Tiger Airways to fly across Tasman / New Hub Discussion

[Radi K]

Tiger Airways to fly across Tasman
by Nevil Gibson

Singapore's discount airline Tiger Airways has confirmed speculation it will be the next carrier to enter the transtasman market.

Speaking to the Australian Aviation Press Club in Sydney, chief executive Tony Davis said the Australia-New Zealand service was on the radar.

Earlier reports said Tiger was eyeing Palmerston North, among other New Zealand airports, where competition was low or non-existent.

Mr Davis said Tiger, which is part-owned by Singapore Airlines and Ryan Air, would take delivery of two A319 aircraft toward the end of the year as it prepared to launch more services to regional destinations in Australia.

Tiger would also add a fifth A320 jet to its Australian fleet next month, which together with the A319s would expand its seating capacity by 65 per cent.

In Australia, Tiger was targeting airports with shorter runways using the A319s, which seat 144 passengers compared with the 180-seat capacity of the A320, Mr Davis said.

Tiger is flying to 13 destinations in Australia from its base in Melbourne, and is negotiating with a number of airports about a second Australian base. It plans to have five bases in Australia within seven years.

Tiger is also expanding in Asia, where it has hubs in Korea as well as Singapore, and is negotiating for another in the Philippines.

Ref: http://www.nbr.co.nz/home/column_art...Business+Today