SINGAPORE: Singapore Airlines Starts Stockholm Via Moscow Flights

Singapore Airlines (SIA) has added a second Scandinavian city to its route network today. Operating five times a week from Singapore Changi Airport, SQ362 flies to Stockholm, via Moscow.

This will complement SIA’s existing flights to Copenhagen in Denmark, boosting connectivity between Southeast Asia and Northern Europe, in addition to meeting increasing demand for travel between Southwest Pacific and Northern Europe.

The new route is being served with the latest-generation aircraft, the Airbus A350-900. The first service to Stockholm departed Singapore Changi Airport at 0033hrs local time on 30 May and arrived at Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport at 0859hrs local time the same day.

With the new flights, SIA will provide a direct link between Sweden and Singapore.

Customers departing on the inaugural flight from Singapore were treated to a medley of song performances and an assortment of Swedish themed refreshments at a special boarding gate event just before their flight.

In addition to a commemorative certificate, passengers also received an exclusive goodie bag containing a batik luggage belt with weighing scale and a Dala Horse cosmetic pouch.

Upon arrival at Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport, the aircraft was greeted by a water cannon salute and a gate hold event was held to celebrate the arrival of the inaugural flight.

Stockholm, the most populous Nordic city, is a vibrant capital with something to offer business and leisure travellers of all ages.

From soaking in the rich culture of Gamla Stan, or the Old Town, to museums, to the outdoors, visitors will have varied options to suit their travel interests and needs.

Venturing further North, Sweden also has much to offer with its picturesque views of the majestic Northern Lights in the Swedish Lapland.

With advanced technology and superior operating efficiency, the A350-900 offers customers an improved travelling experience with features such as higher ceilings, larger windows, an extra wide body and lighting designed to reduce jetlag.

The aircraft are fitted with 253 seats, 42 of which are in Business Class, 24 in Premium Economy Class and 187 in Economy Class.

The A350 will form a key part of the Airline’s fleet in the years ahead, and has enabled introduction of new services such as non-stop flights between Singapore and San Francisco, helping to boost connectivity to and through the Singapore hub.

The new services are also part of the joint venture agreement between Singapore Airlines and Star Alliance partner Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) that took effect in 2013 covering flights between Scandinavia and Singapore.

SAS has also commenced codeshare on the new services.

SINGAPORE: SIA Aircraft Damaged After Hitting A Plane

The tail cone of a Singapore Airlines (SIA) aircraft was damaged after it hit another plane that was being towed at Changi Airport on Monday evening.

The incident was first reported by the Airline Hub Buzz website yesterday, and SIA later confirmed it.

An SIA spokesman said there were no passengers on board the planes during the accident. No one on the ground was injured.

"Damage to the aircraft is being assessed and investigations will be carried out to determine how the incident occurred," he added.

Last October, the nose gear of an SIA plane retracted while it was undergoing a landing gear system check at Changi Airport, causing the plane to tilt forward.

There were no passengers or crew on board at the time of the incident, but an engineer was on the aircraft.

He was not hurt.

FINLAND: Finnair And Jetstar Asia Announce Codeshare Agreement

Finnair, the flag carrier and largest airline of Finland, and Jetstar Asia, Singapore based low-cost airline, announced a codeshare agreement that will provide Finnair customers with a wider choice of destinations and departure times across Asia and Australia.

From December 15 2015, Finnair customers will be able to travel on codeshare services operated by Jetstar Asia to and from its Singapore hub.

Finnair customers will benefit from the convenience of the single ticket itinerary that includes Finnair’s baggage allowance. The passengers will also enjoy a seamless transfer at Singapore Changi Airport, with baggage being through-checked and onward boarding passes being received at the initial departure point.

Finnair’s code will be added to Jetstar Asia’s flights between Singapore as well as Penang and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, Phuket in Thailand and Perth and Darwin in Australia.

“We are delighted to start this codeshare cooperation that will leverage Jetstar’s Singapore hub, improving connectivity throughout Asia and improved access to Australia for our customers,” says Hannu Sundberg, Director of Partnerships, Finnair.

Jetstar Asia CEO Barathan Pasupathi said:

“The collaboration between Jetstar Asia and Finnair is a welcome enhancement towards the codeshare and interline model at Jetstar Asia. The Finnair service from Helsinki will connect to Jetstar Asia’s services at Changi Airport. This will allow customers from Europe to connect via Singapore onwards to Jetstar Asia’s Australasia destinations”.

Changi Airport Group’s Senior Vice President for Market Development, Mr Lim Ching Kiat, said:

“Changi Airport welcomes the partnership between Finnair and the Jetstar Group. It enhances choice for European travellers to Southeast Asia and Australia through Singapore, and presents growth opportunities for both airlines, while strengthening Singapore’s air hub position.”

UZBEKISTAN: Uzbekistan Airways Received Award In Singapore

National Air Company “Uzbekistan Airways” was in the top five air-companies performing flights to the Singapore Changi airport, – reports the press-service of the company.

Changi Airport annually holds a contest “Changi Airline Awards” selecting the best airline companies in different nominations. This year Uzbekistan Airways participated in the contest for the nomination “The Best Airlines company in marketing 2015”. “Uzbekistan Airways” entered the top five of the best air-carriers among which there were “AirFrance”, “Turkish Airlines”, “Singapore Airlines” and “Tiger Air”.

The direction to Singapore, opened in April 2014, is currently one of the most demanded and popular ones among passengers of National Air Company, is noted on the website uzairways.uz.

CHINA: Sichuan Airlines Launching Chengdu To Singapore

Sichuan Airlines, based in Chengdu, the home of the Giant Panda has announced the launch of regular flights to Singapore's Changi airport from January 25th 2016.

The new daily flight will leave Chengdu every day at 1400 in the afternoon arriving in Singapore at 1840 local time. The return flight leaves Singapore at 1940 arriving back iin Chengdhu at 0020 the following day. The new Sichuan Airlines scheduled service will be operated using an Airbus A320 aircraft.

Sichuan Airlines have a fleet of over 100 Airbus aircraft based at Chengdu, Chongging, Hangzhou, Harbin,Kunming Changshui and Xi'an Xianyang.

Backed by one of the world's largest airlines, China Southern Airlines, Sichuan Airlines is quickly developing form its traditional domestic route network into a significant operator of international routes from regional Chinese cities.

Sichuan Airlines now flies to the following cities worldwide:

Vancouver
Melbourne
Hongkong
Phuket Island
Taibei
SYDNEY
Taipei
SEOUL
Hochiminhcity
Krabi
KATHMANDU
MOSCOW
BANGKOK
NHA TRANG
CHIANG MAI
DUBAI
JEJU
MALE
SINGAPORE

The rapid growth of China based airlines is no doubt that more and more Western passengers will choose to fly on the very professional and convenient services provided by this new alternative to traditional carriers.