SINGAPORE AIRLINES

'Singapore Airlines Limited' (Abbreviation: 'SIA'; , abbreviated 新航; ; ) () is the national airline of Singapore. Singapore Airlines operates a hub at Singapore Changi Airport and has a presence in the airline markets of Southeast Asia, East Asia, South Asia, and the competitive "kangaroo route" between Europe and Oceania. The company also operates trans-Pacific flights, including two of the world's longest non-stop commercial flights from Singapore to Newark, New Jersey and Los Angeles, California.^[1]^[2]
Singapore Airlines has built up a strong brand name^[3] as a trendsetter^[4] in industry and especially in the aviation industry, particularly in terms of service excellence, innovation, safety,^[5] paired with consistent profitability.^[6] It has received many awards. The company is an industry bellwether for aircraft purchases.^[7] The airline was Asia's first and the world's third airline to be accredited by IATA with the IOSA (IATA Operations Safety Audit).^[8]
The airline has diversified into various markets including ground handling, aviation engineering, air catering, and travel tour marketing. Its wholly owned subsidiary, Silkair, manages regional flights to secondary cities with smaller capacity requirements, particularly those in Southeast Asia, China and India. Strong growth potential in air freight operations prompted the setting up of a separate subsidiary, Singapore Airlines Cargo, which leased the entire freighter fleet from SIA and manages the cargo holds in all existing SIA aircraft. The airline also responded to the threats posed by the low-cost sector by taking a 49% stake in Tiger Airways. Collectively, the Singapore Airlines Group (including SilkAir and Singapore Airlines Cargo) is the world's largest carrier by market capitalization, having overtaken Southwest Airlines in 2006/7,^[9] and ranks amongst the top 15 carriers worldwide in terms of revenue passenger kilometres^[10]. In addition, it is the 8th largest airline in Asia and ranked 6th in the world in terms of international passengers carried.^[11]

History

Early history

A Airspeed Consul (VR-SCD), the first aircraft type operated by Malayan Airways, the forerunner of Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines began with the incorporation of Malayan Airways Limited (MAL) on 12 October 1937, by the Ocean Steamship Company of Liverpool, the Straits Steamship Company of Singapore and Imperial Airways. The airline's first flight was a chartered flight from the British Straits Settlement of Singapore to Kuala Lumpur on 2 April 1947 using an Airspeed Consul twin-engined airplane^[12]. Regular weekly scheduled flights quickly followed from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh and Penang from 1 May 1947 with the same aircraft type^[13]. The airline continued to expand during the rest of the 1940s and 1950s, as other British Commonwealth airlines (such as BOAC and Qantas Empire Airways) provided technical assistance, as well as assistance in joining IATA. By 1955, Malayan Airways' fleet had grown to include a large number of Douglas DC-3s, and went public in 1957. Other aircraft operated in the first two decades included the Douglas DC-4 Skymaster, the Vickers Viscount, the Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation, the Bristol Britannia, the de Havilland Comet 4 and the Fokker F27.
When Malaya, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak formed the Federation of Malaysia in 1963, the airline's name was changed, from "Malayan Airways" to "Malaysian Airlines" (though still abbreviated to MAS). MAS also took over Borneo Airways. 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 route, including the purchase of MSA's first Boeing aircraft, the Boeing 707s, as well the completion of a new high-rise headquarters in Singapore. Boeing 737s were added to the fleet soon after.
MSA ceased operations in 1972, when political disagreements between Singapore and Malaysia resulted in the formation of two entities: Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airline System.^[14]^[15]^[16] Singapore Airlines kept all 10 of MSA's Boeing 707s and 737s, retained the international routes out of Singapore as well as the existing corporate headquarters in the city. Female flight attendants continued to wear the ''sarong kebaya'' dress, which was first introduced in 1968. A local startup advertising company, Batey Ads was given the right to market the airline, eventually selecting the sarong kebaya-clad air stewardesses as an icon for the airline and calling them the Singapore Girl.

Modern history

Boeing 707-338C freighter (9V-BFN) at Zurich Airport in 1979. The aircraft was delivered on 20 November 1972, and was SIA's ninth Boeing 707 aircraft.

