Singapore Airlines orders new A350 freighters

Dhaka: During the ongoing Singapore Airshow, Airbus’ new entrant to the freighter market A350 has secured a firm order from Singapore Airlines. The aircraft variant will start delivering from 2025, and is ready to replace the airline’s fleet of 747-400Fs. In total, Singapore Airlines signed for seven of the new freighters.

Goh Choon Phong, Chief Executive Officer, Singapore Airlines, commented, “This order underscores the importance of the cargo market to the SIA Group. The introduction of the A350F will enhance our capabilities in this key sector, ensuring that we are ready for the growth opportunities that will arise in the coming years. These new-generation aircraft will substantially increase our operating efficiencies and reduce our fuel burn, making an important contribution towards the success of our long-term decarbonisation goals.”

Singapore Airlines is clearly a fan of the Airbus widebody and is presently the world’s largest operator of the type. It has a total of 51 A350-900s in its fleet, plus seven A350-900ULR. With the A350F in its stable, the airline will be able to benefit from fleet commonality as well as a highly efficient freighter aircraft.

Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of International Christian Scherer noted, “Singapore Airlines is the world's largest operator of the A350 and is now set to become the first to fly the all-new freighter variant. The A350F will fit seamlessly into the carrier's existing fleet, while redefining the operational efficiency of its cargo operations, bringing a 40 per cent reduction in fuel consumption and emissions compared with the aircraft it will replace at SIA, while offering the same payload-carrying capacity and longer range.

In the second quarter of 2021, ending September, SIA reported a record high of cargo revenue, clocking in at SGD 1,875 million (USD 1,395 million), up more than 50 per cent over the same quarter in the previous years.

Part of this drive into cargo was achieved by using more passenger planes in that period, adding almost 50 per cent to its cargo capacity. Singapore Airlines currently uses the 747-400F for its cargo arm. It has a fleet of seven of the aircraft, with an average age of 18.3 years, according to reports. With seven new A350F incoming, these older Queens will be able to take retirement, letting SIA operate similar levels of cargo loads with lower overheads in the future.