Singapore Airlines Boeing 747
Singapore Airlines Cargo Boeing 747
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Singapore Airlines (SIA) is the national airline of Singapore. It uses the IATA call code SQ.
Subsidiaries and Alliances
The Singapore Airlines Group comprises of several separate companies, all of which are 100% owned by the parent company:
- Silkair
- Singapore
Airlines Cargo
- Singapore Airport Terminal Services
- Tradewinds
- SIA
Engineering Company
The airline owns a 49% stake in Virgin Atlantic
Airways, the transaction being completed on the 30th March, 2000.
It previously owned 25% of Air New Zealand (diluted to 4.5% after
the New Zealand
Government bought into the airline to rescue it from bankruptcy) and is a prominent member of the worldwide Star Alliance,
which it joined in April 2000.
The airline have code-share agreements with the following airlines:
History
Early History
Singapore Airlines began as "Malayan Airways" in 1947, flying an Airspeed Consul twin engined
airplane between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, and Penang (two cities and an island of what is now called West Malaysia).
The remainder of the 1940s was a growth period for Malayan Airlines, as was the
1950s. World War II had just
finished and people around the world wanted to travel, a privilege that they had sometimes been denied because of the situation
worldwide during previous years, and residents of Singapore and Malaysia were no
exception. By 1955, Malayan Airlines' fleet had grown to include a large number of Douglas
DC-3s.
In 1963, the creation of the Federation of Malaysia brought a change of name, to "Malaysian Airways". In 1966, the name was changed again, this time to "Malaysia-Singapore Airlines" (MSA), following Singapore's departure
from the Federation of Malaysia the previous year.
MSA ceased operations in 1972, when political disagreements between Singapore and
Malaysia resulted in the formation of two new airlines: Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines. Singapore's airline company had 10 aircraft at that time. However, Singapore Airlines'
hostesses continued to wear the sarong kebaya dress, which had previously been used by MSA. While airlines in Western
countries shied away from recruiting young women, Singapore Airlines promoted the image of the 'Singapore Girl' in its
advertising.
Modern History
Singapore Airlines saw rapid growth. during the 1970s, adding many cities in the
Indian subcontinent and Asia to the 22 city network it already served, and acquiring Boeing
747 airplanes.
During the 1980s, the United
States, Canada, and many European
cities joined Singapore Airlines' route map. During this time, Madrid
became the first and only hispanic city to be served by Singapore Airlines.
In the 1990s, Singapore Airlines began flights to Johannesburg in South Africa, the first African destination for the airline, with the cities of Cape Town and Durban being added.
During the 1990s, Singapore Airlines licensed model aeroplane companies like Schabak, Wooster plastic aeroplanes, Herpa Wings and many others,
to manufacture promotional plane models for them. Their Boeing 747's became known as the Megatops, and they ordered
Boeing 767 and Airbus equipment to
complement the Megatops.
On 19 December 1997, SilkAir Flight 185, piloted
by Captain Tsu Way Ming, plunged
into the Musi River in Sumatra during a routine flight from Jakarta to
Singapore killing 104 people on board.
On 31 October 2000, Singapore Airlines Flight 6, flying on a Changi International Airport, Singapore-Chiang Kai Shek International Airport,Taipei, Taiwan-Los Angeles International Airport,Los Angeles, California route, crashed during takeoff from Taipei for its second leg, killing 79
passengers and 3 crew members.
Singapore Airlines has an enviable reputation in the air transport industry. It is generally regarded as Asia's leading
airline and has won "World's best Airline" and "Airline of The Year" awards several times.
Aircraft Fleet
Singapore Airlines operates one of the youngest fleets in Asia. Its streamlined fleet features aircraft from just 3 aircraft
families, including the Boeing 747, the Boeing 777, and the Airbus A340. It is a launch customer for
the largest passenger aircraft yet proposed, the Airbus A380, and will be the
first airline in the world to operate it when it comes into service.
Notes
- 6 of the Boeing 747-400s were withdrawn from regular operation since the
SARS crisis in the year 2003.
Another 2 more were withdrawn later, and all 8 will be sold to two airlines from the year 2006 to 2008, after being converted
into freighters. There is a possibility they may be transfered to Singapore Airlines
Cargo.
- The Boeing 777 planes on order can be for any model in the aircraft family
type.
- All 5 Airbus A310-300s, powered by PW4152 engines, have been withdrawn from the fleet.
- The airline have a history of dubbing her fleet according to plane makes. A listing of previously used names includes
"Superbus" for the Airbus A300, "3TEN" for the Airbus A310-300, "Celestar" for the Airbus A340-300,
"Leadership" for the Airbus A340-500, "Super B" for the Boeing 747-200B, and "Big Top" for the Boeing 747-300.
- Singapore Airlines flew, for a short period of time, a Concorde that it shared
with British Airways. The plane had Singapore Airlines' livery on one
side, and British Airways' logo on the other.
Destinations
As at 14 May 2004, excluding code-shared, Silkair, and Singapore Airlines
Cargo destinations. All flights are direct and originates from Singapore
unless otherwise stated.
Terminated Destinations
The effects of the September 11 attacks on New
York City caused a spate of service adjustments and reductions to the network for the next few years.
The year 2003 saw several more rounds of severe service cut-backs due to the effects from the SARS Crisis , as well as the war situation in Iraq.
- Brussels (30 March 2003)
- Chicago (7 April 2003) Trice-weekly service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays
via Amsterdam, with first flight on the 1st of August 2001. The service was
launched with the addition of the first Boeing 777-200ERs to the fleet. It was
suspended on 13 January 2002, but resumed on the 1st of May of the same year. However, it was terminated on the 7th of April
2003.
- Las Vegas (7 April 2003) Service (SQ8, SQ9) was first launched on 2 August
2002 via Hong Kong, departing Singapore on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
- Hiroshima (9 April 2003)
- Kaohsiung (15 April 2003)
- Mauritius (15 April 2003)
Other facts of interest
External Links
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