Singapore Airlines 2003 Annual Report Download - page 16

Download and view the complete annual report

Please find page 16 of the 2003 Singapore Airlines annual report below. You can navigate through the pages in the report by either clicking on the pages listed below, or by using the keyword search tool below to find specific information within the annual report.

Page out of 128

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18
  • 19
  • 20
  • 21
  • 22
  • 23
  • 24
  • 25
  • 26
  • 27
  • 28
  • 29
  • 30
  • 31
  • 32
  • 33
  • 34
  • 35
  • 36
  • 37
  • 38
  • 39
  • 40
  • 41
  • 42
  • 43
  • 44
  • 45
  • 46
  • 47
  • 48
  • 49
  • 50
  • 51
  • 52
  • 53
  • 54
  • 55
  • 56
  • 57
  • 58
  • 59
  • 60
  • 61
  • 62
  • 63
  • 64
  • 65
  • 66
  • 67
  • 68
  • 69
  • 70
  • 71
  • 72
  • 73
  • 74
  • 75
  • 76
  • 77
  • 78
  • 79
  • 80
  • 81
  • 82
  • 83
  • 84
  • 85
  • 86
  • 87
  • 88
  • 89
  • 90
  • 91
  • 92
  • 93
  • 94
  • 95
  • 96
  • 97
  • 98
  • 99
  • 100
  • 101
  • 102
  • 103
  • 104
  • 105
  • 106
  • 107
  • 108
  • 109
  • 110
  • 111
  • 112
  • 113
  • 114
  • 115
  • 116
  • 117
  • 118
  • 119
  • 120
  • 121
  • 122
  • 123
  • 124
  • 125
  • 126
  • 127
  • 128

SIA Annual Report 02/03
14
FLEET
During the year, SIA took delivery of nine
new aircraft: one B777-300, delivered in
October 2002, and eight B777-200ERs,
delivered between April 2002 and March
2003. In February 2003, Singapore Airlines
Cargo took delivery of its twelfth
B747-400 freighter.
In March 2003, SIA completed a sale and
leaseback transaction on a B747-400 aircraft
with Caspian Leasing Limited, for a six-year
lease. This was the sixteenth B747-400
to be involved in a sale and leaseback
transaction.
SIA disposed of seven aircraft during the
year: two A310-300s and five A340-300Es.
As at 31 March 2003, SIA’s passenger
fleet stood at 96 aircraft, with an average
age of five years and 11 months. Nine
A310-300s and three A340-300Es remained
in the fleet, all of which were retired by
June 2003.
On board security was further enhanced
with the installation of 'phase 2' bullet-
proof cockpit doors, approved by the US
Transportation Safety Administration, on all
SIA’s B747-400, B777 and A340-300E
aircraft.
PRODUCT AND
SERVICE DEVELOPMENT
On board
Despite the unpredictable economic climate
that prevailed for most of the year and
worsened considerably at the end of it,
SIA continued to introduce new product
and service features, the most significant of
them being the eagerly-awaited SpaceBeds
in Raffles Class and the new-generation
KrisWorld inflight entertainment system with
audio and video-on-demand in all three
classes.
Initially unveiled in August 2001, the
SpaceBed was eventually launched in
June 2002 after further refinements had
been made, including modifications to
reduce the weight of the seat. The SpaceBed
can be converted in seconds from a snug
and welcoming seat to the biggest business
class flat-bed in the sky. With both armrests
lowered, its width is a generous 27 inches
and, when fully extended, its length 78
inches, enough space for almost any
sleeping position.
SpaceBeds are being progressively installed
on two types of aircraft, the B747-400 and
the B777-200ER, both of which are used
on long-haul routes. London and Las Vegas
were among the first destinations to
welcome them. By the end of March 2003,
they had been retrofitted on 14 B747-400s
and all 14 B777-200ERs. By the third quarter
of 2003, they will be installed on another
14 B747-400s, taking the total number of
SpaceBed-equipped aircraft to 42.
The roominess of the SpaceBed is not its
only appealing feature: it also comes
equipped with the new-generation