Page 5 - AAA January / February 2024 Digital Magazine | GBP
P. 5
Cover Story
Artists concept of Singapore Airlines’ 777-9
GLOBAL
POWERHOUSE
By Geoffrey Thomas
hen Singapore SIA no longer was just a major Asia.
Airlines (SIA) player in the Asia/Pacific region
W launched the world’s and a “great way to fly” but a Still, SIA has faced and over-
first A380 service with a flight global force that influenced the come more than its share of
from Singapore to Sydney in direction and style of air travel challenges in the past decades
2008, it was more than the first everywhere it went. including the Asian currency
commercial flight of the world’s crisis, Indonesian forest fires,
largest passenger aircraft: It With that influence came higher SARS, bird flu GFC and of
was an undeniable sign that risks as it faced increasing com- course COVID. Aside from the
there has been a seismic shift petition from airlines that have COVID period, it never failed
in the aviation world’s centre of embraced its business model to make money. Actually, since
influence in the nearly 62 years in places such as Dubai, Qatar its rebirth as Singapore Airlines
since SIA took to the air as and Abu Dhabi and from low- in the early 1970s, it has never
Malaya Airways Ltd. with three fare carriers eager to carve out had an unprofitable year with the
destinations. a slice of its market in Southeast exception of the COVID years.
ASIAN AIRLINES & AEROSPACE JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2024 | 5
