Singapore Airlines (SIA) says the Airbus A350-900 will be a permanent presence on the Melbourne-Singapore route from May 2017.
The Star Alliance member has scheduled the aircraft for the daily SQ208/SQ207 rotation on a year-round basis from May 11.
SIA began flying the next generation Airbus widebody to Melbourne in August 2016 on a seasonal basis.
Flight SQ208 is an evening departure from Melbourne, arriving in Singapore just after midnight. Meanwhile, the reciprocal SQ207 is a day flight from Singapore.
SIA regional vice president Tan Tiow Kor noted the use of the A350-900 would mean three of the airline’s four daily flights to Melbourne would offer a premium economy cabin.
“We have seen good demand for our premium economy product in Melbourne,” Tan said in a statement.
SIA’s A350-900s are configured with 253 seats comprising 42 in business, 24 in premium economy and 187 in economy. The Star Alliance member and Virgin Australia alliance partner has 67 A350s-900s on order, including eight ultra long range models that will be used for nonstop flights from Singapore to Los Angeles and New York starting in 2018.
In addition to the A350-900, SIA also uses a mix of Boeing 777-300ERs and Airbus A380s for its Melbourne flights, depending on the time of year.