A Singapore Airlines Boeing 747-400 (9V-SPC), dubbed ''Megatop'', at Auckland International Airport. The ''Megatop'' is the flagship of the airline since 1989 until the introduction of the Airbus A380 in October 2007

Singapore Airlines saw rapid growth during the 1970s, adding many cities in the Indian subcontinent and Asia to its 22-city network, and adding Boeing 747s to its fleet. The 1980s saw the addition of the United States, Canada, and many European cities to the airline's route map, with Madrid becoming the first Hispanic city to be served by Singapore Airlines.
The Boeing 747-400s were introduced into the Singapore Airlines fleet in 1989 with the monicker ''Megatop'', and were later complemented by Boeing 777s, Airbus A310s and Airbus A340s. Services were extended to southern Africa in the 1990s, when the airline began flights to Johannesburg in South Africa. The South African network would eventually be expanded to include the cities of Cape Town and Durban.
In 2004, Singapore Airlines began non-stop trans-Pacific flights from Singapore to Los Angeles and Newark, utilising the Airbus A340-500 (dubbed ''Leadership'' by the airline). These flights marked the first non-stop air services between Singapore and the USA. The Singapore to Newark flight set a record, which it still holds, as the longest scheduled commercial flight, with a flying time of approximately 18 hours between Singapore and Newark and 20 hours on the reverse route.
On September 29 2000, Singapore Airlines announced an order for 25 Airbus A3XX (as the A380 was known at the time). The US$8.6 billion order comprised of a firm order of 10 aircraft, which options on another 15 airframes.^[17] The order was confirmed by Singapore Airlines on July 12 2001. In April 2004, the airline announced that the airline will launch A380 service on flights between Singapore and Sydney, and Singapore to London, thereby creating the first A380 service on the ''Kangaroo Route''.^[18]
In January 2005, the airline unveiled the slogan "First to fly the A380 - experience the difference in 2006", to promote itself as the world's first airline to take delivery of the A380-800 double-decker super jumbo, then expected to take place in the 2nd quarter of 2006.^[19] 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,^[20] with the first delivery now slated for November 2006, well after the peak northern hemisphere summer travel season. The announcement was met with fury by SIA's CEO, Chew Choon Seng, who threatened to sue Airbus
^[21]. He further stated that SIA will be turning its attention to Boeing instead, since it would be receiving the Boeing 777-300ER 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 2006. On June 14, 2006, Singapore Airlines placed an initial order for the Boeing 787 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.
Upon completion of a review of the A380 program on 3 October 2006, the new CEO of Airbus, Christian Streiff, announced a third delay for delivery of the first A380 to Singapore Airlines.^[22] The largest delay yet, it pushed the first delivery of a single A380 aircraft to Singapore Airlines in October 2007.
At a Cabinet meeting on February 22, 2006, the Australian government 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.
On August 16 2007, the airline announced that the first Airbus A380 aircraft will be received on 15 October 2007 and be entered into service on 25 October 2007 with a flight between Singapore and Sydney (flight number SQ380)^[23]. The airline plans to use this first aircraft, in a 471-seat configuration, on its London–Singapore–Sydney (the kangaroo route) service.

Incidents and accidents

:''See also: List of accidents and incidents on commercial airliners - Singapore Airlines''
There has been one accident involving passenger fatalities on Singapore Airlines.

★ On 31 October 2000, Singapore Airlines Flight 006, a Boeing 747-400 flying from Singapore to Los Angeles via Taipei had an accidental collision with runway equipment at Chiang Kai Shek International Airport, killing 83 out of 179 people on board.
;Other non-fatal incidents

★ On 26 March 1991, Singapore Airlines Flight 117, on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore, was hijacked in mid-flight.

Corporate management

Singapore Airlines is the parent airline company of the Singapore Airlines Group of companies^[24], the later of which is a subsidiary of the Singapore government investment and holding company, Temasek Holdings^[25]. The Singapore government has regularly stressed its non-involvement in the management of the company, a point emphasised by Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew when he declared that the aviation hub status of Singapore Changi Airport will be defended, even at the cost of SIA.^[26] However, he was personally involved in defusing tensions between the company and its pilots,^[27] warned the airline to cut costs,^[28] and made public his advice to the airline to divest from its subsidiary companies.^[29] Still, independent research typically rates the airline as practicing sound corporate governance policies in accordance with national regulations.^[30]

Structure

Main articles: Singapore Airlines subsidiaries

Singapore Airlines has diversified over the years in related industries and sectors, including ground handling, aircraft leasing, aviation engineering, air catering, and tour operations. It has also restructured itself by hiving off operational units as fully-owned subsidiaries to maintain its core business as a premium passenger airline.
The Singapore Airlines Group comprised of 25 subsidiary companies, 32 associated companies, and two joint venture companies in the finanial year ending 31 March 2007. It divested completely from two associated companies, namely Asia Leasing Limited and Mid-East Airport Services, where it previously held 21% and 41.6% respectively. It also sold all its equity share of 35.5% in a joint venture, Singapore Aircraft Leasing Enterprise, to the Bank of China for US$980m on 15 December 2006^[31]
Some major companies in Singapore Airlines Group include:

