After a near ten-year wait, Singapore Airlines (SIA) (Singapore Exchange: SIAL-SG) has taken delivery of its first Airbus A350-900, which CEO Goh Choon Phong said would be a "game changer" for the flag-carrier.
The latest addition to the fleet was received with a water-cannon salute at Changi Airport in Singapore, after a long journey from the Airbus delivery center in Toulouse, France.
"The addition of the A350-900 exemplifies Singapore Airlines' longstanding commitment to operate a young and modern fleet," Goh said.
"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."
Singapore's Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Minister for Transport, Mr Khaw Boon Wan, was a guest of honor for the arrival of the new aircraft.
The delivery marks the first step in the airline's major overhaul of its current fleet in the medium to long-haul range, in a bid to maintain its position as the standard-setting full service carrier in Asia.
The aircraft will be operated on Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur flights on a temporary basis while crew are trained on it, before being put to work on 13-hour flights to Amsterdam from May 9.
Singapore Airlines also plans to use the aircraft to add services to Dusseldorf, Germany, from July.
The airline will offer business, premium economy and economy class seats on the flights, as well as what Singapore Airlines' SVP for Marketing Planning Lee Wen Fen described as the world's most advanced in-flight entertainment system.
The carrier said the addition to its fleet would offer customers an improved travel experience, with new features including higher ceilings, larger windows and special ambient LED lighting that is designed to reduce jetlag and project "special effects" onto the ceiling of the plane.
AirlineRatings.com Editor Geoffrey Thomas said the A350 gave Singapore Airlines a big advantage over other regional carriers because it allowed it to compete with airlines that had the Boeing 787.
"The A350 is slightly larger than the 787 and is a true Boeing 777-200 replacement," he told CNBC.
"The A350 is a major leap forward over the Boeing 777 in economics and passenger comfort thanks to its composite structure and new technology engines."
Airbus claims the A350 has 25 percent better fuel consumption than its current aluminum long-range competitors, and that despite being 68 times more powerful than a F1 racing car, it's also one of the quietest in its class.