SIA Confirms A380 Intro Date on Singapore-Auckland Service

Singapore Airlines has confirmed schedule details for its introduction of the Airbus A380 on its Singapore-Auckland  route.

The airline announced it would introduce the Airbus A380 on the route following approval on August 7 from New Zealand’s Minister of Transport for SIA’s proposed antitrust-immunized alliance with Air New Zealand on routes between the two island nations.

Singapore Airlines was the first operator of the Airbus A380 superjumbo and has a total of 25 in service and on order

That approval represented the final go-ahead required for the two airlines to launch their alliance.

Accordingly, Singapore Airlines has confirmed that under its new alliance with Air New Zealand it will begin operating Airbus A380 flights between Singapore and Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, on October 27.

SIA will operate a daily round-trip with a 471-seat A380 on the Singapore-Auckland route. The A380 schedule calls for flight SQ285 to leave Singapore Changi International Airport (IATA code SIN at 8:50 p.m. daily from October 27 and to land at Auckland Airport (AKL) at 11:45 a.m. the following morning, local time.

In the other direction, A380 flight SQ286 will depart AKL at 1:30 p.m. daily from October 28, arriving at SIN at 7:00 p.m. local time.

Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 9V-SKC uses its inner-engine thrust reversers to help brake after landing at Singapore Changi International Airport

SIA currently operates this daily round-trip schedule with 278-seat Boeing 777-300ER jets.

The carrier’s Singapore-Auckland A380 services will, however, be seasonal and the flights will revert to using Boeing 777s during the northern summer operating season.

Singapore Airlines operates 12 weekly flights to Auckland, including five additional flights each week that it operates with Boeing 777-300ERs. SIA also operates daily Boeing 777-200ER round trips between Singapore and Christchurch.

SIA now operates its 19-aircraft A380 fleet from Singapore Changi International Airport to Beijing, Frankfurt, London, Los Angeles, Melbourne (until October 25), Mumbai, New Delhi, New York, Paris, Shanghai, Sydney, Tokyo Narita and Zurich.