|
|
|
A380 delivery day for SIA Airbus Industrie was putting out the call to the journalist community late last week, alerting them to the long-anticipated and long-delayed launch of the A380 and its first delivery to Singapore Airlines, in an opening October 15 in Toulouse. At the ceremony, SIA’s chief executive officer Chew Choon Seng accepted delivery of the big aircraft from Airbus president and CEO Tom Enders. Interested parties who could not be in Toulouse for the launch, viewed a live streaming transmission on the Airbus website at www.airbus.com. The 471-passenger aircraft will enter service on October 25 on a route between Singapore and Sydney, an event that will raise money for several charities in Singapore and Australia. The aircraft will go into scheduled service October 28. In his opening remarks, Chew stressed the aircraft’s new cabin offering, kept tightly under wraps by the airline. He said the new, quiet cabin of the A380 gives passengers more space for relaxation and “will redefine luxury air travel.” There are currently orders for 189 A380s. Notable deliveries after SIA will be Emirates and Qantas Airways. Throughout the manufacturing process, Servair Consulting has been instrumental in developing concepts and designs for the aircraft, from its unique tableware, to its training videos for crew. For the test runs, Servair developed a special buffet business class service that showcased the company’s catering skills even as it encouraged passengers to visit various sections of the aircraft. Airbus’ testing phase was due to be phased out this month before the first A380 aircraft was delivered to Singapore Airlines. A complete story on the Servair Consulting’s involvement can be found in the September-October issue of PAX International.
|
