Singapore Airlines: first-generation A380 suites and business class become museum pieces
Singapore Airlines: first-generation A380 business class suites and seats become museum pieces! . They are [...]
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Singapore Airlines: first-generation A380 business class suites and seats become museum pieces! . It has been 15 years since the Airbus A380 entered service on a flight from Singapore to Sydney, and unfortunately the assembly line has already been closed.
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Singapore Airlines, which celebrated this momentous occasion by donating one of the A380's business class seats but also one of its luxurious first-class suites to a museum. We are talking about very special seats from the premium cabins of the super jumbo-a truly fascinating and impressive sight to behold inside the National Museum of Singapore. As Emirates' first A380 ended up at auction., the one in Singapore was simply scrapped, an end that unfortunately came too soon for this fantastic plane.
About the donation from SIA, museum director Chung May Khuen said: "Objects such as these iconic SIA seats enrich our documentation and tell the story of Singapore's progress and development over the years, and we look forward to other such significant contributions."
Singapore Airlines' iconic first-generation A380 Suites and Business Class seats will be available to the enthusiast public from 2023, at the National Museum of Singapore.
Space and design serving travelers
The Asian airline, at the time of the launch of the A380, since the Business Class planes, were the largest, at least at that time, amazed the world with this new design. Of course then came Emirates with the shower at 10,000 feet and Etihad with the first-class three-room apartment. In fact, the seat was so big that Singapore Airlines initially provided support cushions as armrests for passengers.
In addition, even the first-class suites offered plenty of space and great privacy due to the presence of sliding doors, certain nothing compared to what the new version of the Suite offers today in first class, but for the time it was a truly revolutionary product.
The last flight
The donation to the National Museum is important to preserve an important aspect of SIA's history and that of all commercial aviation itself. The carrier subsequently opened the Singapore - London route on March 18, 2008, and on May 20, 2008, the Singapore - Tokyo route.
In March 2020-the last month of service for these stations-the A380s flew between Singapore and Auckland, Beijing, Delhi, Frankfurt, London, New York, and Sydney. Today, Singapore's fleet of A380s has shrunk in number, complicit in an over-hasty retirement during the pandemic outbreak, and those in service have been completely renovated in the interior.
The exhibition
The Singapore Airlines exhibition is scheduled to open in 2023, and museum staff are excited. According to director Chung May Khuen, the seats are: "a valuable addition to the museum's collection of travel artifacts." In fact, they play an essential role in representing "the unique innovations and achievements of Singapore Airlines."
The announcement of Singapore Airlines' donation to the museum, more specifically concerns, a 2007 Suites seat and a 2006 Business Class seat to the National Collection in order to preserve them as artifacts for future generations.
The announcement of this donation, comes 15 years after the inaugural A380 passenger flight from Singapore to Sydney, which dates back to October 25, 2007. The first generation of A380 cabin products were removed on March 28, 2020 on flight SQ317 from London to Singapore, operated by 9V-SKL.
Therefore, those who wish to reenact their travel experiences at these stations, or admire them for the first time, have the opportunity to participate in the exhibition next year.
In conclusion
Perhaps it is difficult to consider an aircraft cabin or seat a "museum piece," but no for me as a true industry geek. But given the constant innovation in terms of materials, design and ergonomic features in civil aviation, often many innovative products quickly become obsolete. That's why it's important to create these testimonials for new generations. I will be passing through Singapore a couple of times in 2023, and this will be the perfect excuse to visit the museum.
