Singapore Airlines has taken delivery of its first Airbus A350-900 and become the fifth airline operator of the type.

“The addition of the A350-900 exemplifies Singapore Airlines’ long-standing commitment to operate a young and modern fleet,” said Goh Choon Phong, CEO of Singapore Airlines [centre in photo], who was speaking at the delivery ceremony at the Airbus Delivery Centre in Toulouse. “The A350 will be a game-changer for us, allowing for flights to more long-haul destinations on a non-stop basis, which will help us boost our network competitiveness and further develop the important Singapore hub.”

The A350 will be deployed on regional flights to Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta before operating long-haul flights to Amsterdam from May 9, 2016 and Dusseldorf in July 2016.

The airline has 66 more A350-900s on order. Seven of these will be the A350-900ULR variant, an ultra-long-range version to be delivered from 2018 which will enable non-stop flights between Singapore and New York, Los Angeles and a yet-to-be announced destination in the US.

Apart from the new A350-900, Singapore Airlines’ Airbus fleet consists of 29 A330-300s and 19 A380s.