Singapore confirms A380 for Auckland summer services

Coming soon to Auckland. (Rob Finlayson)

Singapore Airlines has confirmed it will deploy the Airbus A380 on daily services to Auckland from October 27 for the northern winter scheduling period.

A380s will operate the daily SQ285, which departs Singapore at 2050, arriving in Auckland at 1145 the next day, and the reciprocal SQ286, which departs Auckland at 1330, arriving back in Singapore at 1900. The 471-seat A380s will replace 278-seat Boeing 777-300ERs that currently operate the SQ285/286 services initially on a seasonal basis, with the flights reverting to 777s for the northern summer season.

“This is a significant milestone in our history of serving the New Zealand market and we look forward to showcasing the distinct service features we offer on the A380,” said Edwin Chiang, general manager Singapore Airlines New Zealand.

The confirmation of A380 services was welcomed by Auckland Airport: “We are delighted by the airline’s decision to use an A380 on this route as it provides an additional 55,000 seats during the peak summer period. We also estimate that it will contribute an additional $45 million in tourism spend to our economy,” said Charles Spillane, Auckland Airport’s acting general manager of aeronautical commercial, in a statement on Monday.

Singapore first announced plans to operate the A380 to Auckland at the launch of the codeshare alliance with Air New Zealand back in January. The Singaporean carrier also operates a second, five-times-weekly 777-200ER service to Auckland, as well as daily 777-200ER flights to Christchurch.

Under the alliance with Air New Zealand, which received NZ government approval last week, Air New Zealand will codeshare on Singapore Airlines’ NZ services, and will operate its own daily Auckland-Singapore 777-200ER service, which Singapore Airlines will codeshare on. The two airlines have yet to announce when the alliance will become operational.

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