Air France to Use A380 on Singapore Flights

Air France is to introduce the Airbus A380 on its flights between Paris CDG and Singapore from April 2012. The carrier will use the Superjumbo on three of its daily rotations from April 1, 2012, replacing a Boeing 777 as part of a planned capacity upgrade in this market. The A380’s arrival will replace a previous plan to add three more weekly rotations from May 28, 2012.

Air France competes directly with Singapore Airlines on the route and in 2011 had a 23 per cent share of the estimated 178,000 O&D passengers that travelled on the route. However, its average fares are around 20 per cent higher than its rival at an estimated $1,546 each way. Over the past five years the Paris CDG – Singapore market has grown by 22.2 per cent, but Air France’s own share has slipped by around a third, a move this capacity growth will go some way to rectifying during 2012.

In the past year an estimated 2.4 million O&D passengers flew between Europe and Singapore. The table below highlights the largest markets, with the French capital’s Charles de Gaulle Airport currently the third largest gateway between Singapore Changi and the continent.