Company	Type	Principal activities	Incorporated in	Group's Equity Shareholding (31 March 2007)
International Engine Component Overhaul Private Limited	Joint venture	Aircraft overhaul	Singapore	41%
SIA Engineering Company Limited	Subsidiary	Engineering	Singapore	81.9%
SilkAir (Singapore) Private Limited	Subsidiary	Airline	Singapore	100%
Singapore Aero Engine Services Private Limited	Joint venture	Engine overhaul	Singapore	41%
Singapore Airlines Cargo Private Limited	Subsidiary	Cargo airline	Singapore	100%
Singapore Airport Terminal Services Limited	Subsidiary	Holding company	Singapore	81.9%
Singapore Flying College Private Limited	Subsidiary	Flight school	Singapore	100%
Tiger Airways Private Limited	Associate	Airline	Singapore	49%
Virgin Atlantic Limited	Associate	Airline	United Kingdom	49%

Suggestions to divest its two biggest subsidiaries, SIA Engineering Company and Singapore Airport Terminal Services, has stretched back several years^[32], in particular when Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew voiced his opinion that the airline should divest the two listed companies to focus on its core business in December 2005^[33]. The company has yet to react in kind, however, although it did evaluate this possibility^[34].

Operational investments

The airline has attempted to invest in other airlines in a bid to expand beyond its Singapore base, although the results are often financially negative. In 1989, it went into a tripatite alliance with Delta Air Lines and Swissair in 1989, but terminated their partnership in 1999 after divesting their minority shareholdings in each other's company. The airline purchased 25% of Air New Zealand in 2000. However following the near collapse of Air New Zealand the New Zealand government bought into the airline to rescue it from bankruptcy, reducing Singapore Airlines' stake to 4.5%. This was subsequently sold in October 2004 at a substaintial loss.
SIA bought a 49% stake in Virgin Atlantic Airways on 30 March 2000 worth 600 million pounds in cash^[35] in the hope of leveraging on it on the lucrative transatlantic market, but by 2007, there has been reports of underperformance and the possibility of divesting its stake.^[36] In September 2004, the airline established low-cost carrier Tiger Airways with a 49% stake, in partnership with Indigo Partners LLC, the investment firm founded by Bill Franke, (24%); Irelandia Investments Limited, the private investment arm of Tony Ryan and his family, (16%); and Temasek Holdings Pte Ltd (11%).
On April 20, 2006, the media broke the news on the airline's possible investment of up to 20% in China Eastern Airlines. SIA confirmed that negotiations were underway.^[37] News of a possible stake in Aeroméxico also surfaced on 6 February 2007.^[38] On 10 May 2007, the China Securities Journal reported that the airline is in final talks to take a stake in China Eastern^[39] of up to 20%,^[40] resulting in a surge in the later's stock prices.^[41] However, a Singapore Airlines spokesman came forward to dispel these rumours and confirmed that while talks are in progress, they are as yet non conclusive.^[42] On 2 September 2007, the airline concluded its purchase of a 15.7% stake in China Eastern, with Temasek Holdings holding another 8.3% in the Chinese airline^[43]. The deal will see China Eastern's parent company, China Eastern Holdings, shareholding drop to 51% from 59.7%, and give SIA the right to nominate two members on China Eastern's management board^[44]. The deal, worth 7.2 billion Hong Kong Dollars, will involve SIA buying 1.24 billion shares at 3.8 Hong Kong dollars a share, evoking a major rally in China Eastern's shares which rose 83.91% to hit 6.86 Hong Kong dollars a day after the announcement of the deal^[45].

Financial performance

'Singapore Airlines Group Statistical Highlights^[46]'
Year ended	Revenue (S$m)	Expenditure (S$m)	Operating profit (S$m)	Profit before taxation (S$m)	Profit attributable to equity holders (S$m)	EPS after tax – diluted (cents)
31 March 1999	7,795.9	6,941.5	854.4	1,116.8	1,033.2	80.6
31 March 2000	9,018.8	7,850.0	1,168.8	1,463.9	1,163.8	91.4
31 March 2001	9,951.3	8,604.6	1,346.7	1,904.7	1,549.3	126.5
31 March 2002	9,382.8	8,458.2	924.6	925.6	631.7	51.9
31 March 2003	10,515.0	9,797.9	717.1	976.8	1,064.8	87.4
31 March 2004	9,761.9	9,081.5	680.4	820.9	849.3	69.7
31 March 2005	12,012.9	10,657.4	1,355.5	1,829.4	1,389.3	113.9
31 March 2006	13,341.1	12,127.8	1,213.3	1,662.1	1,240.7	101.3
31 March 2007	14,494.4	13,180.0	1,314.4	2,284.6	2,128.8	170.8

Services

Main articles: Singapore Airlines awards and accolades

Singapore Airlines have received numerous awards and accolades for the standard of service it provides. The airline has won Airline of the Year 2007 in the World Airline Awards by Skytrax.

