Landing In Sydney And Bringing 2 Passengers Positive For COVID-19 Variant Omicron, This Is Singapore Airlines' Brief Profile Which Is Still Losing Rp45 Trillion

Singapore Airlines plane. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - A new variant of COVID-19 called Omicron was discovered in Sydney, Australia. There are two people who have confirmed the variant virus, where they arrived in Sydney on Singapore Airlines from Singapore.

Both come from South Africa where researchers there first discovered the Omicron. Quoted from Channel News Asia, these two people arrived in Sydney on Sunday 28 November yesterday.

"Both passengers arrived in Sydney from South Africa on Singapore Airlines flight SQ211," the New South Wales (NSW Health) ministry of health said.

Both of them have been fully vaccinated and are now isolated in special health accommodation. Flight information from the Changi Airport website shows SQ211 departed Singapore at 10.30am on Sunday and landed in Sydney at 9.20pm.

"Everyone on the flight is considered close contact and needs to be tested for COVID-19 immediately and isolated for 14 days, regardless of their vaccination status," NSW Health said.

It said they would be contacting all passengers and crew of the flight to inform them of the isolation requirements. The airline spokesperson confirmed that pilots and crew operating the flights will self-isolate and undergo COVID-19 tests.

"Singapore Airlines will work with the authorities, and guided by relevant regulatory requirements, as it ensures the health and safety of our customers and staff members," an SIA spokesperson added.

Poor performance due to pandemic

Singapore Airlines is one of the best airlines from the Lion Country. However, due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, their performance in the past two years has still recorded a huge loss.

Singapore Airlines posted its second consecutive annual loss of S$4.27 billion, or US$3.20 billion, or approximately Rp45.76 trillion during the 2020-2021 fiscal year. According to CNBC, the loss for the 12 months ended March 31 worse than analysts' average estimates.

This loss was also much larger than the loss of S$212 million in the 2019-2020 fiscal year, when only one quarter was affected by the pandemic.

Annual revenue fell 76.1 percent to S$3.82 billion in the financial year ended March 31, 2021, although strong cargo revenue was not enough to offset the nearly 98 percent drop in passenger numbers.

A brief History

Citing Wikipedia, the formation of Singapore Airlines began with Malayan Airways Ltd., and the inaugural flight was held on May 1, 1947. At that time, the cities served were Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, and Penang in Malaysia. The airline expanded after World War II and by 1955, its fleet included a large number of DC-3 aircraft.

In 1963, the Federation of Malaysia was formed which changed the airline to Malaysian Airways. Singapore's separation from the Federation occurred in 1965 and in 1966 Malaysian Airways changed its name to Malaysia-Singapore Airlines.

MSA's operations came to a halt in 1972 when there was a disagreement between the two parties. Malaysia emphasizes more on domestic flights while Singapore chooses international routes.

Despite the separation, the Singapore Airlines flight attendants or commonly called the Singapore Girls still wear the kebaya.

Rapid development occurred in the 1970s when Singapore Airlines introduced the Boeing 747 in its fleet. In the 1980s, the United States, Canada, and Europe were added to Singapore Airlines' route network.

In 2004, Singapore Airlines started direct flights from Singapore to Los Angeles and New York (Newark Liberty International Airport). The airline has also promoted itself as the first user of the Airbus A380 aircraft used in late 2006 for flights between Singapore, London, and Sydney.