1983. The 1980s saw the opening of the new airport and SIA corporate headquarters at Changi, along with expanded SIA services to United States, Canada, and additional European cities, with Madrid becoming the first
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
city to be served by the airline.
Boeing 747-300 The Boeing 747 is a large, long-range wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2022. After introducing the 707 in October 1958, Pan Am wanted a jet times its size, t ...
s were leased and introduced into the SIA fleet in the early 1980s and named 'Big Tops'. The 747-300s replaced the 747-200s on all trans-pacific routes as well as the prime European destinations. Again a short-term affair was begun with a few Boeing 757s later followed by the addition of
Airbus A310 The Airbus A310 is a wide-body aircraft, designed and manufactured by Airbus Industrie, then a consortium of European aerospace manufacturers. Airbus had identified a demand for an aircraft smaller than the A300, the first twin-jet wide-bod ...
s and
Airbus A300 The Airbus A300 is a wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Airbus. In September 1967, aircraft manufacturers in the United Kingdom, France, and West Germany signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a large airliner. West G ...
s The A310s became the Asian regional workhorse of the fleet, with the small A310-200 fleet serving until the late 1990s, and the much larger A310-300 fleet serving into the 2000s. In 1989, the first of 50 B747-400s was added to the fleet. The Airbus A340-300s augmented the 747-400s on long-range routes to Spain, Zurich, Copenhagen, San Francisco and cities not suitable for 747 service. Services extended to southern Africa in the 1990s when the airline began flights to
Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
in South Africa;
Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
and
Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...
were later added. The 1990s also saw the opening of Terminal 2 in Changi Airport in 1991; all flight operations later moved to the new terminal. Police raided SIA's offices in Germany for offering tickets that were priced at such a low level they were allegedly illegal. The airline called a press conference condemning the police, which led to the raid being stopped.


