General News
16 June, 2024
Big jet staying on route
A TRIAL operating a larger wide-bodied Airbus A350 jet between Cairns and Singapore has led to Singapore Airlines extending use of the aircraft beyond October.
The service was launched late in March using the 303-seat plane and it was due to end in October. Before, a smaller Boeing 737-8 series was used.
An airline spokeswoman said the upgraded service “has been well received by passengers and local industry, and we are continuing to work closely with industry stakeholders to grow both passenger and cargo carriage on the route in both directions”.
Cairns Local News understands that the route is now running at 146 per cent capacity compared to May 2019 when the smaller jets were used by Singapore Airlines and Scoot.
Just as important, freight capacity is performing well with recent cargo exports from Cairns included perishables (avocado, blueberries), lobsters and live tropical fish.
Passengers include Singaporeans and Europeans (UK, Germany, Switzerland, France, Netherlands), with growth opportunities from India and USA.
Cairns Airport chief executive officer Richard Barker said the route “continues to grow”.
“The arrival of the widebody A350 in March has been well-received by both local and international travel markets and has also opened up significant freight opportunities, delivering an additional 2500 tonnes of cargo capacity per year,” he said. “Singapore Airlines offers seamless connections from key markets across Europe and Asia, and the deployment of the A350 shows confidence in our region’s tourism and trade industries.
“Passenger loads are good and freight volumes continue to build with the support of local producers and exporters, so we are very happy with the performance.” Tropical North Queensland chief executive officer Mark Olsen said the wide-bodied flights to Singapore were performing very well, particularly with freight allowing high-value products to go directly to market.
“The additional seats that these aircraft add to the route allows us to tap into the rapidly growing middle-class population in south-east Asia, especially in India where we are gaining increasing market interest,” he said.
“Having larger aircraft on the Singapore route, not only gives us great potential in the leisure market, it is important in attracting the high-value business events segment.”
