Singapore Airlines is among the world's most prestigious carriers, and its present fleet is dominated by widebody aircraft. These twin-aisle jets come from both sides of the industry-dominating Airbus-Boeing duopoly. When it comes to Airbus, the airline's most notable aircraft are arguably its A380s and A350-900ULRs. However, the older A310 also previously played a key role at Singapore Airlines.

The A310-200

According to data made available by ATDB.aero, Singapore Airlines operated a total of 23 twin-engine Airbus A310 widebodies in the 1980s, 1990s, and the early 2000s. Of these, six examples belonged to the A310-200 variant. The -200 was the A310's first production variant, and a short-fuselage alternative to the original A300. Singapore Airlines received its first 9V-STI, in November 1984.

A second example of the Airbus A310-200 also joined the Singaporean flag carrier later that month, with the remaining four coming onboard between March and October in 1985. The A310's role at Singapore Airlines was to replace older first-generation Airbus and Boeing jetliner aircraft types, like the A300, 727, and 737-100.

Photo: Tim Rees via Wikimedia Commons

These aircraft all enjoyed reasonable tenures at Singapore's national airline, with these generally lasting between 12 and 15 years. Having arrived brand new, they had plenty of flying left by the time they departed, which they did between August 1997 and June 2000. Three examples joined Middle Eastern Airlines, two joined the Belgian military, and one joined German leisure carrier Hapag-Lloyd Flug.

The A310-300

Singapore Airlines' remaining 17 Airbus A310 aircraft were examples of the A310-300 variant. While this shared the exact same dimensions as the original Airbus A310-200 model, its increased maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) allowed for the provision of additional fuel tanks. This subsequently gave it a greater range of 5,150 NM (9,540 km), compared to just 3,500 NM (6,500 km) in the case of the A310-200.

These 17 A310-300s arrived at Singapore Airlines over a longer period than their -200 counterparts, spanning from July 1987 to March 1995. Some of the later arrivals replaced Singapore Airlines' four Boeing 757s, which had served the carrier from 1984 to 1990. According to the Aviation Safety Network, one (9V-STP) was involved in a hijacking in March 1991 while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore.

Photo: Aero Icarus via Flickr

Singapore Airlines' Airbus A310-300 twinjets departed the carrier around the turn of the century, with 9V-STO being the first to go in December 1999. By August 2003, all 17 had left, with 9V-STZ being the final departure. More than half (nine aircraft) went on to fly for Air India, with Biman Bangladesh being another destination. Sadly, all have now been scrapped or destroyed, or are derelict.

Singapore Airlines' present fleet

All in all, the Singapore Airlines fleet has undergone significant evolution since its A310 years. According to data made available by ch-aviation.com, it currently consists of 158 aircraft, with a relatively young average age of 9.2 years old. Of these 158 planes, around 83.5% (132 aircraft) are presently active. The only narrowbodies are Boeing 737-800s (nine) and 737 MAX 8s (16 plus 13 more on order).

Meanwhile, widebody aircraft are very much the backbone of Singapore Airlines' current operations. As far as Airbus is concerned, it has solid representation from the A350-900ULR (seven), and A380 (14). However, by far the most numerous design from the European planemaker is the standard A350-900, with 55 examples. The carrier also has orders for three passenger and seven cargo A350s.

Photo: Uskarp | Shutterstock

In terms of the airline's Boeing contingent, this consists primarily of 777s. The airline has five 777-200ERs, although all are currently inactive and due to be retired. It also flies 26 777-300ERs, 18 of which are presently in service. 19 examples of the 787-10 (plus nine on order) give a more youthful edge to the Boeing fleet. Finally, it also operates seven cargo-carrying 747-400Fs and two 777-200Fs.

Did you know that Singapore Airlines used to fly the Airbus A310? Perhaps you've even flown on one yourself? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!

Sources: ATDB.aero, Aviation Safety Network, ch-aviation.com