Singapore Air A380 Delivery Delayed After Koito Industries Failed to Deliver Seats on Time

Singapore Air’s A380, configured to carry 471 passengers, is fitted with 60 business-class seats on the second level of the double-decker aircraft, according to its website

Singapore Airlines Ltd., the first carrier to fly the Airbus SAS A380 commercially, said the introduction of its 12th superjumbo has been delayed after Koito Industries Ltd. failed to deliver seats on time.

Singapore Airlines Ltd., the world’s second-largest carrier by market value, said the introduction of its 12th Airbus SAS A380 has been delayed after Koito Industries Ltd. failed to deliver business-class seats on time.

The plane had been due for delivery this quarter and “has been delayed as a result of the issues that Koito has faced,” Nicholas Ionides, a spokesman for the carrier, said in an e-mail reply to Bloomberg queries. He said the delay isn’t affecting the airline’s current operations and he expects the plane to arrive before the end of March.

The postponement is the second time Singapore Air has pushed back introduction of an A380 because of late Koito seat deliveries. Rivals All Nippon Airways Co., Continental Airlines Inc. and Thai Airways International Pcl have also suffered delays after Koito in February admitted it falsified test results and made unauthorized design changes to its seats for at least a decade.

“We are working closely with Airbus, Koito and the relevant regulatory authorities and expect the issues to be resolved soon,” Ionides said in the e-mail.

Koito Industries spokesman Hidetsugu Matsudaira had no comment on the Singapore Air statement.

Koito rose 3.5 percent to 150 yen at the 3 p.m. close of Tokyo trading. Parent Koito Manufacturing Co., part-owned by Toyota Motor Corp., advanced 0.2 percent to 1,270 yen. Singapore Air fell 0.6 percent to S$15.70 at the 5 p.m. close in Singapore trading.

Seat Glitch

Singapore Air’s A380, configured to carry 471 passengers, is fitted with 60 business-class seats on the second level of the double-decker aircraft, according to its website. The carrier received its 11th superjumbo in July, six months late because of the seat glitch.

The airline plans to operate its 12th A380 between Singapore and Los Angeles, via Narita, Japan, when it’s delivered, Ionides said today. The aircraft will replace the Boeing Co. 747-400 currently used on the route.

Koito said in April it would stop taking orders for plane seats for as long as three years to focus on maintenance, including checking about 1,000 commercial planes in which its seats are installed. The Yokohama-based seat manufacturer paid 3.6 billion yen ($43 million) in compensation in the year ended in March and expects to pay another 3.3 billion yen this fiscal year.

Thai Airways, Thailand’s largest carrier, said in October it’s seeking as much as $180 million in compensation from the seatmaker.

Koito also makes business-class seats for Singapore Air’s Airbus A340-500s, as well as first-class seats for its Boeing Co. 777-300ERs, according to Ionides.

Cheap flights to NYC and Chicago (under $200) With American Airlines

New York City and Chicago tourism officials, along with American Airlines, unveiled a new deal Wednesday to promote visits between the two cities.

The upshot: $89 airfare each way between the two cities. But: You’ve got to purchase the tickets from American Airlines by the end of the day Oct. 22. You can travel between January 5, 2011 to February 25, 2011 with embargoes from January 15-17 and February 18-21, 2011.

Some of the NYC promotions taking place this winter include the first-ever Broadway Week offering two-for-one tickets to more than 40 of Broadway’s hottest shows (January 24-February 10); the upcoming NYC Restaurant Week Winter 2011 offering visitors prix-fixe meals at nearly 300 of the City’s high-end restaurants (January 24-February 6); and the Off-Broadway promotion “On the House” offering theater enthusiasts two-for-one tickets to some of the City’s most celebrated Off-Broadway shows (January 24-February 13). In addition, more than 80 of the City’s top hotels will offer up to 35 percent off their best available rate from January 2 to February 28 when travelers book between October 15 and November 2. Further details can be accessed at nycgo.com.

American Airlines travel bookings can be made through AA.com.

The fine print: Fares are valid for round-trip travel to and from both Chicago and New York. The fares are nonrefundable and require a Saturday-night stay. A $150 change fee applies, as does the 9/11 Security Fee and PFCs (Passenger Facility Charges) of up to $4.50 per segment, depending on the airport. Fares shown do not include a Federal tax of $3.70 per domestic segment (defined as one takeoff and one landing), passenger facility charges of up to $18, and the September 11th Security Fee of $2.50 per enplanement at a US airport. Fare shown is each way based on roundtrip for economy class travel purchased on AA.com through Oct. 22, 2010. Travel is valid starting Jan. 5, 2011 with all travel completed by Feb. 25, 2011.

Aviation Market Will Improve With More Airlines

Mekong Aviation is completing hectic preparations for its first commercial flight, slated for October 2010, while Jetstar Pacific is trying to expand its market share.

According to Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper, Mekong Aviation, a private airline, has decided that it will take the first commercial flight on October 10, 2010. The information is good news for Vietnam’s aviation market.

Believing that it cannot confront airlines that have experience and a certain market share, Mekong Aviation has decided to exploit the ‘niche market’: the airline will fly domestic air routes with Bombardier CRJ 900 jets. Its air routes will be Hanoi-Phu Quoc island, HCM City-Phu Quoc island with four flights per week and also Hanoi-HCM City. Read more

Iceland’s Volcanic Cloud Caused Air Travel Crisis

An air-travel crisis caused by a spectacular volcanic cloud emanating from Iceland escalated sharply Saturday, with President Obama and other world leaders forced to cancel plans to attend the Polish president’s funeral and millions of passengers from Washington to New Delhi left stranded by a bottleneck that could last for weeks.

Across Europe, commercial flight bans were in force in 24 countries, with some closing airports through Monday. But as majestic Eyjafjallajokull volcano continued an eruption that began Wednesday, the reality was dawning that air access to much of the region could be cut off for far longer, with potentially severe consequences for aviation-related industries and businesses dependent on air freight, such as those dealing in perishable goods. Read more

The First-Class Cabin Of Air France’s A380 Jets Showcases Privacy

Nine passengers will have the privilege of flying First Class on each Air France A380 flight starting November 23 when the airline begins commercial flights between Paris and New York. Refined and luxurious, Air France’s First Class is staking its claim as the “most private cabin” of all the A380s in service.
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