The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said its air traffic controllers are allowing more time between flight takeoffs and landings because of visibility concerns.
Responding to queries from MediaCorp News, CAAS said this is to ensure the safety of flight operations at Changi Airport.
CAAS explained that the Runway Visual Range (RVR) reading has dropped to levels lower than 1500 metres due to the haze shrouding the country.
RVR is a measurement of the horizontal visibility along the runway or the range over which the pilot of an aircraft can see along the runway.
CAAS said a high PSI may cause the RVR value to fall and therefore may impact flight operations.
CAAS added that Changi Airport has facilities and procedures to allow safe landing of aircraft in low visibility conditions in accordance with international standards.
CAAS noted that there have not been any significant delays in flight departures and arrivals even with the added precautionary step taken.
It said during the prolonged period of haze in 1997, the lowest RVR reading at Changi Airport was about 800 metres.
Changi Airport remained open for flight operations at that time.
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Visibility dropping below 1500m is quite a significant change considering Singapore usually experience pretty fair weather. The haze situation here is pretty bad with the forests still burning in Sumatra, and it is expect to continue for the rest of this week. But passengers need not worry, the instruments will be the pilots' eyes, reducing the chance of human error causing any mishap.
The Airbus next-generation A350 plane took centre stage at the Paris Air Show on Wednesday, winning multi-billion-dollar deals ahead of a much-anticipated possible fly-over.
The news comes just days after the new plane took to the skies in its first ever test flight on Friday, stealing the limelight before the start of the air show - a key event where Airbus and Boeing compete fiercely for plane orders.
The European plane maker is currently ahead of its arch-rival at the show - US$53.2 billion in new plane orders or agreements for Airbus versus US$45.2 billion for Boeing.
Air France-KLM on Wednesday confirmed an order for 25 A350 planes - which make extensive use of lighter composite materials to reduce fuel costs - in a deal worth US$7.2 billion at catalogue prices.
"Despite the difficulties that Air France-KLM is facing, we are in significant good shape to be able to plan for the renewal of our long-haul fleet for the long term," said Alexandre de Juniac, head of the airline group.
The agreement comes with an option for a further 25 planes, and the aircraft will come into service in 2017, he told reporters. The airline group had first announced its intention to buy the planes in September 2011.
SriLankan Airlines, meanwhile, took an option to buy four of the new planes - an option expected to be exercised within two weeks - and placed six firm orders for Airbus's popular A330 aircraft in a deal worth US$2.6 billion at list prices.
The A350 took off on Wednesday on its second test flight in the southwestern French city of Toulouse, where Airbus is headquartered, and if all goes well could fly over the Paris Air Show on Friday.
The plane pushed Boeing out of the limelight on Wednesday, but the US firm had stolen the thunder on Tuesday with the launch of a long version of its next-generation Dreamliner - the 787-10.
Intended as a message that it is firmly back on track after a slew of technical problems forced the grounding of its entire Dreamliner fleet worldwide earlier this year, Boeing announced more than 100 orders for its newest plane.
On Wednesday, it said plane leasing firm CIT Aerospace had ordered 30 of its new, medium-haul 737 MAX planes in a deal worth US$3 billion at catalogue prices.
Ryanair also confirmed a huge order for 175 medium-haul 737 planes worth US$15.6 billion, and Czech private airline Travel Service announced a commitment to buy three of its 737 MAX aircraft valued at US$301.5 million.
The 737 MAX is a modernised version of Boeing's older 737 and has yet to come into service. It is part of a new generation of planes emerging onto the market which consume less fuel and enable airlines to reduce costs.
Other smaller competitors have also made a mark at the air show - the world's biggest - with ATR, a joint venture between European aerospace giant EADS and Italy's Finmeccanica, announcing big orders.
On Tuesday, Nordic Aviation Capital ordered 35 ATR-600 aircraft, with an option on 55 more in a deal worth US$2.1 billion, and the firm announced another US$482-million contract Wednesday.
Brazil's Embraer has also come up trumps with the launch of a new family of regional jets and 100 orders, with 215 other intentions to purchase the aircraft.
But the Paris air show, in its 50th edition this year, is not just about commercial battles, with the long-awaited A400M military transport plane taking to the skies as well as Russia's Su-35 fighter jet.
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Airbus to have the last laugh? Not just yet when Boeing introduced the 787-10 during the show. Ryanir's order just threw the battle right to the wire. We won't know the victor until the very last day.
A tiny Samoan airline says it will introduce an "XL" class for super-sized passengers, featuring extra-wide rows and special ramps to help them reach their seats.
