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Singapore Airlines to deploy A350-900 to Brisbane

written by WOFA | August 15, 2017

Singapore Airlines 9V-SME touches down at Melbourne Tullamarine. (Rob Finlayson)
A Singapore Airlines A350-900 at Melbourne. (Rob Finlayson)

Singapore Airlines has announced that Brisbane will become its second Australian port to receive Airbus A350-900 services, starting from October.

The first A350 flight to Brisbane will be on October 15, when the aircraft takes over the SQ235/256 rotation – a morning departure from Brisbane and an overnight service from Singapore – currently operated by A330-300 equipment.

Over the following three months, SIA will gradually switch over a second and third daily rotation to the A350-900. Therefore, from January 2018 three out of four of SIA’s daily Brisbane flights will be served by the A350-900.

SIA previously announced it would grow Brisbane-Singapore services to 28 flights a week (ie four times daily) from August 22, from 24 weekly flights currently.

Configured with 253 seats comprising 42 in business, 24 in premium economy and 187 in economy, the A350’s arrival will also mark SIA’s introduction of premium economy on the Brisbane route for the first time.

By contrast the A330-300s and 777-200s SIA has been using to Brisbane have 285 and 266 seats, respectively, spread across business and economy.

Singapore Airlines regional vice president Tan Tiow Kor said the use of the A350-900, as well as the schedule increase to four times daily, was in response to growing demand from the Queensland market.

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“While this growth is across all cabin classes the demand for additional premium cabin options has been encouraging,” Tan said in a statement on Tuesday.

“With the growing number of A350 aircraft entering our fleet it makes sense to deploy three of them to Brisbane to help meet the premium market demand that we are seeing.”

The Singaporean flag carrier 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.

SIA already operates the A350-900 on the Melbourne-Singapore route. It currently has 16 of the type in service.

Brisbane Airport chief executive Julieanne Alroe said the boost to the number of business and premium economy seats through the SIA’s use of the A350-900 reflected well on the economic outlook for the period ahead.

“Any extra or upgraded service to Brisbane Airport helps boost the economy and will benefit all of Queensland as visitors connect onto other popular intrastate destinations, as well as visiting local hot spots like the Gold and Sunshine Coasts,” Alroe said in a statement.

SIA will be the second airline to offer A350 flights to Brisbane after Cathay Pacific introduced the type on its nonstop Brisbane-Hong Kong services in March.

16 Comments

  • Riplander

    says:

    Woohoo! Just in time for my flights to Europe!

  • Lechuga

    says:

    Ooo a good one for Brisbane.

  • David

    says:

    It always amazes me that foreign airlines can have multiple serves daily to Australian capitals, yet Qantas can only manage up to two daily services to the same places. Often, Qantas services these destinations with smaller planes. Something is wrong.

  • Dave

    says:

    David: These foreign airlines are flying to their hub. Often the plane will be filled with people just transiting to another destination.
    The Qantas planes will be full of people getting off at Singapore as their end destination.

  • Oskar James Clare

    says:

    I live in Brisbane and am thrilled about this, but feel like Perth will be a while now to get the A350 considering SQ are giving 3 a day to BNE. But thrilled none the less!

  • Roger

    says:

    This is good. Now we just need an airline to start A350 services to Sydney.

  • Paul Brisbane

    says:

    I have booked on Qantas for the end of October, wished I had booked SIA…..Next time

  • Marc

    says:

    Much better option to Euro than Dubai.

  • Steve

    says:

    The current A330 servicing Brisbane is ONLY premium class, the configuration of 2 x 2 with no fold down bed is terrible. Amazing how Singapore Airlines charge business prices for these seats.

  • JR

    says:

    Qantas is losing any grip it once had in Brisbane. The number of times I’ve tried to book a Qantas flight (especially rewards flights) to Europe with Qantas and had them try to funnel me through Sydney or Melbourne is just a joke. Why would anyone go through Sydney when great airlines like Singapore and Cathay Pacific offer multiple daily flights through their pleasant hubs in Singapore and Hong Kong?
    Qantas needs to wake up. They really only offer a single ‘one stop’ service to Europe via Dubai from Brisbane – on Emirates! Why don’t they at least allow people who prefer an Asian stopover to switch to British Airways in Singapore or Hong Kong? Then I might consider them again. But until then it’s Cathay Pacific or even Finnair all the way.

  • Oskar James Clare

    says:

    @Roger China Airlines are starting a double daily flight from SYD-TPE with the A350 from DEC 1. So an Airline is starting A350s to Sydney

  • franz chong

    says:

    this is good news.I hope Adelaide gets the A350’S SOON.nothing against the A330 BUT IT WOULD BE nice out of the smaller cities to have some commonality.it’s strange to think around the same time in MARCH 84 both cities were added to singapore airlines network using 747’s.we were usually the last parts of the australasian network ex singapore to get the latest and best products.

  • Reece

    says:

    Fantastic news, the A350 is the most comfortable plane in cattle class next to the A380, thanks SIA!

  • AlanH

    says:

    Wonder if SIA will introduce a smaller A350 than the 900 to the SIN-CBR-WLG route too soon, currently serviced by B777-200s?

  • AlanH

    says:

    I’ve just discovered there isn’t to be a smaller A350-900 now. The 800 has been scrubbed in favour of the new A330neo. D’oh!

  • Brian Rayment

    says:

    The A350-900 is a superb aircraft that offers extra comfort even in economy class. Looking forward to have Singapore Airlines adding them to their Brisbane fleet

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