Singapore Airlines preparing to enter Australian domestic market:
A Singapore Airlines-backed consortium is preparing to enter the Australian domestic aviation market, the Sunday Telegraph reported.
The report said Singapore Airlines (SIA) would underwrite the new airline, which aims to be flying by Christmas.
A spokesman for SIA told the newspaper the company is “keeping its domestic options open” and is not ruling out any proposals.
The newspaper quoted an industry source as saying plans for the safety certificate needed to operate in Australian skies is well advanced.
“These guys have their paperwork ready to go, they can be in the air by Christmas,” he said.
The new airline, which is yet to be named, would initially fly new Boeing and Airbus jets on the Sydney-Melbourne, Sydney-Brisbane routes, with some additional Canberra services.
Later expansion plans include Perth and Adelaide, the report said.
A vital consideration is understood to be the old Ansett terminal in Sydney airport, with SIA worried it will be frozen out if Qantas and Virgin Blue occupy the bulk of the facility.
“We are sending a strong signal that while we might be able to get the planes and the passengers, you’ve got to have somewhere to park your planes,” the SIA spokesman said.
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Link: http://www.ananova.com/business/story/sm_633499.html?menu=
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Singapore Airlines rejects report to enter Australian domestic market:
Singapore Airlines has rejected a report that it is backing a consortium preparing to enter the Australian domestic aviation market.
The report in the Sunday Telegraph in Sydney said Singapore Airlines (SIA) would underwrite the new airline, which aims to be flying by Christmas.
SIA vice president for public affairs Rick Clements said dismissed the newspaper report as groundless.
“It’s just another speculative story,” Clements, told Agence France-Presse.
He added though, “We are not ruling out any possibility of running another airline in the future nor are we ruling it in at this stage.”
Clements said the Singapore carrier is “interested in the Austral
ian market” but gave no further details.
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link: http://www.ananova.com/business/story/sm_633506.html?menu=
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I personally think they are just hiding it…..i bet they are all ready to fly a new airline this christmas. They have always been interested in Aussie domestic sector.
By: Tweddle 5 - 22nd July 2002 at 13:14
RE: Singapore Airlines preparing to enter Australian domestic market
Very true, I forgot SIA own a large percentage of Virgin. That would answer alot of questions in term’s of infrastucture, routes, fares, aircraft. It’s all there ready.
By: greekdude1 - 22nd July 2002 at 05:03
RE: Singapore Airlines preparing to enter Australian domestic market
They better hurry. Currently, Virgin is using the Express terminals in SYD and MEL which, relatively speaking, are rather lousy. From what they advertise, they are “currently looking to acquire more terminal space,” errrrrrr, get ahold of Ansett’s old gates, I would imagine. What the hold up is, I don’t know. If this does happen, it certainly would make things very intersting, Down Under, on several fronts. Several qestions arise, aside from terminal space. With SIA owning nearly half of Virgin Atlantic, why compete with Virgin Blue? Will this be the ‘new’ Star connection in Australia? If so, what will become of UA/DJ’s recent codeshare announcement which was announced nearly 2 months ago, yet nothing has even surfaced inidicating it (a few UA people I talked to over the phone didn’t even know anything about it)? Will 3 domestic airlines be able to co-exist in Australia? Why not just re-brand the Ansett name, or retain some part of it, like the logo, for example? With the exception of the 762’s, why not just use the former Ansett narrowbodies?
GD1
By: Tweddle 5 - 21st July 2002 at 15:07
RE: Singapore Airlines preparing to enter Australian domestic market
They have probably got everything ready for the start. Thay have always been interested with the Australian market, big business there. Since Ansett folded (Star alliance partner) they needed a domestic carrier for there alliance and they have lost alot of business to oneworld as well as BA/QF Discovery & Outback tickets. As soon as they get a new airline set they have increased business and awareness in Oz and it also helps them within the Star Alliance for the round-the-world tickets.
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July 21, 2002 at 2:56 pm