By Robert Wall

The stage is set for Singapore Airlines to commence A380 operations to London Heathrow now that the carrier has formally received its third A380.

The aircraft hand over took place at Airbus' Toulouse headquarters, with the aircraft due in Singapore March 12.

Singapore had been limiting its operations to Singapore-Sydney, operating since October with one A380 and joined by a second in January. The airline plans to expand its network to London March 18, while maintaining its once-a-day Singapore--Sydney frequency.

The turn-around time in Sydney will remain the tightest schedule, with the Heathrow layover to last several hours.

This year, Airbus plans to add two more airlines to the A380 user community--Qantas and Emirates.

Photo: Airbus