Tamil Nadu - Chennai   

12 Chennai passengers to travel by Superjumbo

CHENNAI: Twelve passengers from Chennai will be the first Indians to fly onboard the Airbus A380, the new double-decker ‘Superjumbo,’ the largest ever passenger airliner.

Singapore Airlines, the first airline to fly the 471-seater aircraft in a commercial sector, announced here on Monday that the maiden scheduled flight from Singapore to Sydney is set for October 29. The auction of seats on this flight raised 2 million Singapore dollars for charity.

The Chennai passengers will fly on the return leg from Sydney, and will be the first passengers from South Asia to set foot inside the jumbo jet.

“We thought it would be a unique way to honour our Chennai stakeholders for their contribution so far,” said Bharath Mahadevan, manager (Southern India), Singapore Airlines. The 12 passengers include six travel agents and four corporate representatives.

Singapore Airlines has announced new fares from Chennai to Singapore. From Tuesday, tickets on the new daylight service that runs every Sunday, Wednesday and Friday will be available at a special rate of Rs. 5,990 (Rs. 12,690 including taxes) until November 30.

The airline, in partnership with Tourism New South Wales, has unveiled special fares and travel packages to Sydney, Australia. Tickets to Sydney—as well as to Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane—from Chennai will be available for Rs. 28,000 (Rs. 40,000 including taxes).

Tourism New South Wales will offer special deals for travellers from Chennai on Singapore Airlines, including discounts on some of Sydney’s popular tourist attractions like the Opera House and river cruises. “We realise that there is a huge potential for travel from Chennai alone,” said Tan Siew Hoon, regional director (South Asia), Tourism New South Wales. “We have families, leisure travellers, businesses as well as students from Chennai.”

Mr. Mahadevan said 500 passengers fly to Sydney from Chennai every month and the airline expects 20 per cent growth. Following the Sydney sector, the A380 will be launched on the Singapore-London sector early next year, and subsequently to Tokyo, Los Angeles, Melbourne and New York.

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