Brazil - Singapore Airlines beginning flights to GRU

This was announced about two weeks ago but many have missed it. GRU will be SQ first flight to South America. I will be on it soon after!

http://www.singaporeair.com/mediacentre/pacontent/news/NE_0111.jsp

I just tried to book it for 5th April departure from GRU since the big print said tickets were on sale. The fine print said sales are not yet available for Brazil. I will delay my trip if I must, but I hope they release it for sale soon.

Wow.... outstanding news!!! ^ This says a lot about Brazil and its place in the world.... congratulations to GRU and to SQ for this extraordinary event.

Interesting that they chose to serve this route from Barcelona, why not from Madrid...? Also, I wonder if GRU can be reached from SIN with non stop flights?

It could be nonstop, but not with the 77W that is currently used on the route. The 77W has fully loaded range of 7930NM and the great circle distance SIN-GRU is 8643 vs 8267 SIN-EWR. The routing SQ uses of that route, the longest nonstop flight now in existence claims 7930 NM and uses an Airbus A340-500 which has range of 9535 NM. There are not too many of those ultra-long city pairs that pay off. BTW, SQ runs that EWR-SIN flight as an entirely business class flight and has probably lighter loands as a result.

What makes me confident that I gave much more information than you wanted to know?

Wow.... outstanding news!!! ^ This says a lot about Brazil and its place in the world.... congratulations to GRU and to SQ for this extraordinary event.

Interesting that they chose to serve this route from Barcelona, why not from Madrid...? Also, I wonder if GRU can be reached from SIN with non stop flights?

I believe CA already flies from MAD-GRU. Maybe there is a limit to these fifth freedom rights.

I believe CA already flies from MAD-GRU. Maybe there is a limit to these fifth freedom rights.

Yes they do, an Airbus 330. TP shows up also, although theirs is a codeshare on JJ's nonstops, but even codeshares still require 5th Freedom, if I recall correctly. We may be very sure that airlines will want to restrict these.

In the SQ information listed on the schedule I found Barcelona listed as a technical stop with no emplanements of deplanements. On the SQ forum, however, a couple people reported having fare quotes back in October last year, although the quotes were stopped. It seems unclear whether SQ actually has 5th freedom on the route.

Actually, the important thing to know is.... does SQ's A380 have the range to do SIN to GRU non-stop, and how long would that flight be....?

Why is it I imagine A380 service being available for sometime before the upcoming World Cup in Brazil...??? :D ^

Actually, the important thing to know is.... does SQ's A380 have the range to do SIN to GRU non-stop, and how long would that flight be....?

Why is it I imagine A380 service being available for sometime before the upcoming World Cup in Brazil...??? :D ^

GIG has already started work on runway, taxiway and gate modifications for the A380 if you believe ANAC. I have not seen any activity to lead me to believe that assertion.

Next A380 does not have the nonstop range. The only aircraft in use today that can make it nonstop, AFAIK, is the A340-500. There are to be versions of both the B787 and A350 that will be able to make that trip. Were the flight to be offered the 8643 NM trip would be roughly 19 hours, and might become world's longest nonstop by a minute or two.

Gaucho you need to know that SIN-EZE at about 15 minutes shorter than SIN-GRU could also make it with the A340-500, but at the much quicker time of 18 hours 45 minutes.

If SQ wanted the fastest flying time they would be extending their SIN-JNB to SIN-JNB-GRU like SA or re-routing their SIN-JNB-CPT 3x a week continuation flight to SIN-CPT-GRU. The problem with the South Atlantic crossing between South Africa and South America is ETOPS which can be avoided a little bit (someone with access to Boeing/Airbus documents update me) by flying a bit north +15/30 minutes. The other option is via Oceania with SIN-AKL-GRU but the problem with crossing the South Pacific ocean is ETOPS again and requires aircrafts with 4-engines (AKL-GRU or SYD-GRU is only possible right now non-stop with the A340 or B747 full payload, the first for the 744). Qantas does trans-antarctic with the B744 SYD-EZE 3x a week and AR does SYD-AKL-EZE 5x a week and LAN obviously with SYD-AKL-SCL DAILY now connecting with their hub in SCL.

If you want more info I posted about it here (highly recommended):
http://www.sqtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10822

LAN upping their SCL-AKL-SYD route to daily must be PROFITS since tons of cargo transiting Auckland and Sydney to South America from Asia to their hub in SCL and fast connections to the rest of South America. (Plus their A343E can do SCL-AKL full payload).

The problem with the South Atlantic crossing between South Africa and South America is ETOPS which can be avoided a little bit (someone with access to Boeing/Airbus documents update me) by flying a bit north +15/30 minutes.

If you want more info I posted about it here (highly recommended):
http://www.sqtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10822
).

Thanks for this. So far we have just discussed nonstops which would need to A340 anyway and would cross Souther Africa anyway. The option for stops in JNB for SQ, I suspect, is that the need no more Southern Africa cover now, but do need Southern Europe.

GIG has already started work on runway, taxiway and gate modifications for the A380 if you believe ANAC. I have not seen any activity to lead me to believe that assertion.



Kind of funny, seeing as GIG doesn't have the infrastructure to adequately handle the flights they have now. That is true for many Brazilian airports, however. If you look at the photo at http://diariodonordeste.globo.com/materia.asp?codigo=927639 showing FOR, you'll see that one of the nation's largest cities has an airport with a total of one baggage carouse. And they hope to host a World Cup game.

Brazilian Government Aviation Agency (ANAC) has finally given the green light for SQ operations. SQ can now sell tickets in Brazil. It is now possible to buy tickets from Brazil on SQ website. Flights are now bookable from Brazil.

Here is the schedule:

SQ068 SIN 00:40 – 08:15 BCN 09:40 – 15:55 GRU
SQ067 GRU 01:45 – 17:35 BCN 18:45 – 13:35+1 SIN

showing FOR, you'll see that one of the nation's largest cities has an airport with a total of one baggage carouse.

This is not true. FOR is a great airport with very nice infrastruture and has several baggage carrousels.

I believe CA already flies from MAD-GRU. Maybe there is a limit to these fifth freedom rights.

CA flies PEK-MAD-GRU with 5th freedom rights. KE flies ICN-LAX-GRU also with 5th freedom rights.

Rgs,