Qantas invests in SIN hub

QANTAS will make a multimillion dollar investment in its revived Singapore hub, having revealed plans for a new First Lounge and expanded Business Lounge to open late next year.

The announcement was made as the carrier revealed its first quarter financial results, with total group revenue up 6.3% over the same period last year to hit $4.41 billion (TD breaking news).

With development due to start in Apr, the new First Lounge at Singapore Changi Airport will offer seating for 240 customers and provide premium a la carte dining with Asian-inspired menus.

The Business Lounge, which first opened in 2013, will be revamped and extended to allow capacity for more than 560 customers.

“With the return of our A380 service to Singapore we’ve got more passengers transiting through our existing lounge and strong demand for travel in premium cabins,” said Qantas CEO Alan Joyce.

Singapore has become the airline’s biggest hub outside Australia since it re-routed its London flights from Dubai earlier this year, with more than 20% of its widebody fleet now serving the Asian city.

In its Q1 results, Qantas also provided a fleet update saying it had retired another Boeing 747400 in Sep, with its remaining nine to be phased out by the end of 2020.

Two more Boeing 787-9s will be delivered in Nov, bringing its total Dreamliner fleet to eight.