Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Silk Air combine is launching daily direct flights from the city soon.
Singapore Airlines, along with its regional wing – Silk Air, will jointly offer daily flights from Kolkata to Singapore from August 1, the South-East Asian carrier said here on Thursday. While SIA will offer three round trips a week on days having increased demand, Silk Air will operate on the remaining four days when demand is relatively lower.
In effect, the new arrangement will see SIA scale down its flights to three days a week – Saturday, Tuesday and Thursday – from four and Silk Air will introduce flights on the remaining four days.
Silk Air, currently does not operate from Kolkata, but SIA has 4-day a week flights from here. Silk, at present, flies from six Indian cities – Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Coimbatore and Thiruvananthapuram. In 2009, Silk Air had taken over its parent company's operations at the Hyderabad airport following a fall in demand along the Hyderabad – Singapore route.
INCREASE IN CAPACITY
An official of SIA told Business Line that the proposed joint operations will lead to a 26 per cent increase in seating capacities along the Kolkata – Singapore route.
“Instead of flooding the market, we have created a specific increase in seating capacities. Moreover, the combination will help offer daily flights to Singapore,” Mr Marvin Tan, Chief Executive, Silk Air, said.
The new arrangement in expected to improve Singapore Airlines' load factor (operating capacity of the flight) in the region.
According to Mr G.M. Toh, General Manager, Singapore Airlines, its flights operate at 70 per cent capacity in its West Asian routes that include its Indian destinations. Mr Toh added that joint operations by SIA and Silk Air are expected to push up the number of corporate travellers in these airlines.