Airbus and Singapore Airlines agree delivery for first A380

Aug. 17, 2007
First flight to Sydney will auction seats for charity

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A delivery timetable for the first A380 aircraft has been agreed by aircraft manufacturer Airbus and Singapore Airlines, with handover expected on 15 October 2007 at a ceremony in Toulouse, France.

The companies said the A380 will feature 471 seats in three classes: Economy, Business and the new Singapore Airlines Suites class. It will fly to Changi Airport, Singapore, within a few days of delivery, with a short period of crew and ground staff familiarisation scheduled.

The first flight, SQ380, will be made to Sydney's Kingsford Smith Airport on 25 October 2007, returning to Singapore on 26 October.

Singapore Airlines confirmed that seats across all three classes will be auctioned, for the first flight, on online auction site eBay, for charitable causes, starting from 27 August, with fuel donated by fuel supplier ExxonMobil.

The proceeds of the auction will be split three ways, with one third donated to Singapore's Community Chest; one third shared between the Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick, and The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney; and one third to Medecins Sans Frontieres, also known as Doctors Without Borders.

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