Singapore Airlines set to fly Airbus A380 on a short-haul flight

Wednesday, October 20, 2021

Singapore Airlines has decided to deploy a superjumbo Airbus A380 on a short-haul flight lasting a maximum of 60 minutes on November 2021. The Airbus A380s are designed for long-haul flying due to its hefty size and famously quiet inflight experience. Travelers heading on certain flights from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur will board what is believed to be the shortest A380 passenger flight currently in service.

Singapore Airlines recently confirmed that the A380 will also be deployed on an “ad hoc basis” on flight routes SQ106 (SIN-KUL) and SQ105 (KUL-SIN) three times a week from November 4 to December 2, 2021. The A380 will also be flying on Singapore Airlines’ SQ126 (SIN-KUL) and SQ125 (KUL-SIN) route four times a week from November 5 to December 3.

The carrier also recently announced plans to reinstate its grounded A380s on select return flights from Singapore to London from mid-November. A spokesperson for the airline said the A380 Kuala Lumpur flights were scheduled “for operational requirements.”  Announcing the return of the A380 last week, Singapore Airlines’ global public affairs head, Siva Govindasamys said in a statement that Singapore Airlines’ recognizes the A380s enduring appeal for passengers and that is partly why the airline is returning the aircraft to rotation.

Singapore Airlines is not the only airline to be operating one-off short-haul superjumbo flights this fall. From November 2021, British Airways will also send A380s on flights from London to select European destinations, a move the airline said is to “allow for crew familiarization” ahead of the superjumbo’s return to transatlantic service.

However, the carrier has yet to officially confirm which European short-haul flights will be operated by A380s, but its booking website currently indicates that select journeys on London to Frankfurt and Madrid routes will use the aircraft. The Covid-19 pandemic seemed to spell the end of the superjumbo but although airlines including Lufthansa and Air France have retired such flights, carriers such as Singapore Airlines and British Airways, as well as Emirates, Qantas and All Nippon Airways, remain committed to the A380. 

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