Aviation

Tiger Air flies to Colombo from May

Shirajiv SIRIMANE

Tiger Airways a low cost carrier airline will operate to Colombo from next month.

The airline is expected to operate three flights per week and would increase frequency according to the demand.

An official from the airline said that the airline focused on Sri Lanka in a bid to attract the leisure travellers mainly from Sri Lanka. "The visa on arrival policy, entertainment, availability of affordable accommodation and shopping has made Singapore a great attraction to Sri Lankan travellers," he said.

Commenting on their fare, the official said that it is expected to be priced around 30 percent less than a full service airline.

Tiger Airways establishes airlines in markets where they believe their low-fare, low-cost business model has exceptional potential for sustainable profitability.

The aim of Tiger Airways is to create a portfolio of profitable routes throughout Asia and Australasia. They believe that their focus on providing customers with affordable air travel positions us well for growth as Asia and Australasia is the world's most populous region, with the fastest growing aviation market in the world, and the low-fare, low-cost model remains under-developed in the majority of countries in the region.

The Tiger Airways business model is based on that of other successful low-cost airlines in the world. Their model involves scrutinizing every single aspect of the business to remove non-essential costs without compromising passenger safety, security or punctuality. Their business model is designed to maintain simplicity, and their disciplined approach to executing this model has given them the ability to achieve one of the lowest operating costs for any start-up airline. Their objective is to maximize profitability by developing a portfolio of routes with consistently high passenger load factors and carefully managing capacity. Their disciplined approach allows them to offer their passengers competitive low fares on a consistent and sustainable basis, while enabling them to maintain their low cost base, thus improving their profitability.

They provide various ancillary services and generate additional revenue through the provision of additional products and services, connected with their core air passenger service. Their flight-related services include in-flight sale of beverages, food and merchandise. Through their website, Tiger Airways offers their passengers a range of "Tiger Add-On" products.

Emirates SkyCargo to create int'l trade opportunities for Vietnam

Daily flights from Ho Chi Minh City will stimulate business between points throughout carrier's network of 120-plus destinations Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates, will soon be connecting more businesses in Vietnam with trade opportunities across its global network. With the launch of a daily passenger service on June 4, Emirates SkyCargo will use the 240-tonne weekly belly-hold capacity of the aircraft to stimulate trade between Ho Chi Minh City, its Dubai hub and more than 120 other destinations.

Ho Chi Minh City will become the 14th Emirates SkyCargo point in the Far East and the 124th destination on its global network spanning six continents.

Ho Chi Minh City will become the 14th Emirates SkyCargo point in the Far East, strengthening its commitment to the region, with major exporters - such as Hong Kong, China, Japan and Korea - already operating on bustling Emirates SkyCargo trade lanes to points throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa and North America.

Vietnam, with one of the fastest growing economies in Asia, will be able to further develop its import/export industry using the 17-tonne cargo hold of the wide-body Airbus 330-200 operating on the route. From 28th October, trade will receive another boost when a Boeing 777-300ER takes over, providing an additional 80 tonnes of weekly cargo capacity.

"Vietnam is enjoying a period of growth and by facilitating international trade with businesses in the 73 countries we operate to, Emirates SkyCargo looks forward to helping it build on this momentum and become even stronger," said Ram Menen, Emirates' Divisional Senior Vice President Cargo.

"With trading powerhouses such as Hong Kong and China, the Far East is integral to our business and we are proud to be expanding our services in the region further, with the addition of daily flights from Vietnam's commercial capital.

"Ho Chi Minh City is just one of 12 destinations added to our network in 2012 and as each point comes online, new trade lanes are created, a trend which will only continue as we take delivery of the 230-plus aircraft we have on order.

Having used partner carriers to transport freight from Vietnam since 2005, we understand the market and needs of customers. Many more will now be able to take advantage of Dubai's tremendous geographic location and benefit from our world-class services," added Menen. According to the UAE Embassy in Vietnam, the UAE is one of its major trading partners in the Middle East, with bilateral trade between the two countries exceeding US $ 1.2 billion in 2011. Goods - including smartphones, tablets, printers, garments, sportswear and shoes, as well as perishables - such as seafood, coffee, rice and vegetables - are expected to be transported out of Vietnam. Commodities going in the other direction will include electronics, machinery, steel and petroleum products.

Operating as EK390, the daily non-stop flight will depart Dubai International Airport at 0925hrs arriving at Tan Son Nhat International Airport at 1920hrs.

The return flight - EK 391 - will depart at 2050hrs, arriving in Dubai at 0045hrs the following day.

Silkair arrives in Wuhan

SilkAir, the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, recently launched its first flight to Wuhan, the historic capital city of Hubei province.

Wuhan is SilkAir's seventh destination in China and increases the number of destinations in SilkAir's route network to 40. SilkAir will operate three times a week, departing Singapore on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The services will be operated with Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft, both featuring business and economy class cabins.

To mark this special occasion, customers on the first flight out of Singapore were presented with a piece of yunpiangao, a local delight specially flown in from Wuhan.

Customers travelling on the first flight out of Wuhan will receive exclusively produced SilkAir notebooks.

SilkAir's Chief Executive, Marvin Tan, said that the new route enhances the airline's offerings to China and will strengthen its presence in the country.

"We are delighted to add Wuhan to SilkAir's expanding network of destinations. Not only is Wuhan a burgeoning technological hub, it is also a city steeped in culture and gifted with 3,500 years of history. We expect this new destination to be popular for both business and leisure travel," he said.

Customers interested in booking and viewing fares for flights to and from Wuhan can visit silkair.com.

India's Kingfisher Airlines shares hit record low

Shares of India's troubled Kingfisher Airlines plunged to a record low Tuesday on fears that a government move to allow foreign airlines to pick up stakes in domestic carriers may be delayed. Kingfisher shares tumbled as much as 17.15 percent to a low of 14 rupees, while budget airline SpiceJet lost 2.35 percent to 29.15. Rival Jet Airways also was down 0.67 percent to 342.8 rupees.

Kingfisher had climbed from a previous low of 14.95 on April 2, on hopes the aviation proposal would soon be cleared.

The cabinet was expected to decide on allowing foreign direct investment (FDI) in aviation, but media reports say the government is now more likely to discuss the matter first with all its allies before giving a nod. The government last year suffered a humiliating climbdown when it was forced to backtrack on a proposal allowing foreign supermarket chains into India, amid parliamentary opposition and protests from shopkeepers and unions.

FDI in aviation is seen as a lifeline to companies such as cash-squeezed Kingfisher Airlines, controlled by billionaire liquor baron V ijay Mallya, which is in desperate need of funds to implement a turnaround plan.Foreign airlines are barred from holding stakes in Indian airlines though other overseas investors can hold up to 49 percent.

Mallya, known as the "King of Good Times" for his flamboyant lifestyle, has been lobbying hard in support of proposals to allow foreign carriers to buy stakes in Indian airlines. Kingfisher has scaled down its operations dramatically in recent months -- stopping international operations completely -- and now has the smallest market share among Indian airlines at just 6.4 percent.

AFP