Service innovation

SIA's in-flight entertainment system, KrisWorld, was introduced in 1977 and is now offered to passengers in all classes with over 600 entertainment options. Using the Wisemen 3000 hardware and Dolby digital personal cinema headphones for economy class, and active noise cancelling headphones for Raffles and first class, they include at least 100 movies, 80 TV shows, Nintendo games, 200 CDs, audio channels, flight cameras, flight statistics, destination info and traveller guides, and live TV channels. Since 2001, all entertainment options are available on demand to all classes with options to pause, forward, and rewind them.
In 2005, SIA was one of the earliest to introduce high-speed, in-flight Internet service in March by installing the Connexion by Boeing system and became the first airline in the world to offer live international television broadcasts using the same system in June.^[47] In the same month, free language lessons became available, with 22 languages offered.^[48] In December 2005, the airline offered free live news feeds it called "Live Text News" via its KrisWorld entertainment system.^[49]
First and business class passengers on some flights are offered the "Book the Cook" service where more extensive meal choices may be selected.^[50]^[51]

Uniform and branding

Flight attendants, known as the Singapore Girl, are heavily marketed as the airline's icon.

Main articles: Singapore Girl

The Singapore Airlines branding and publicity efforts has revolved primarily around its flight crew,^[52] in contrast to most other airlines who tend to emphasize on aircraft or services in general. In particular, the nurturing of the female air stewardesses as the Singapore Girl has been widely successful, and is a common feature in most of the airline's advertisements and publications. The branding strategy aims to build a sense of mythical aura around the Singapore Girl, and portray her as representative of Asian hospitality and grace.
As part of efforts to build up the Singapore Girl icon, the airline runs a rigorous training programs for cabin and flight crew to ensure the SIA brand experience is delivered. The airline's repute, and the resulting prestige of the job has allowed it to be highly selective during its recruitment process as it receives numerous applicants locally and around the region.
Dressed in a version of the Malay ''Sarong Kebaya'' designed by Pierre Balmain in 1968,^[13] the uniform of the Singapore Girl has remained largely unchanged. The male steward, in contrast, wears relatively sober light blue business jackets and grey trousers. In April 2001, the shoes were replaced by Pierre Balmain-designed safety shoes, in light of safety reviews after the Singapore Airlines Flight 006 crash where stewardesses complained of missing sandals.
Although a successful marketing image for the airline, it has also invoked criticisms for its sexist portrayal of women as subservient to male customers. Most feminist groups also contend that its reference is outdated, which sparks debates that most Singaporean women today are modern and independent.^[54] On 9 January 2007, the airline announced its intentions to tender out its existing advertising contract with Batey Ads, the Singaporean company, headed by founder Ian Batey, who is responsible for building up the Singapore Girl brand name and its partner since 1972.^[55] The image of the Singapore Girl will still remain, although SIA will now focus on advertising and promoting its modern fleet and technology instead. On 16 April 2007, the airline appointed New York-based advertising agent TBWA to handle its advertising for the airline, beating two other shortlisted candidates, namely DDB and Publicis. This contract is worth S$50 million per year over the following five years, making it the agent's largest win since it started operations in Asia in the late 1990s. The company provided no details about the three firms' bids, though its spokesperson Stephen Forshaw said they will start the new branding campaign "as early as there is a practicable opportunity". This change in advertising agency will not affect SIA's buying media agency, which is presently MEC.^[56]

Frequent flyer programme

Main articles: KrisFlyer

KrisFlyer is the frequent flyer programme of Singapore Airlines and its subsidiary SilkAir, with benefits extending to partner airlines including other Star Alliance members and Virgin Atlantic.^[57] It has six levels of membership, consisting of three KrisFlyer levels^[58] (KrisFlyer, KrisFlyer Elite Silver, KrisFlyer Elite Gold) and three PPS Club levels^[59]^[60] (PPS Club, Solitaire PPS Club and Solitaire PPS Club Life).

