Singapore Airlines To Bring The A380 Back to India In January

Passengers looking to fly Singapore Airlines’ flagship aircraft in India need to wait no more. The flag carrier has announced that the Airbus A380 will return to Mumbai on January 10th and New Delhi on February 14th. Both aircraft carry Singapore’s refurbished cabins, including six first class ‘Suites’ and 78 business class seats.

After 22 months away from the country, Singapore Airlines has returned the superjumbo to India. Photo: Airbus

Back in action

As reported by Simple Flying yesterday, Singapore Airlines (SIA) will return the A380 to eight destinations by the start of April. We now know when two of these cities will receive the superjumbo.

SIA has announced that the A380 will first return to Mumbai (BOM) on January 10th, replacing the existing A350-900 service. Filled with 471 seats, the double-decker aircraft will allow the airline to ramp up capacity and meet the New Year’s travel demand. Mumbai will become Singapore’s third A380 route and the first medium-haul one to resume.

SIA is expecting a significant uptick in passenger demand in 2022 as Singapore and countries globally open their borders. Photo: Getty Images

The A380 will fly Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) flights as SQ423/424 on the following schedule:

• SQ423: Departs BOM at 23:35 and arrives at 07:30 AM (+1) local time, daily service
• SQ424: Departs SIN at 18:45 and arrives at 22:10 local times, daily service.

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Delhi next

The fourth destination for the A380 will be New Delhi (DEL), with flights set to begin on February 14th, 2022. This will likely be after India resumes scheduled international flights, allowing passengers to connect onward to East Asia and the US. With this, SIA can ensure the A380s have a reasonable load factor.

This route will also be a VTL flight, allowing passengers to arrive in Singapore without quarantine and only testing. The A380 will take over from the 787-10 on SQ403/406 with the following schedule:

• SQ403: Departs DEL at 21:50 and arrives at 06:10 (+1) local times, daily service
• SQ406: Departs SIN at 16:25 and arrives at 19:55 local times, daily service

India is one of Singapore Airlines’ biggest markets, and the A380 has long served Delhi and Mumbai. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

In a statement about the return of the superjumbo, Singapore Airlines’ General Manager for India, Sy Yen Chen, said, 

“The return of the A380 to India is a special occasion for us as this superjumbo aircraft has always been a popular choice for our customers. Ever since we resumed operations from India, we have seen a steadily growing demand for our VTL flights to Singapore. We are confident that the A380, with its larger seat capacity, will be the preferred choice for our customers seeking comfortable and safe quarantine-free travel to Singapore from both Mumbai and Delhi.”

Return of the A380

Once considered a write-off for many airlines, November and December have seen the A380 return with a vengeance. SIA, British, and Qatar Airways have all joined Emirates in resuming superjumbo flights to key destinations across the globe. Currently, London Heathrow is the biggest hub for A380 flights, with all four airlines serving the city.

Singapore Airlines will also bring the A380 back to Beijing and Shanghai once the Chinese market reopens, along with Frankfurt and New York (incl. the 5th freedom flights), next summer. For now, keep an eye out as airlines quickly respond to demand with their largest jets.

What do you think about Singapore Airlines’ A380 plans for India? Let us know in the comments!

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