SIA outlines initial plans for A330s

By Nicholas Ionides

Singapore Airlines (SIA) has outlined initial plans for its new fleet of Airbus A330-300s, which it starts taking delivery of next month to replace older Boeing 777s on regional routes.

The Star Alliance carrier says in a statement that its first A330 will be delivered by Airbus in mid-January and it will initially be used for pilot conversion, followed by services on short sectors to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and Jakarta in Indonesia.

Full entry into commercial service will be on 30 March when SIA starts using A330s to replace 777s between Singapore and Brisbane in Australia.

This will be followed in April by the progressive conversion of 777 operations to A330 operations on the Singapore-Perth route, which will be completed in May. Daily Singapore-Adelaide 777 services will be converted to A330 services by June.

SIA says that after it takes delivery of its eighth A330 in June, the aircraft will also be used on services to Japan, starting with daily flights to Nagoya. By March 2010 the A330 will be used for Osaka services.

The carrier has 19 A330s on order that it will be leasing to provide interim lift until Airbus A350s on purchase order arrive several years later.

It says the twinjets will seat 285 passengers in business and economy classes, adding that a new business class seat will be unveiled when the first aircraft is delivered next month.

The business cabin will have 30 seats in a 2-2-2 layout, rather than the 2-3-2 layout on the older 777s that the A330s will replace.