Cabins

Singapore Airlines announced a major upgrade to its cabin and inflight service on 17 October 2006,^[61] its first major overhaul in a decade and costing the airline about S$570 million.^[62] Initially planned for its Airbus A380-800's introduction into service in 2006, and subsequently on the Boeing 777-300ER, the postponement of the first A380-800 delivery meant it had to be introduced with the launch of the first Boeing 777-300ER with the airline on 5 December 2006 between Singapore and Paris.^[63] There are currently no plans to introduce the service to the existing SIA fleet.
Nine Boeing 777-300ERs being operated by the airline offer the upgraded cabin services to Paris, Hong Kong, Milan, Barcelona, Seoul, San Francisco, Zurich, Frankfurt, Taipei and Los Angeles but passengers have to pay a slightly higher fare. New services include Givenchy-designed bedding amenities in all classes. New tableware and linen designed by Givenchy are also part of the new product.
A new class of luxury seating, called Singapore Airlines Suites, will replace First Class aboard the Airbus A380 when it enters service in October 2007. The details of this new class have yet to be released to the public.

First class

There are three variations of the first class cabin. The oldest version is available on selected Boeing 777-200 and all Boeing 777-300 aircraft in the fleet which only feature lie-flat seats and has a small PTV. These first class seats have a configuration of 2-2-2 and are used mainly on regional flights. On all Boeing 747-400s, the first class product is known as the SkySuite and the seat is upholstered with leather and is trimmed with Burrwood. The seat can be fully reclined and is a lie flat seat. Bed linens and duvets are given on all flights with a pyjama suit designed by Givenchy. In-seat power supply is available on every First Class seat.^[64] The new first class was unveiled on 17 October 2006 with a 35 inch wide seat, upholstered with leather and a Mahogany wood finishing. The seat has a 23 inch LCD screen for KrisWorld. There is a stowage space with a standard cabin bag stowed in seat as well as a mirror and a drawer. The amenity kit is from Salvatore Ferragamo and a turn down seat service is available on all long haul flights, where the cabin crew will transform the seat into a bed, with bedlinen prepared for the passenger. Passengers pay a higher price for the new first class seats and can only redeem miles for full first class tickets and not for the saver fare.^[65]

Business class

Formerly known as Raffles Class, there are three variations of business class cabin. Traditional business class seats known as "Ultimo Plus", which do not convert into beds, are offered on all Boeing 777-200 (excluding the 777-200ER), and 777-300 aircraft in a 2-3-2 configuration.
The Spacebed seats are available on Airbus 340-500 services, Boeing 777-200ER services, and Boeing 747 services between Singapore, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and the United States. The Spacebed seats are twenty-seven inches (68.5 centimetres) wide and seventy-two inches (183 centimetres) long and converts to an angled flat bed. They have a retractable 10.4 inch (26.4 centimetre) personal television, Dolby headphones with surround sound, and adjustable headrests. The airline claims the Spacebed is the largest in its class, although Virgin Atlantic, an airline of which SIA owns 49%, makes the same claim.^[66] As the Spacebeds are angled, they are considered inferior to full-flat beds^[67] offered by some of its competitors, and has caused discomfort to some passengers who complain of sliding down the bed during sleep.
On new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, a fully-flat bed is offered as part of new cabin refurbishments in a 1-2-1 configuration. The same product will be offered on the Airbus A380 when it begins services in October, 2007. The new seat features a 15.4 inch personal television offering over 1000 entertainment options on demand and built-in office software. The new seats are leather and include an in-seat laptop power supply and personal stowage space. A height-adjustable table, a mirror, and a coat hook are also available for business class passengers. ^[68]

Executive economy class

Executive economy is only offered on Airbus A340-500 aircraft and replaces the standard economy class cabins. This seats are available only on non-stop flights to Newark and Los Angeles and on selected flights to Jakarta. The seat has a seat pitch of 37 inches and a width of 20 inches as well as a 150 degree seat recline. Like standard economy class seats, adjustable headrests and footrests is available on every seat. There is a 9 inch screen for inflight entertainment and in-seat power supply at selected seats. A minibar is located at the back of the aircraft where light snacks and drinks are offered during the flight.^[69]

Economy class

A meal in Economy class served on a flight from Los Angeles to Tokyo.

All economy class seats have PTVs on every seat offering KrisWorld, the airline's inflight entertainment system. All seats have footrests, an adjustable headrest, side-flap "ears" with a reclining seat to a certain angle. Bassinets are available in the front section in the cabin. Economy class passengers receive a pair of socks and a dental kit on all night flights and long haul flights.^[70] The new Economy class seats on Boeing 777-300ER aircraft have a 19 inch wide seat as well as more knee room and legroom with an improved adjustable headrest. The new seats offers a personal reading light, a coat hook, a spectacle compartment, mirror, and an inflight handset. In-seat laptop supply is provided on every seat and a 10.6 inch PTV for inflight entertainment is offered.^[71]

In-flight entertainment

New ''Krisworld'' In-flight entertainment system in Economy class.

