Singapore Airlines A380 returns to the skies

At 0900hrs today (4th November 2021), 9V-SKU took to the skies, bounded for Kuala Lumpur. She will be among the first few Airbus A380s in the Singapore Airline fleet to be taken out of storage and reactivated for revenue service.

Earlier on 14th October 2021, Singapore Airlines released a video on their Facebook page, showcasing the cabin products on the A380, with the following caption:

"Our flagship Airbus A380 returns to the skies on 18 November 2021, starting with our services to London. This includes SQ317, the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) flight between London and Singapore! Step on board and rediscover our award-winning service and thoughtfully designed cabins." (Source: Singapore Airlines Facebook)

Image credit: Jun Jie

The flight to Kuala Lumpur is usually served by other aircrafts such as the Airbus A350 or the Boeing 737. However, to allow the crews whom will operate the world's largest passenger aircraft to be refamiliarized prior to the flights to London, Singapore Airlines swapped the flight to the Airbus A380. The swap also means that this is the world's shortest A380 flight.

Although it is just a short hop for the crews, passengers, and for the aircraft itself, it is a good sign to see the A380s back in our skies.

Image Credit: Jun Jie

Many airlines such as the likes of Lufthansa, Qantas, and British Airways had their Airbus A380 fleet in long term storage, with some airlines such as Singapore Airlines scrapping the aircraft. However, with the introduction of VTL (Vaccinated Travel Lane), we are slowly seeing more A380s returning to the skies.