Singapore Airlines (SIA) will offer its clients passage on Airbus A330-300 aircraft for flights from and to Ho Chi Minh City starting January 1 next year, according to the Vietnam Investment Review.

The aircraft boast 255 Economy Class and 30 Business Class seats, with more leg room for passengers than the Boeing 777-200 the carrier is currently operating for the route.

To mark the launch of the new aircraft, Singapore Airlines is offering special fares on business and economy class seats from Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Danang to various destinations in Europe, Australia, Japan, India and Dubai.

The offer is valid for ticket purchases from December 4 to January 5 for flights between January 1 and April 10 next year. The company started its Airbus A330-300 flights in Hanoi in July.

The A330-300 incorporates Airbus’ latest technology, which includes its digital fly-by-wire flight controls, a high-efficiency wing, and more than 10 tonnes of lightweight composite structures in its airframe.

A lighter, brighter and more spacious cabin results from updated features that include smoother contours, new interior styling, state-of-the-art LED lighting and newly-designed air conditioning units.

The stretched-fuselage A330-300 matches twin-engine efficiency with increased passenger capacity – all while retaining the A330 family’s highly comfortable, low-noise cabin and operating commonality with the entire Airbus fly-by-wire product line.

This jetliner currently has a range of up to 5,570 nautical miles while carrying 300 passengers in a typical two-cabin arrangement, seating 36 in first or business class at a 60-inch seat pitch, and 264 in economy at 32-inch pitch.

The twin-engine A330 in 2013 has lived up to its motto as “the right aircraft, right now” with significant commercial milestones, a successful production ramp-up and introduction of a new version for domestic and regional passenger operations.

Among this flurry of activity was the delivery of Airbus’ 1,000th A330 aircraft, received in July by Cathay Pacific Airways – which together with its sister airline Dragonair is the world’s largest A330 operator. Also during the year, the aircraft surpassed the 100-operator mark.-VNA