Singapore Airlines announced that Panasonic Avionics Corporation has been selected to create the new KrisWorld, Singapore Airlines' IFE system, using the new ex2 system.^[72]^[73]

★ Large widescreen LCD TV with 1280 X 768 resolution

★ A range of Movies, TV, music, games, and interactive programs

★ Built-in office software, based on Sun Microsystems StarOffice Productivity Suite for use with USB Port

★ In-seat AC power port

Destinations

Main articles: Singapore Airlines destinations

Singapore Airlines flies to 64 destinations in 35 countries on five continents.

Singapore Airlines flies to 64 destinations in 35 countries on five continents from its primary hub in Singapore. It has a particularly strong presence in the Southeast Asian region, which together with its subsidiary SilkAir, connects Singapore with more international destinations in the region than any other Southeast Asian airline.
Beyond the immediate region, the airline has a key role in the important Kangaroo Route. It flew 11.0% of all international traffic into and out of Australia in the year ended June 2006, second only to Qantas, for a total of 2,324,530 passengers and accounting for 65% of the market on that segment.^[74]
While the airline does not maintain sizeable hubs elsewhere, it has taken advantage of liberal bilateral aviation agreements between Singapore and Thailand, and with the United Arab Emirates, to offer more onward connections from Bangkok and Dubai respectively. On 1 September 2005, for example, it launched six-times weekly flights between Bangkok and Tokyo. China and India are major markets for the airline and has fueled much of its growth in recent years, with flights to Beijing were increased to 3 times daily from 1 June 2005, and flights to Bangalore increased to daily. Singapore Airlines is the leading carrier between India & California.
It discontinued flying to Pakistan due to "security problems" in Karachi since 10 May 2002, but after a recent visit by the Prime Minister of Pakistan Shaukat Aziz to Singapore, the airline reopened the route with a three times weekly service to Karachi and Lahore from 1 February 2006.
The airline's strengths have also invited protectionist measures to keep it out of key foreign markets. In particular, it has been unsuccessful in gaining access on the transatlantic routes between London-Heathrow and the United States, and on the transpacific routes from Australia to the United States. The airline protested when Cathay Pacific was allowed on the transatlantic route in 2003.^[75] The Australian authorities deferred decisions to allow the airline on the route to the United States from Australia^[76]
Singapore Airlines has stated that it wants to dramatically expand service to Canada and establish a North America hub in Vancouver, but has complained about being shut out by Canada's protectionist policies.^[77]

Codeshare agreements

Singapore Airlines has codeshare agreements^[78] with its fully-owned subsidiary SilkAir, Virgin Atlantic Airways in which it owns a 49% stake, Malaysian Airlines and Royal Brunei Airlines, where it codeshares on selected regional routes, and with Star Alliance member airlines, which it became a member of in April 2000^[79].

'Singapore Airlines - codeshare agreements'
Airlines	Destinations
Air Canada	Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and San Francisco
Air New Zealand	Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington, New Plymouth, Dunedin, Queenstown, Palmerston North and Sydney
All Nippon Airways	Tokyo
Asiana	Seoul
EgyptAir^[80]	Cairo^[81]
LOT Polish Airlines	Warsaw
Lufthansa	Frankfurt, Hannover, Bremen, Hamburg, Dresden, Dusseldorf, Leipzig, Stuttgart, Cologne, Nuremberg, Berlin, Muenster, Geneva, Brussels, Vienna, Prague, Nice, Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Oslo, Barcelona, Bilbao, Madrid, Auckland, Christchurch, Milan, Paris, Budapest, Rome, Munich, Perth^[82]Amadeus Flight Timetable search Singapore-Perth
Malaysia Airlines	Kota Kinabalu, Kuching and Penang
Royal Brunei Airlines	Bandar Seri Begawan
Silkair	Phuket, Yangon, Chang Mai, Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Medan, Manado, Trivandrum, Da Nang, Kuching, Kochi, Surabaya, Kota Kinabalu, Kunming, Xiamen, Chengdu, Chongqing, Shengzhen, Palembang, Solo City, Balikpapan, Langkawi, Mataram and Kaohsiung
South African Airways	Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth and East London
US Airways^[83]	Charlotte, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York JFK, Phoenix, San Francisco
Virgin Atlantic Airways	Washington, Boston, Miami, Orlando, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Dubai

