SIA Airbus A350 heading to make history in Wellington

A Singapore Airlines Airbus A350 is set to make history in Wellington today, with the airline being the first to operate the new generation plane on scheduled services into the capital. The aircraft, SQ247, is due to leave Melbourne this morning and scheduled to land just before 1pm. The A350-900 plane is made up of more than 50% of composite materials and replaces older Boeing 777-200 on the Wellington-Melbourne-Singapore route. Singapore Airlines regional VP Philip Goh, said deploying the A350-900 aircraft on the route provided a new level of comfort for customers travelling to and from the New Zealand capital. 'Serving the Wellington market with the A350-900 aircraft reinforces our commitment to the city." The airline began servicing Wellington in 2016, initially to Canberra. Airbus did tests at Wellington Airport with an Airbus A350 last June to test the runway - which is shorter than others it operates to - for its suitability. CE of Wellington Airport, Steve Sanderson, said with the connectivity Singapore Airlines provides, visitors from Asia and Europe are now spending NZ$79m more per year in Wellington than before the service. "There has also been a 37% increase in visitors from Asia overall, with Singaporean visitor numbers up by 118%, Indian visitors up by 105% and Indonesia up 50%.<br/>