One impact of the COVID-19 pandemic for Singapore Airlines was a reduction in its count of flagship Airbus A380s from 19 aircraft to just 12, cutting its superjumbo fleet by a third, which was a necessary step in late 2020 amid record losses of over S$3 billion.
Thankfully with the worst of the pandemic behind us, all but one of the dozen A380s set to return are now in regular passenger service again.
That’s great news if you’re a fan of the new 2017 Airbus A380 cabin products, because the temporary grounding of the aircraft and premature removal of seven jets allowed the airline to accelerate its refit timeline.
That meant all 12 aircraft have had the new cabins installed before re-entering service, a plan we exclusively revealed in November 2020.
However, if your preference was for the older, first generation Airbus A380 cabin products, unfortunately it was bad news because it meant that we had already said farewell to these seats, without really knowing it at the time.
Museum donation
This week, Singapore Airlines announced that it was donating a 2007 Suites seat and 2006 Business Class seat to the National Collection, to preserve them as artefacts for future generations.
This will see them showcased in an exhibition of homegrown brands at the National Museum of Singapore in 2023.
“The seats are a valuable addition to the museum’s collection of travel artefacts, revealing the unique innovations and successes of our national carrier Singapore Airlines in commercial aviation. Collecting, preserving and presenting aspects of contemporary Singapore is an important part of the National Museum’s collection strategy. Objects like these iconic seats from SIA enrich our documentation and telling of Singapore’s progress and development through the years.”
Chung May Khuen, Director of the National Museum of Singapore