In 2005, the airline increased codeshare flights to New Zealand with Air New Zealand, and increased the frequency of flights to destinations in India and Australia. EgyptAir announced codesharing with Singapore Airlines on SIA's thrice weekly Cairo-Dubai-Singapore-Sydney route.
On August 15 2005, Virgin Atlantic, which flies the Kangaroo route between Australia and the United Kingdom via Hong Kong, denied it was in talks with part owner Singapore Airlines about extending its code sharing arrangements from Singapore to Sydney. Virgin Atlantic, 49% owned by Singapore Airlines, began flying between Sydney and the United Kingdom via Hong Kong in December. The London-Heathrow to Hong Kong route is generally doing well but not the Hong Kong-Sydney sector, Virgin Atlantic claims that the Sydney route is now making a profit, and are looking at increasing their frequency from 7 to 14 flights per week in 12 to 18 months.
On November 17, 2006, Singapore Airlines announced that it will be expanding its codeshare arrangement with Virgin Atlantic Airways to include Virgin's London-Heathrow-LAX, San Francisco, and Dubai routes, as well as Singapore Airline's Singapore-Sydney routes.^[84]

Flight numbers

Generally, flight numbers are allocated according to geographical regions, and are reviewed occasionally to accommodate regional changes in the system network.^[85] The last major review was implemented on 29 October 2006. Flights to South Asia, which used to share the flight numbers in the SQ400-SQ499 band with Southwest Asia and Africa-bound flights, now utilise the SQ500-SQ599 band. Similarly, flights to Japan and Korea began using the SQ600-SQ699 range of flight numbers after having shared numbers in the SQ800-SQ999 range with flights to Greater China.^[86] This reflects major growths in flights to the two key Asian markets of China and India for the airline.
From 25 March 2007, a second round of flight number reshuffling will see some Southeast Asian destinations, namely Manila and Denpasar, being moved into the SQ900-SQ999 slot. Other regional destinations may progressively follow.

'Singapore Airlines - flight numbers'
Range	Market
SQ001-SQ049	North America
SQ050-SQ199	Southeast Asia (Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam)
SQ200-SQ299	Oceania
SQ300-SQ399	Europe
SQ400-SQ499	Southwest Asia and Africa
SQ500-SQ599	South Asia
SQ600-SQ699	Japan and Korea
SQ700-SQ799	(Unutilised)
SQ800-SQ899	Greater China
SQ900-SQ999	Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand)
SQ1000-SQ1099	North America codeshares with Air Canada and US Airways
SQ2000-SQ2299	Europe codeshares with Lufthansa
SQ2500-SQ2699	North America codeshares with Virgin Atlantic Airways
SQ2700-SQ2799	Europe codeshares with Austrian Airlines
SQ2900-SQ2999	Europe codeshares with bmi, now inoperative
SQ3000-SQ3999	(Singapore Airlines Cargo flights)
SQ5000-SQ5399	Southeast Asia codeshares with SilkAir
SQ5400-SQ5499	Southeast Asia codeshares with Royal Brunei Airlines
SQ5600-SQ5699	Southeast Asia codeshares with Malaysia Airlines
SQ5700-SQ5799	East Asia codeshares with Asiana Airlines
SQ5900-SQ5999	East Asia codeshares with All Nippon Airways
SQ6100-SQ6199	South Africa codeshares with South African Airways
SQ6700-SQ6999	Oceania codeshares with Air New Zealand
SQ7000-SQ7999	(Singapore Airlines Cargo flights)
SQ8000-SQ8999	(Charter flights)

Fleet

Main articles: Singapore Airlines fleet

A Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER (9V-SWA), the first of the -300ER variant to be delivered on 23 November 2006, completing its first flight to Zurich International Airport. SIA is the world's largest operator of the Boeing 777 family, with 68 in its current fleet and another 9 on order and 13 on options.