Twenty-first century


Overview

In 2004, SIA began non-stop trans-Pacific flights from Singapore to
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
and
Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...
, utilising the
Airbus A340-500 The Airbus A340 is a long-range, wide-body passenger airliner that was developed and produced by Airbus. In the mid-1970s, Airbus conceived several derivatives of the A300, its first airliner, and developed the A340 quadjet in parallel with ...
. These flights marked the first non-stop air services between Singapore and the US. The Singapore to Newark flight held the record for the longest scheduled commercial flight, with a flying time of about 18 hours each way. Singapore Airlines converted its five Airbus A340-500 aircraft from a 64 Business Class/117 Premium Economy Class configuration to a 100-seat all- Business Class configuration for its routes to Newark and Los Angeles. On 25 October 2007, SIA's first double decker Airbus A380-800 operated the type's inaugural revenue service, a flight from Singapore to Sydney. Today, Singapore Airlines is the world's second largest operator of the A380, after Emirates of the UAE. SIA operates the A380 on routes to London, Zurich, Frankfurt, Paris, Mumbai, Beijing, Sydney, Melbourne, Los Angeles and New York. The airline is also currently a far reaching global carrier and is a cornerstone member of
Star Alliance Star Alliance is the world's largest global airline alliance. Founded on 14 May 1997, its CEO is Jeffrey Goh and its headquarters is located in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. , Star Alliance is the largest of the three global alliances by passenger ...
. In January 2009, SIA took the decision to stop its thrice weekly flights to
Vancouver, Canada Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. The ...
as the global financial crisis had sapped demand on the route. The last flight was scheduled to take place on 25 April 2009. At a Cabinet meeting on 22 February 2006, the
Government of Australia The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federalism, federal parliamentary system, parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster system, Westminster-sty ...
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. The move was seen as a measure taken to protect
Qantas Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founded ...
from increased competition. SIA had encountered such protectionist measures in the past when SIA was shut out from the
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
market after complaints from
Air Canada Air Canada is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Canada by the size and passengers carried. Air Canada maintains its headquarters in the borough of Saint-Laurent, Montreal, Quebec. The airline, founded in 1937, provides scheduled and ...
, and was forced to stop flying Boeing 747-400s into Jakarta in the wake of protests from
Garuda Indonesia Garuda Indonesia is the flag carrier of Indonesia, headquartered at Soekarno–Hatta International Airport. A successor of KLM Interinsulair Bedrijf, it is a member of SkyTeam and the second-largest airline of Indonesia after Lion Air, operat ...
when it could not use similar equipment to compete. Singapore Airlines, along with
Star Alliance Star Alliance is the world's largest global airline alliance. Founded on 14 May 1997, its CEO is Jeffrey Goh and its headquarters is located in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. , Star Alliance is the largest of the three global alliances by passenger ...
partner
South African Airways South African Airways (SAA) is the flag carrier airline of South Africa. Founded in 1934, the airline is headquartered in Airways Park at O. R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg and operated a hub-and-spoke network, serving ten destin ...
, was fined 25 million
South African Rand The South African rand, or simply the rand, ( sign: R; code: ZAR) is the official currency of the Southern African Common Monetary Area: South Africa, Namibia (alongside the Namibian dollar), Lesotho (alongside the Lesotho loti) and Eswatini ...
(S$4.1 million) as an administrative penalty to partially settle a price-fixing investigation against the airline by the South African Competition Commission from 2008 to 2012. On 6 April 2012, Singapore Airlines phased out the last passenger 747 in its fleet after 39 years of service. A final round-trip commemorative flight was operated from Singapore to Hong Kong and back with flight numbers SQ747 and SQ748 respectively. As well as an extended flying time, special meals, performances and inflight celebrations, passengers were given well stocked 747 goody bags. The airline continued to use dedicated freighter 747s to operate cargo flights. The airline announced that it will end its direct flights from Singapore to both Newark and Los Angeles from 23 November 2013 and 20 October 2013, respectively. The flight to Newark was considered the longest flights in the world. However, Los Angeles will continue to be served from Singapore via
Tokyo-Narita Narita International Airport ( ja, wikt:成田国際空港, 成田国際空港, Narita Kokusai Kūkō) , also known as Tokyo-Narita, formerly and originally known as , is one of two international airports serving the Greater Tokyo Area, the other ...
. On 13 October 2015, Singapore Airlines announced that it had signed an agreement with
Airbus Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European Multinational corporation, multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace manufacturer, aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft througho ...
to be the launch customer of a new version of the Airbus A350 XWB called the
A350-900ULR The Airbus A350 is a long-range, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner developed and produced by Airbus. The first A350 design proposed by Airbus in 2004, in response to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, would have been a development of the A330 w ...
(for "Ultra Long Range"). The flights began on 11 October 2018, with regular daily commercially scheduled flights starting from 18 October 2018. This version of the A350 would have a 2 class layout, with 67 Business Class seats and 94 Premium Economy seats. SIA was the launch customer for the Boeing 787-10, and it was delivered on 25 March 2018. In June 2018, Singapore Airlines and its subsidiary
Scoot Scoot Pte Ltd, operating as Scoot, is a Singaporean low-cost airline and a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore Airlines. It began its operations on 4 June 2012 on medium and long-haul routes from Singapore, predominantly to various airports t ...
began listing Taiwan as part of China (
Taiwan, China "Taiwan, China", "Taiwan, Province of China", and "Taipei, China" are political terms that claim Taiwan and its associated territories as a province or territory of "China". The term "Taiwan, China" () is used by Chinese state media even ...
) under the requirement of the China Civil Aviation Authority to all foreign airlines that operates flights into its country. Other airlines such as
American Airlines American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...
,
Delta Airlines Delta Air Lines, Inc., typically referred to as Delta, is one of the major airlines of the United States and a legacy carrier. One of the world's oldest airlines in operation, Delta is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline, along wit ...
,
United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.
,
Air Canada Air Canada is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Canada by the size and passengers carried. Air Canada maintains its headquarters in the borough of Saint-Laurent, Montreal, Quebec. The airline, founded in 1937, provides scheduled and ...
,
Japan Airlines , also known as JAL (''Jaru'') or , is an international airline and Japan's flag carrier and largest airline as of 2021 and 2022, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Haneda Airport, as w ...
,
All Nippon Airways , also known as ANA (''Ē-enu-ē'') or is an airline in Japan. Its headquarters are located in Shiodome City Center in the Shiodome area of Minato ward of Tokyo. It operates services to both domestic and international destinations and had mo ...
,
Lufthansa Deutsche Lufthansa AG (), commonly shortened to Lufthansa, is the flag carrier of Germany. When combined with its subsidiaries, it is the second- largest airline in Europe in terms of passengers carried. Lufthansa is one of the five founding m ...
,
Air New Zealand Air New Zealand Limited () is the flag carrier airline of New Zealand. Based in Auckland, the airline operates scheduled passenger flights to 20 domestic and 30 international destinations in 18 countries, primarily around and within the Pacific ...
and
Qantas Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founded ...
, among others, also complied with this requirement.


