Singapore Airlines (SIAL.SI), the world”s second-largest carrier by market value, said on Monday it will deploy the Airbus A380 superjumbo on the Singapore-Los Angeles route beginning next year despite a controversy over the plane”s engines.

Recent problems involving the Rolls-Royce (RR.L) engines on the biggest passenger carrier in the world have forced Australian carrier Qantas (QAN.AX) to ground some of its A380 aircraft, preventing it serving the Sydney-Los Angeles route for the time being.

Both SIA, which currently operates 11 A380s and has another 9 on order, and Qantas are using Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines on their A380 aircraft. SIA currently does not use the A380 on the Singapore-Los Angeles route.

 

“This is a significant and smart move by the carrier (SIA), which will likely capitalize on the busy trans-Pacific route with its 471-seater A380,” said Shukor Yusof, analyst at Standard & Poor”s.