Samoa Air has already pioneered a world first when late last year it began charging passengers fares based on how much they weigh, rather than a set price for each seat.
Chief executive Chris Langton said the measure had proved a success and the airline now planned to provide a special service so passengers weighing more than 130 kilograms (287 pounds) could travel in greater comfort.
"Quite often the access is difficult and... after you've squeezed into the seats there's no room for your legs," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
"We don't have a large fleet of aeroplanes, but we wanted to do something that recognises that we are thinking about this."
He said rows in the new class had been extended to make them 12-14 inches (30-35 centimetres) wider, with customised ramps introduced to make access to them easier.
"It's sort of like a three-seat couch," he said.
Langton predicted other carriers would follow Samoa Air's lead, saying it made sense to charge by weight and cabins needed to be refitted to cope with expanding waistlines.
"That's where the XL has come in," he said. "We do it with shirts and clothing and other things where we have different standard sizes.
"The airline industry is going to have to do that."
The World Health Organisation says Samoa has one of the world's highest rates of obesity, leading to soaring levels of weight-related coronary disease, diabetes and strokes in the Pacific island nation.
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Something interesting here. You may feel that the airline is picking bones in a basket of eggs but it is essential they resort to such measures when every single passenger is grossly overweight. It will create a loading problem and even result in insufficient re-fueling which is very dangerous for a flight.
Taiwan's EVA Airways on Tuesday joined Star Alliance, the world's biggest airline grouping, in a move that could give it an edge over regional rivals like China Airlines.
"EVA Air has successfully completed all joining requirements and I can confirm that our chief executive board has now unanimously accepted EVA Air into our alliance," Star Alliance CEO Mark Schwab announced at a ceremony in the north of the island.
The move could see an increase in the carrier's occupancy rate by up to three percentage points, according to chairman Chang Kuo-wei, as passengers benefit from greater integration with leading airlines.
It took EVA Air a year and half to meet the alliance requirements, foremost the adjustment of its computer systems that will enable passengers to use air miles earned through other alliance members.
In March last year, an EVA executive said joining the grouping would give the carrier an advantage over China Airlines which belongs to the smaller Sky Team.
EVA, Taiwan's second largest airline, becomes the 28th member of the Star Alliance, which also includes carriers such as Lufthansa, Thai Airways International, United Airlines and Air Canada.
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Important strategy to widen its coverage and fight against the stronger China Airlines.
Boeing launched the biggest version of its Dreamliner plane at the Paris Air Show on Tuesday with over 100 orders worth about $30 billion and a clear message - after a run of technical blows, the US firm is back on track.
The announcement failed to steal a march on arch-rival Airbus on the second day of the show with the European plane maker soaring ahead on new plane orders or agreements worth $36 billion compared to $26.2 billion for the US firm.
Smaller regional plane makers such as European manufacturer ATR also made their presence felt with multi-billion-dollar contracts propelled by demand and opportunities in Asia and South America.
"Boeing today officially launches the 787-10," Boeing head Jim McNerney told reporters, with commitments to buy the new aircraft from United Airlines, Singapore Airlines, British Airways, and leasing firms ALC and GECAS.
Boeing did not say how much the deals for the 787-10 -- the biggest of the three fuel-efficient Dreamliner planes -- were worth, but each aircraft costs $290 million at catalogue prices.
That would mean the contracts were worth $29.6 billion, although hard negotiation in the airline industry usually results in big discounts from list prices.
ALC also said it would buy three 787-9 planes and Korean Air ordered 11 long-haul aircraft.
The announcements put Boeing firmly back in the running after a slew of recent technical problems forced the grounding of the entire Dreamliner fleet worldwide for three months in a huge blow to the US firm -- and its bosses.
"If I took off my shirt you'd see a lot of scars from the 787," Patrick Shanahan, general manager of airplane programmes, said recently in Seattle where Boeing factories are based.
Ray Conner, head of Boeing's commercial airplanes division, told reporters earlier this week that executives at the firm were "battle-tested" after the experience.
In just over four years, Boeing should have all three versions of the Dreamliner on the market and possibly two newer versions of the 777, against just three types of A350, Airbus's direct competitor.
Undeterred, the European plane maker got off to a roaring start at the air show -- though most of its orders so far arise from the medium-haul market, which it already dominates.
Low-cost airline easyJet on Tuesday announced a deal to buy 135 of the Airbus A320 passenger planes -- one of the firm's most popular and profitable models -- including 100 of new generation and more fuel-efficient neo aircraft.