Airbus A380

On 29 September 2000, SIA announced an order for up to 25 Airbus A3XX (as the A380 was known at the time). The US$8.6 billion order comprised a firm order of 10 aircraft, with
options Option or Options may refer to: Computing *Option key, a key on Apple computer keyboards *Option type, a polymorphic data type in programming languages * Command-line option, an optional parameter to a command *OPTIONS, an HTTP request method ...
on another 15 airframes. The order was confirmed by Singapore Airlines on 12 July 2001. In January 2005, the airline unveiled the slogan "First to Fly the A380 – Experience the Difference in 2006", to promote itself as the first airline to take delivery of the
A380-800 The Airbus A380 is a large wide-body airliner that was developed and produced by Airbus. It is the world's largest passenger airliner and only full-length double-deck jet airliner. Airbus studies started in 1988, and the project was annou ...
, which was expected to take place in the second quarter of 2006. In June 2005, Airbus confirmed that due to unforeseen technical problems, initial deliveries of the Airbus A380 would be delayed by up to six months, with the first delivery now slated for November 2006. The announcement was met with fury by SIA's chief executive officer,
Chew Choon Seng Chew Choon Seng () is the former chief executive officer of Singapore Airlines (SIA), the former Chairman of the Singapore Exchange and Singapore Tourism Board. Education After completing his degree in mechanical engineering from the University ...
, who threatened to sue Airbus, saying: "Airbus took some time to acknowledge the delay in the timetable for the A380's entry into service...I would have expected more sincerity." He further stated that SIA will be turning its attention to Boeing instead, since it would be receiving the
Boeing 777-300ER The Boeing 777, commonly referred to as the Triple Seven, is an American long-range wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It is the world's largest twinjet. The 777 was designed to bridge the gap bet ...
before the A380. Nevertheless, SIA has indicated that this would not affect its promotional campaign. In February 2006, the first A380 in full Singapore Airlines livery was flown to Singapore, where it was displayed at
Asian Aerospace Asian Aerospace (AA) is an international trade fair for the aerospace business. Currently based in Hong Kong, it was held in Singapore since 1981 until disagreements between co-organisers Reed Exhibitions and Singapore Technologies in 2006 forced ...
2006. On 14 June 2006, Singapore Airlines placed an initial order for the
Boeing 787 Dreamliner The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is an American wide-body jet airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. After dropping its unconventional Sonic Cruiser project, Boeing announced the conventional 7E7 on January 29, 2003, ...
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. A third delay was announced on 3 October 2006, pushing the initial delivery of the first A380 to October 2007. On 25 October 2007, the first commercial A380 service, SQ 380, carried 455 passengers from Singapore to Sydney, touching down in Sydney Airport at 3:24 pm local time, where it received significant attention from the media. The airline donated all revenue generated from the flight to three charities in a ceremony the next day in Sydney. SIA began regular services with the A380 on 28 October 2007. It eventually served London, Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Zurich, Los Angeles as well as New York JFK (via Frankfurt) On 18 February 2009, SIA carried its one millionth A380 passenger. In 2012, SIA announced that it would order a further five more A380 planes (along with an order for 20 Airbus A350 XWB orders). In 2016 the airline confirmed that one A380 would be returned to its leasing company at the end of its 10-year lease in October 2017, with a decision still to be made regarding retention of four additional A380 aircraft whose leases expire between January and June 2018.


Fleet reductions

On 16 February 2009 the airline announced that it would remove 17 aircraft from its operating fleet between April 2009 and March 2010, as part of a cost-saving initiative to help counter falling passenger and cargo demand, having originally planned to phase out only four aircraft. The airline stated that it could not rule out delaying deliveries on aircraft already ordered.


Formula One

On 15 April 2014 Singapore Airlines announced that it would become the title sponsor for the
Singapore Grand Prix The Singapore Grand Prix; ta, சிங்கப்பூர் கிராண்ட் பிரிக்ஸ் is a motor racing event which forms part of the Formula One World Championship. The event takes place on the Marina Bay Street Cir ...
, taking over Singtel who had sponsored the event since 2008. In August 2015, the airlines announced that it would extend its sponsorship another 2 years until 2017. In April 2020 SIA announced that they would continue to sponsor the event until 2021, with SIA further extending its sponsorship for another 3 years until 2024.


Integration of SilkAir

On 18 May 2018,
Singapore Airlines Singapore Airlines (abbreviation: SIA) is the flag carrier airline of the Republic of Singapore with its Airline hub, hub located at Singapore Changi Airport. The airline is notable for highlighting the Singapore Girl as its central figure in ...
announced that the SilkAir fleet would undergo a major cabin product upgrade from 2020 before being fully merged into the parent company. As part of the merger, SilkAir's website was discontinued and integrated into Singapore Airlines' website on 31 March 2019. Cabin upgrades were expected to begin in 2020. On 11 February 2019, Singapore Airlines announced that Thompson Aero Seating had been selected for the upgrade of the SilkAir business class seats, prior to their incorporation into the Singapore Airlines fleet, with work beginning in May 2020. On 28 January 2021, SilkAir officially ceased its operations and merged with Singapore Airlines.


