The 29th September of 2009 will mark the launch of direct Airbus A380 flights between Singapore and Melbourne, Australia, by Singapore Airlines.

The A380 flights will make Melbourne the second city in Australia and sixth city in the airline's network to receive its services. The first city to receive the superjumbo was Sydney, when Singapore Airlines commenced operating the A380 in October 2007. Following this, the airline added London, Tokyo, Paris and Hong Kong to its list of A380 destinations.

"We are excited to fly the A380 to Melbourne, the second most populous city in Australia and a vibrant centre for commerce, arts, industry, sports and tourism. As the greenest widebody aircraft in the sky, the 471-seat A380 will increase the seat capacity to Melbourne by 10%, without the need for additional frequencies," expressed Mr. Huang Cheng Eng, Executive Vice President, Marketing and the Regions.

With the commencement of the daily A380 flights, an existing daily Boeing 747-400 service to Melbourne would come to an end.

It has been learnt that SQ227 will leave Singapore Changi Airport at 21:00 and land in Melbourne at 06:10 the next day.

Meanwhile, SQ228 will leave from Melbourne at 15:50 and touch down in Singapore at 21:40.