Singapore Airlines (SIA) has taken delivery of the first of five Airbus A380 aircraft, featuring recently launched on-board cabin products and innovations.

The aircraft, powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines, is part of a January 2013 order.

The new SIA A380 offers more personal space in all classes, accommodating 471 passengers. The cabin features six private suites and 78 business-class seats on the upper deck, and 44 premium-economy and 343 economy-class seats on the main deck. The aircraft also features the latest IFE systems and full connectivity from every seat.

The new A380 will launch its first services Dec. 18 from Singapore Changi to Sydney, Australia.

SIA will also retrofit 14 A380s already in service with the new cabin products. The retrofit work is expected to begin late in 2018 and will be undertaken by the airline in conjunction with Services by Airbus. All 14 aircraft are scheduled to be retrofitted by 2020.

The five new aircraft replace five A380s from the current fleet, one of which has been already been returned to the lessor.

“We expect to have all five [new] aircraft in our fleet by mid-2018,” Singapore Airlines EVP-commercial Swee Wah Mak told ATW at the Airbus delivery center in Toulouse Dec. 13.

The SIA A380 fleet remains at 19 aircraft.

“With the development of the new cabin features for the A380 and to retrofit the existing 14 A380s, this is an investment of about $850 million, Mak said, adding, “We don’t have plans to go beyond 19 A380s.”

The Star Alliance member became the very first A380 operator in 2001 and is the second largest worldwide. Dubai-based Emirates Airline has 100 A380s. “We never wanted to become the largest A380 operator, but we always wanted to be the best,” Mak said.

According to Airbus, it has received 317 A380 orders, from which 221 have been delivered, with a backlog of 96 aircraft.

Kurt Hofmann, hofmann.aviation@netway.at