SINGAPORE - The Airbus A380 superjumbo, the world's biggest
passenger aircraft, Saturday began special flights to Beijing to meet
higher demand ahead of the Olympic Games, Singapore Airlines (SIA)
said.
Flight SQ802 left Changi Airport at 8:40 am (0040 GMT), with 25 crew
and 385 passengers, among them 12 athletes and 18 officials from the
Singapore team, SIA said in a statement.
The daily flights using the double-decker A380 will last until August 8
and is aimed at catering to stronger passenger demand in the week
leading up to the Beijing Games.
SIA is the first airline in the world to operate the A380, the largest
airliner ever built which the Singapore carrier now uses to fly to
Sydney, London and Tokyo.
One of two A380s used for the London route has been temporarily redeployed for the Beijing service.
"Over the next week, several hundred athletes from almost a dozen
countries will fly the A380 to Beijing to compete in the Games," SIA
said.
The giant aircraft can carry up to 853 passengers but SIA, one of the
world's most profitable airlines, chose a setup with a maximum of 471
seats to
give passengers more space.
The design includes 12 "suites", each with a full-length bed behind
sliding doors, sheets by French design house Givenchy and flat-screen
televisions. - AFP/vm
Actually don't understand why they increase the flights, I heard from my friend in beijing that the Chinese government are no longer granting VISAS to foreigners during this period.