Tiger Airways eyes Tasman route & set up a pilot training scheme
SMH March 6, 2008 - 5:04PM
Singapore-based budget carrier Tiger Airways is contemplating a trans-Tasman service to take on existing players, as it moves to beef up its regional services within Australia.
Chief executive Tony Davis said that services from Australia to New Zealand were "on the radar".
Mr Davis told the Australian Aviation Press Club on Thursday that Tiger would take delivery of two A319 aircraft towards the end of the year as it prepared to launch more services to regional destinations in Australia.
Tiger will add its fifth A320 jet to its Australian fleet next month, which together with the A319s will expand its seating capacity by 65 per cent.
The carrier's A319 jet aircraft will be configured with 144 seats compared with 180 seats on its A320, which will make it lighter and allow it to fly into airports with shorter runways.
"There are scores of destinations across Australia that are crying out for more competition, but are not suitable for 180-seat A320 operations," Mr Davis said.
The A319s are in addition to a further 50 A320s, which Tiger has ordered and will be delivered over the next eight years, that will take its network fleet to more than 70 aircraft by 2016.
As many as 30 of these new aircraft could come to Australia, the airline said.
Mr Davis said Tiger, which flew to 13 destinations in Australia and had its base in Melbourne, was in the midst of negotiating with a number of airports about a second Australian base.
It plans to have five bases in Australia within seven years.
Outside of its Changi airport base in Singapore, Tiger is expanding further in the Asia Pacific region.
It is establishing a hub in Korea and is in negotiations regarding a base in the Philippines.
Mr Davis said Tiger planned to announce a new Tiger hub every 12 to 18 months.
Asked if Tiger plans to fly to Sydney, Mr David said "we're not saying we'll never fly to Sydney".
He said low-cost airline Ryan Air, which Tiger models itself on, "doesn't fly to Heathrow".
RyanAir flies to satellite airports throughout Europe not principal airports.
"Transiting through hub airports like Sydney and Brisbane is what the old airlines do, the legacy airlines, it's not our model."
Mr Davis said Tiger would set up a pilot training scheme and the first intake was expected later this year.
© 2008 AAP