Singapore Airlines has launched additional flights between India and Singapore starting from March 27, 2022. The airline is adding ten flights to India to Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Cochin and Chennai. The new Singapore-India flights are non-vaccinated Travel Lane flights, which means that the passengers will have to undertake a seven-day home quarantine in Singapore after their arrival. Travellers may also note that the short-term visitors will not be allowed to enter Singapore on the newly announced flights unless they hold a valid approval of entry from the ICA.
Passengers who wish to travel to Singapore without the seven-day quarantine can apply for Vaccinated Travel Lane pass (VTP) and fly on such designated flights. Singapore has temporarily suspended Vaccinated Travel Lane arrangements due to rising Omicron cases.
Singapore Airlines’ Purchases Seven Airbus A350 Freighters
In another development, Airbus has announced that it has finalized a deal with Singapore Airlines to sell seven A350 freighters, making it the first airline to operate the new aircraft model. The value of the agreement finalized in December 2021 is not revealed.
“The new-generation A350 freighters will substantially increase airline’s operating efficiencies and reduce the fuel burn,” said Goh Choon Phong, Singapore Airlines’ CEO. The new freighters will replace Singapore Airlines’ fleet of seven ageing Boeing 747 aircraft.
Singapore Airlines’ Signs Deal With GE for GE9X Engines
Singapore Airlines seems to be on a spree of fleet revamp. Besides the recent purchase from Airbus, it signed a deal with GE for 22 GE9X engines for its Boeing 777X aircraft. It has also signed a 12-year services contract as a part of the agreement, known as TrueChoice. GE-SIA deal is valued at around $2.8 million. Singapore Airlines is one of the largest customers of Boeing 777X aircraft.
“The cutting-edge technologies in Boeing 777-9 and the GE9X engines will help Singapore Airlines to increase its operating efficiencies, lower the fuel usage, and reduce the net carbon emissions. This will reinforce SIA’s position as a leading global airline and enable us to capture future growth opportunities,” Singapore Airlines’ Senior VP of Engineering, Lau Hwa Peng, said.
Singapore Airlines is GE’s long-standing customer. “We are proud to continue our association. The GE9X engine is an amalgamation of power and fuel efficiency that is unmatched in its class,” responded Mike Hoffmeister, GE9X Program General Manager.
