Friday, September 29, 2006 2 new Tiger Airways aircraft to be based at Clark airport in 2007 By Reynaldo G. Navales
CLARK ECOZONE -- Tiger Airways, Singapore’s only low fare airline, has announced a long-term commitment to the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) here which will enable the creation of the first Tiger Airways branded operation at an overseas base.
In a signing ceremony witnessed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Thursday, Tiger Airways and Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) committed to a long term mutually beneficial relationship to develop services from the airport.
Clark airport is already the largest Tiger Airways operation outside of Singapore and has grown from just six (6) flights per week in April 2005, to more than 42 services per week today. The long term agreement inked between Tiger Airways and CIAC provides for a significant growth in low cost services from the rapidly developing airport.
Tiger Airways will shortly conclude an extensive Marketing Agreement with a local Philippine-based company. This agreement will facilitate the operations of Tiger Airways branded flights from the new hub in DMIA with bookings being made through the tigerairways.com website and distribution channels. As part of the agreement, Tiger Airways will provide access to two new Airbus A320 aircraft to be operated out of DMIA.
Tiger Airways president and CEO Tony Davis said: “The new hub further signifies our commitment to the Philippines having been recently granted a five year foreign air carrier permit. Tiger Airways will continue to develop a long-term association with DMIA, Clark Development Corporation and CIAC at Clark Field.
Tiger Airways is committed to play its part in helping Clark and DMIA achieve their goal of becoming a gateway for regular international and domestic flights and a buoyant economic zone.”
CIAC president and CEO Victor Jose Luciano, for his part, said: “The operations of low fare carriers like Tiger Airways are expected to boost economic opportunities for Clark and support the former military’s base transformation into a dynamic economic zone with a premier international airport stimulating job creation in the operations and support services sectors. The boom of low fare airlines such as Tiger Airways has greatly benefited many Filipino OFWs who are now able to enjoy affordable low fare travel to visit their families in the Philippines more regularly.”
Tiger Airways is Singapore’s largest and most popular low fare airline, serving seven countries across Asia-Pacific (Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, China, the Philippines, Australia, and Indonesia). This was confirmed in May 2006 when Tiger Airways was the only Low Cost Carrier to win an award from the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) as a top 10 airlines at Changi Airport by passenger carriage in 2005.
Tiger Airways is expected to take delivery of three brand new Airbus 320 aircraft at the end of this year and will have the largest fleet among Singapore-based low cost carriers. Another three A320s are expected to join the fleet in 2007.
Tiger Airways has carried the most number of passengers amongst budget airlines in Singapore with more than 1.5 million passengers flown to date and is well on target to hit its second millionth passenger by year end or possibly sooner.
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