Singapore Airlines

is one of the top Airbus A380

operators in the world in terms of flight frequencies. The Singaporean flag carrier has a total of 12 Airbus A380s in its fleet, although only eight of those are currently listed as active.

The airline’s network is one of the most wide-reaching of any global carrier, consisting of over 120 destinations across five continents. As such, the carrier needs to be smart about which routes it chooses to deploy its high-capacity A380s on. Singapore Airlines has been flying the A380 for almost 18 years – in fact, the carrier was the launch customer of the type after taking the first-ever delivery in October 2007.

A Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 flying in the sky.

Photo: JEERAPAN JANKAEW | Shutterstock

The carrier will deploy the Airbus A380 on eight routes out of Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) this year, namely Delhi, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, London Heathrow, Mumbai, Shanghai Pudong, Sydney and Tokyo Narita. However, the number of A380 frequencies on these routes varies considerably, with some seeing a lot more service than others.

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Singapore Airlines’ Airbus A380 Fleet: Everything You Need To Know

Currently, the flag carrier has already retired 11 examples, including its first-ever A380, registered as 9V-SKA.

With the carrier struggling to keep its A380s consistently airborne due to extended ground time, it has made a few forced cuts to its A380 schedule this year. Based on data from aviation analytics firm Cirium, below are SIA’s A380 routes this year ranked in order of flights.

8

Hong Kong (HKG) – 14 departures

Limited service in March

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Total

14

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

14

SIA’s service from Singapore to Hong Kong will see just a handful of A380 flights in March before the type is pulled from duties for the rest of the year. The airline replaced the A380’s deployment on this route with the Boeing 777 for the current Winter season, bar a couple of weeks over the busy Chinese New Year period in January.

A Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 flying near Hong Kong Airport.

Photo: The Global Guy | Shutterstock.

The remaining frequencies on this route are performed by Singapore’s Airbus A350 fleet, While the A380 will return on this route in March, the airline has not scheduled any further A380 flights for the remaining calendar year.

Interestingly, SIA’s flight between Singapore and Hong Kong ranks as the 10th-shortest A380 route in the world at 1,379 nautical miles, with the flight typically taking around 4 hours.

7

Narita (NRT) – 31 departures

Daily service in May only

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Total

0

0

31

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

32

The airline’s A380s will only spend a month out of this year flying to Tokyo Narita, with a daily flight scheduled on each day in May (as well as a solitary service in June). The carrier had planned to fly the A380 to Tokyo on a daily basis in April too, but cut this month due to limited availability.

Singapore Airlines A380 in Tokyo

Photo: Kittikun Yoksap I Shutterstock

Singapore Airlines currently operates two daily frequencies between Changi and Narita, with flight duties shared across its A350, Boeing 777 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet.

6

Shanghai Pudong (PVG) – 70 departures

Daily flights in the summer

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Total

0

0

0

8

31

31

0

0

0

0

70

The second-shortest route on this list at 2,049 NM, Shanghai Pudong will benefit from more than two months of A380 service during the summer, with a daily flight offered in July and August along with a handful of flights in June.

shanghai pudong

Photo: gui jun peng | Shutterstock

Much like its Hong Kong route, Shanghai saw a couple of weeks of A380 service this Winter during the peak Chinese New Year travel period between January 15th to 31st.

5

Mumbai (BOM) – 271 departures

Year-round daily flights except for August

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Total

31

30

31

30

27

0

30

31

30

31

271

Mumbai is another relatively short A380 route at 2,117 NM and will see a daily flight almost every month except August. With a typical flight time of just under 6 hours, SIA passengers can connect to fellow Star Alliance

member Air India’s extensive network out of Mumbai.

Mumbai Airport Departures

4

Delhi (DEL) – 271 departures

Daily service year-round with a dip in June and July

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Total

31

30

31

22

4

31

30

31

30

31

271

Singapore Airlines will maintain a daily A380 flight to Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi for most of the year, although service will be intermittent in the mid-summer, particularly in July.