COVID-19 pandemic

Like other airlines around the world, Singapore Airlines was badly hit by the effects of the global
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. As countries started to restrict international travel through their border controls, the airline began cutting capacity on 23 January 2020, up to 96% in March 2020. As a result, about 138 aircraft were grounded. The remaining flights were required to have everyone wearing face masks; social distancing was ruled out as it may incur high costs. Hot towels were replaced by wet wipes. Operations at
Changi Airport Singapore Changi Airport, commonly known as Changi Airport , is a major civilian international airport that serves Singapore, and is one of the largest transportation hubs in Asia. As one of the world's busiest airports by international passen ...
were consolidated to Terminal 3 in May 2020, with its service centre located at the
ION Orchard ION Orchard (pronounced as I-On), formerly known as the Orchard Turn Development or Orchard Turn Site, is a shopping mall in Singapore, next to Orchard MRT station. It is the retail component of an integrated retail and residential development ...
shopping mall during the lockdown period of the government mandated "circuit breaker" from 7 April to 1 June 2020. On 10 April 2020, SIA announced that they would offer a full cash refund on Singapore Airlines, SilkAir and Scoot tickets bought during the COVID-19 pandemic. Alternatively, eligible passengers could choose a credit option for which they would be offered additional flight credits. SIA's employees were affected as well. Flight crew were forced to take varying amounts of no-pay leave each month, with some also being retrenched. Retrenched staff were assisted through placements in other companies such as Lazada, Shopback and Shopee, and retained staff were allowed to be employed in healthcare or other essential COVID-19 prevention roles. To help with its cashflow, the airline received additional financial support from the Singapore government with the Resilience Budget in March 2020, with the government providing industry wide co-funding of local worker's salary as well as operational costs. In addition, the airline announced on 27 March 2020 that it was raising some S$8.8 billion through a mixture of shares and bonds, which would be issued at a discount. As a result, the share ended the day down 43 cents or 6.6% from the end of the previous day's market close. On the same day, SIA received a rescue package of S$19 billion from its major shareholder Temasek Holdings which contained S$5.3 billion equity and S$9.7 billion convertible note. Singapore's biggest bank DBS lent S$4 billion to help SIA get over the crisis and position itself for expansion. On 14 May 2020, Singapore Airlines announced a full year loss of S$212 million for the financial year 2019/2020, marking the airline's first loss in its 48 years of operation. The company recorded its worst ever results for the fiscal year ending in March 2021, posting a record US$3.2 billion annual loss and a decrease of 97.9% in passenger traffic due to border restrictions. To ensure the safety of passengers amid the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, Singapore Airlines launched an application that works like a Digital Health Passport. The application includes all passenger information along with COVID-19 diagnosis for easy passage via the airport.


Rebound

From June 2020 onwards, the airline progressively restarted flights that were declared safe to certain destinations, which would bring down flight reductions to 94% from the initial 96% cut reported in March. Transfers would only be allowed between airlines within the SIA Group and passengers would be segregated at Changi Airport between high-risk and low-risk zones. Over time, the number of additional destinations and frequency to certain destinations was adjusted. On 11 September 2020, SIA decided to organise tours of SIA's training facilities, lunch services onboard A380s and delivery of meals to homes. On 12 October, bookings for meals on one of Singapore Airlines' A380s were sold out within 30 minutes. There would be four classes available for booking - economy ($50), premium economy ($90), business ($300) and suites ($600). The menus would include international cuisines and a Peranakan menu customised for the "restaurant". Each meal would come with two free alcoholic drinks and a free flow of other beverages. At the same time, diners would be entitled to other perks such as KrisShop discounts as well as a goodie bag. In addition, diners who wore traditional heritage wear would get an additional gift. Over 2021 and 2022, SIA progressively resumed its destinations around the world as the aviation industry made a rebound, with some destinations returning to pre-pandemic flight frequencies. Cabin crew job applications have also rebounded to pre-pandemic levels.


References


Further reading

* * * {{Singapore Airlines Singapore Airlines
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
Singapore Airlines Singapore Airlines (abbreviation: SIA) is the flag carrier airline of the Republic of Singapore with its Airline hub, hub located at Singapore Changi Airport. The airline is notable for highlighting the Singapore Girl as its central figure in ...
Aviation history of Singapore