While many airlines are retiring their A380s, Singapore Airlines (SIA1) (SINGY) (SIA) are confident enough to invest into its remodeling.
After retiring part of its fleet, SIA now has 12 Airbus A380s. The company announced it would remodel them with the 2017 cabin seats by the end of 2021. So far, eight of the SIA’s A380s have been refitted. Currently, 9V-SKM, a 10-year-old aircraft, is undergoing its cabin refit with the 2017 products at Changi.
The plans of remodeling the cabin were born earlier, but later disturbed by the pandemic. Singapore Airlines (SIA1) (SINGY) has removed Suites and First Class cabin availability for booking until October 31, 2021. The exact date when the works will be finished is still unclear.
“Given the current demand patterns, we do not foresee our A380 aircraft returning to service in the near term,” said SIA’s spokesperson.
All the A380s will have the newest first class suites on the forward upper deck. There will be six first class suites, and two of the suite pairs can be made into double beds. The cabins will offer more privacy with sliding doors and suites passengers will receive an unlimited Wi-Fi data connection for their entire flight.
SIA’s financial results of the first half of 2020 showed that despite a net loss of $2.6 million, the company raised up to $9 billion. It plans to continue to look for any other options to further strengthen its liquidity, including aircraft sale-and-leaseback transactions.
Other airlines have grounded their A380s for the near future. In early-October 2020, Etihad Airways confirmed that its A380s would be grounded until at least the Winter 2021 season. In the summer of 2020, Qantas confirmed that its fleet of 12 Airbus A380s will remain grounded for the next three years.