Exterior view of a terminal building with several aircraft parked outside the gates

Photo: New Delhi Airport

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As with Mumbai, Delhi is also a huge hub for Star Alliance member Air India. Indira Gandhi International is India’s busiest airport having served over 70 million passengers last year.

3

Frankfurt (FRA) – 306 departures

Consistent daily flights all year

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Total

31

30

31

30

31

31

30

31

30

31

306

As one of the most important European airport hubs, it’s safe to say there’s plenty of demand for flights to Frankfurt. Singapore will keep up its daily A380 flight to Frankfurt all year round and also offers another daily flight with its 777s.

A Singapore Airlines Airbus A380-800 just after landing.

Star Alliance founding member Lufthansa

has a huge presence at Frankfurt Airport, while United Airlines also serves a handful of key US airports out of Frankfurt, among other key connections.

2

Sydney (SYD) – 581 departures

Double-daily service except for May

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Total

62

60

31

60

62

62

60

62

60

62

581

SIA sees strong demand for flights to Australia and will utilize its A380s for two daily flights to Sydney for most of the year. Other than May (which will see a daily A380 flight), the airline will offer two daily A380 services to Australia’s second most populous city.

Sydney_Airport_(Kingsford_Smith)_-_aerial_view_(cropped)

The flight from Singapore to Sydney typically takes around 8 hours. Sydney will soon be served by a new airport called Western Sydney International (WSI), with a prospective launch date of 2026, and Singapore Airlines has already signed up to be one of the airlines to fly there.

1

London Heathrow (LHR) – 583 departures

Peak double-daily flights from April

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Total

33

60

62

60

62

62

60

62

60

62

583

Singapore’s flagship route between Changi and London Heathrow will narrowly see the most A380 flights this year, with a total of 583 departures. There will be a daily A380 service in March, while from April, the airline will operate two daily A380 roundtrips.

Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 at London Heathrow Airport

Photo: Jonathan E. Hendry | Simple Flying

The carrier operates a total of four daily roundtrips on this route. Along with the two A380 flights, the route is also served by its A350 and 777-300ER aircraft.

What’s it like onboard a Singapore Airlines A380?

Singapore Airlines has consistently ranked as one of the world’s best airlines, and this encompasses both its premium cabins and economy product. Regarding its A380 onboard experience, the aircraft type is notably the only one featuring the airline’s acclaimed Suites product, meaning it is highly sought-after by premium-paying customers.

6 Suites

The carrier’s renowned Suites are situated at the front section of the upper deck. Essentially like a small hotel room in the sky, Suites offer all kinds of luxury perks, including the “Book the Cook” pre-order service for gourmet meals.

Equipped with a bed, private desk and chair and 32-inch HD flatscreens, Suites remains one of the highest-quality first class products on the market today.

78 Business class

A huge business class cabin (split into two sections) makes up the rest of the upper deck, offering an impressive 78 seats for business passengers in a 1-2-1 configuration, meaning aisle access for all.

singapore a380 business

Photo: Agent Wolf | Shutterstock

All seats convert into fully lie-flat beds and feature an 18-inch screen for inflight entertainment (IFE), as well as high quality meals, drinks and general level of service.

44 Premium economy seats

The premium economy cabin makes up the front portion of the lower deck and features a total of 44 seats in a 2-4-2 configuration. However, the front two rows feature no middle-aisle seats,

343 Economy

The economy cabin of the A380 is made up of three sections stretching from Rows 41 to 79. The majority of rows are in a 3-4-3 configuration, but there are exceptions at the front of the cabin and a solitary middle row in the rear.

a380 singapore economy

Photo: Nate Hovee | Shutterstock

With a pitch of 18 inches and width of 18.5 inches, the Recaro CL3710 seats are more comfortable and spacious than your average economy seat. Singapore Airlines recently came in 3rd place in the Skytrax World Airline Awards in the ‘World’s Best Economy Class Airlines’ category, and its excellent A380 economy cabin and service played a big role in this.

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