Originally posted by 9V-SPL
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9V-SHB is flying her 1st flight now.
https://www.flightradar24.com/AIB01FV/1e8ce998
Interestingly before 9V-SHA and even before 9V-SGG!
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9V-SHB (2nd SQ A350-900 Regional) completed her First Flight yesterday, while 9V-SGF (6th SQ A350-900 URL) completed her Third Test Flight.
9V-SHB taking off on her First Flight.
9V-SGF (front) taxiing off for her Third Flight and 9V-SHB (back) returning from her First Flight.
Photo source: a350 production.net
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CPH going daily and switching to A359 from November next year in addition to the new SEA flights. I'm wondering if we might see a 9V-SMV in production in 2019. BNE doesn't have enough of the long hauls to give up in order to cover that increase.
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Originally posted by SQ228 View PostCPH going daily and switching to A359 from November next year in addition to the new SEA flights. I'm wondering if we might see a 9V-SMV in production in 2019. BNE doesn't have enough of the long hauls to give up in order to cover that increase.
I agree SQ288. I think we will see a few new long haul A350s in the next 12-18 months. I posted a similar idea a in October in relation to the [at the time speculative] Seattle flights and while you kindly responded, I never got back to you. In my post I flagged some analysis that I would go back and find which I have now finally done.
There is some CAPA analysis which provides that ULR modifications are now included for the 350-900s more generally and with a potential 280 MTOW which would remove the need for payload restrictions for the daily SFO standard config flights and could possibly even allow the stand config 350s to the LAX flights daily without pay load restrictions. See - https://centreforaviation.com/analys...ustomer-431110
Blue Swan put out some analysis about the SFO standard config flights being quite successful for SQ and accurately predicted that SFO would continue with the standard config so that there would be an economy product to maintain connecting traffic to India. See - https://blueswandaily.com/as-united-...lines-respond/
As you have noted in you post, SQ will need A350s for a 4 times a week SEA flight and a daily CPH flight. IST will also need to be moved sometime as the 777-200ERs are definitely being retired. We know that BNE can and will likely loose some of its long haul 350s. One already looks set to go for the CHC flight. I don't think the remaining two 350s will be enough to cover the new flights.
Now while its possible that some other changes may take place to free up more A350s (such as 777-300ERs taking over some A350 routes), I actually think SQ will take around 5 new long haul A350s. The first one would come in just as SEA starts. This one would take over the SFO flight with the aircraft freed up being used for SEA. The second would arrive before SEA increases to 4 times weekly. The third would allow CPH to change over. An additional 2 would arrive in the 2020 calendar year which would allow LAX daily to be served with the standard configuration and providing for a direct economy product into that market. Given the prices for premium economy and the recent commentary at the analyst briefing it looks like there is too much premium economy capacity.
Having 5 stand config 350s would allow 2 for SFO, 2 for LAX and 1 effective spare. In this way the spare can be used for the normal routes but becomes available for SFO / LAX if there are tech issues / when the other 4 are out for regular maintenance.
The 2 ULRs that are freed up could then possibly be used for a second daily EWR flight. On page 139 of the A350 forum, user A350R posted some O&D numbers which show New York as the biggest US market to Singapore. While the numbers are old, double daily to New York should be manageable given SQ was confident in 10*weekly to LAX on the ULR and there are about 3.5 daily direct flights to SFO now. The addition of the second daily to EWR would likely mean the A380 comes of JFK to be replaced with the 777-300ER that is freed up from CPH.
This would mean that 4 ULRs would go to EWR with 1 spare. The remaining 2 could continue supplementing SFO and LAX / may be deployed to other cities / could be reconfigured to the standard configuration for use to LAX / SFO depending on how the markets develop.
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