Singapore Airlines operates one of the youngest fleets in the world with an average of 6.6 years as of 25 August 2007. Its fleet features three aircraft families: the Boeing 747, the Boeing 777, and the Airbus A340, although more aircraft types are expected to appear as the fleet undergoes a renewal programme. Singapore Airlines is the world's largest operator of the Boeing 777, with 65 in its fleet as of 3 March, 2007.^[87]
The airline has a history of naming its fleet according to plane makes. The Boeing 747-400s are dubbed "Megatop", while the Boeing 777s are called "Jubilee". The Airbus A340-500s were named "Leadership", but that has since been dropped. Names for airliners previously flown by the airline includes "Superbus" for the 8 Airbus A300, "3TEN" for the 23 Airbus A310-300, "Celestar" for the 17 Airbus A340-300,"Super B" for the 23 Boeing 747-200B, "Big Top" for the 14 Boeing 747-300. The first 777s were ordered as a replacement for Singapore Airlines' Airbus A340-300 with Boeing taking the A340s as part of the deal, which was seen as a setback for Airbus, which had started delivery of the aircraft only a few years earlier. In fact, two of the 17 A340-300s ordered never flew in revenue service for Singapore Airlines and were handed over to Boeing Aircraft Holding Company for resale within months of delivery to Singapore Airlines. Interestingly, the A340-300 had been a replacement for a cancelled McDonnell Douglas MD-11 order, which could not meet long range requirements as far as distance was concerned.^[88] Subsequently, Singapore Airlines has taken delivery of the Airbus A340-500, a long range version of the A340, bringing the A340 back into their fleet.
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.
As a launch customer of the Airbus A380-800, it will be the first airline to operate the aircraft, when it belatedly enters service on 25 October 2007.^[89]^[90] It has 19 A380 on order and options on a further 6, with plans to introduce it on its 'kangaroo route' services from Sydney to London, via Singapore.^[91] Singapore Airlines have announced that the first flight will be a return trip from Singapore to Sydney, with a special flight designation of SQ380 to signify the first flight of the A380. To promote the aircraft and mark the moment in aviation history, SIA will be auctioning all the tickets in a special agreement with eBay, beginning on 27 August 2007 for two weeks, and donating all proceeds to charity.[5]
The airline's new Boeing 777-300ERs entered commercial service on 5 December 2006, on the Singapore-Paris route. This aircraft, of which Singapore Airlines ordered 19, introduced Singapore Airline's new First Class, Business Class, and Economy Class products. Similar cabins will be used through out Singapore Airlines' future aircraft, including the A380, B787-9, and the A350-900.
The Airbus A380 will come into service in 2007. Pilots have since demanded a pay increase for flying A380s. Singapore Airlines refuses to provide a raise on the argument that flying A380 is relatively similar to other modern aircraft. The pilots argue that they deserve a pay increase since they have a greater responsibility of flying the A380 since there are significantly more passengers. This case was brought into court in the early 2007.
The Singapore Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft from August 2007:^[92]

'Singapore Airlines Fleet'
Aircraft	Total	Engines	Registration	Passengers	Routes	Notes
Airbus A330-300	(19 lease-orders)	Rolls Royce Trent 700				Entry into service: 2009
Airbus A340-541	5	Rolls Royce Trent 553	9V-SGA - 9V-SGE	181 (J64/Y117)	Ultra long haul Nonstop to Los Angeles & Newark	Executive Economy Class seats Spacebeds in Business Class
Airbus A350-900 XWB	(20 orders) (20 options)	Rolls-Royce Trent XWB			Medium-long haul	Entry into service: 2013
Airbus A380-841	(19 orders) (6 options)	Rolls Royce Trent 970	9V-SKA -	471	Medium-long haul	Entry into service: 2007 Launch customer New cabin layout Singapore Airlines Suites replace First Class
Boeing 747-412	20	Pratt & Whitney PW-4062	9V-SMS, 9V-SMU, 9V-SMW, 9V-SMY, 9V-SMZ, 9V-SPA, 9V-SPB, 9V-SPE - 9V-SPJ, 9V-SPL - 9V-SPQ	375 (P12/J50/Y313)	Medium-long haul	Exit from service: 2011 Spacebeds in Business Class
Boeing 777-212	14	Rolls Royce Trent 884	9V-SQA - 9V-SQN	288 (P12/J42/Y234)	Medium-long haul	Extended range (ER) aircraft with derated engines
Boeing 777-212	17	Rolls Royce Trent 884	9V-SRA - 9V-SRQ	323 (J30/Y293)	Short-medium haul	Extended range (ER) aircraft with derated engines
Boeing 777-212ER	15	Rolls Royce Trent 892	9V-SVA - 9V-SVO	285 (J30/Y255)	Medium-long haul	Spacebeds in Business Class cabin
Boeing 777-312	12	Rolls Royce Trent 892	9V-SYA - 9V-SYL	332 (P18/J49/Y265)	Short-medium haul
Boeing 777-312ER	10 (9 orders) (13 options)	General Electric GE90-115B	9V-SWA - 9V-SWB, 9V-SWD - 9V-SWK	278 (P8/J42/Y228)	Medium-long haul	New cabin layout
Boeing 787-9	(20 orders) (20 rights)				Medium-long haul	Entry into service: 2011

†Singapore Airlines is considering converting these aircraft to all business class considering the ultra-long haul flights and the mainly business customers that use the service^[93]