And Syphax Airlines, a new carrier based in Tunisia, signed an agreement to buy three of Airbus's new A320neo planes and three of its classic A320 aircraft.
But the European firm is seeking to unseat Boeing in the more lucrative long-haul segment with its own next-generation A350 plane, which flew for the first time on Friday ahead of the show, where it could make a brief fly-by.
The aircraft -- which like the Dreamliner makes extensive use of lighter, carbon-based composite materials that reduce fuel consumption -- will seek to compete with the 787 as well as Boeing's older 777 model.
So far, though, there have been no new orders for the A350 at the air show.
Overall, if catalogue prices are used as a barometer and only firm new orders and agreements counted, Airbus has taken the lead with orders worth $36 billion so far, compared to $26.2 billion for Boeing.
Other smaller competitors in regional transport markets have also made a mark, with ATR -- a joint venture between European aerospace giant EADS and Italy's Finmeccanica -- announcing one of its biggest orders.
Leasing firm Nordic Aviation Capital (NAC) signed up for 35 ATR-600 aircraft built by the firm, with an option on 55 in a deal worth $2.1 billion, ATR said.
Brazil's Embraer has also come up trumps with the launch of a new family of regional jets and 100 orders, with 215 other intentions to purchase the aircraft.
ATR said there were numerous opportunities in emerging markets in Asia and South America, adding that 30 percent of passengers worldwide travel on distances inferior to 550 kilometres (342 miles), which regional planes cover.
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The Paris Air Show is piling on the orders flick and fast on all plane manufacturers, from small boys like Embraer to bigger ones like Airbus and Boeing. There is still a long way to go before the show ends, and it is still unsure which one of the two biggest plane makers will be the ultimate winner. The key shall lay in the hands of the A350 and B787.
British no-frills airline easyJet on Tuesday announced a deal to purchase 135 Airbus single-aisle A320 passenger planes, including 100 new-generation neo aircraft for $11.9 billion (8.9 billion euros), after agreeing sizeable discounts.
easyJet, issuing a statement amid the Paris Air Show where European aircraft maker Airbus is battling for orders with US rival Boeing, said that it has secured an option to buy an additional 100 A320neo planes.
"I am delighted that easyJet is able to announce its fleet plans today," said the airline's chief executive Carolyn McCall.
"All manufacturers competed hard for the easyJet business. Both Airbus and Boeing offered us new generation aircraft that met our requirements and offered greatly improved fuel efficiency.
"Ultimately, Airbus offered us the best deal, and at a price with a greater discount to the list price than their landmark fleet purchase with easyJet in 2002," she added.
easyJet is to acquire 35 current-generation A320 aircraft for delivery between 2015 and 2017 under an existing option agreement, and 100 new generation A320neo planes for delivery between 2017 and 2022 under a new deal.
It added that 85 of the 135 ordered aircraft will be used to replace ageing passenger planes, with the remaining 50 used to build on easyJet's strategy of increasing its seat capacity of between three and five percent annually.
The huge transaction is subject to approval by easyJet shareholders, including its largest -- the airline's founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou -- who has bitterly opposed the company's desire to purchase new planes.
Haji-Ioannou, or simply Stelios as he is widely known, was meanwhile last year defeated in his attempt to throw out a multi-million-pound pay deal for executives. Stelios and his family currently own almost 37 percent of easyJet.
The founder argues that easyJet should be returning money to shareholders via the payment of dividends, rather than increasing its seating capacity.
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Big order for Airbus in another leap over its Boeing rival. However this order is mainly for fleet renewal in the airline with only 50 birds used for expansion plans.
Singapore Airlines' (SIA) passenger load factor fell 1.2 percentage points on-year to 74.6 per cent in May.
In a statement issued Monday, the airline said load factors eased across all regions, with Europe and the South West Pacific regions registering the highest declines.
In the face of a challenging operating environment, SIA said its efforts to boost loads are expected to exert pressure yields.
Meanwhile, SilkAir carried 5.9 per cent more passengers per kilometre despite a 17.2 per cent growth in capacity.
This led to a fall in its passenger load factor by 7.0 percentage points on-year, from 73.2 per cent to 66.2 per cent.
Overall cargo traffic was 5.1 per cent lower on-year, while capacity decreased by 3.8 per cent.
The carrier cited weak traffic against capacity changes as the main cause for the decline.
The only exceptions were Europe, where the change in load factor was positive, and South West Pacific, where traffic and capacity changes were on par year-on-year.
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Languishing around with load factor dropping, it seems that every A380 flight to and from Europe isn't making enough money as it seems.
