Tiger Airways to Triple Fleet with Airbus order

Tiger Airways, a Singapore-based low cost airline, is to triple its current fleet of Airbus 320s with the purchase of an additional eight new A320s by 2007.

The first two new Airbus 320s are due for delivery in March 2006 with another three delivered in the third quarter of 2006. Tiger Airways will have a fleet of nine Airbus 320s by end 2006. The balance three Airbus 320s will be delivered in 2007.

This investment in aircrafts, valued at more than US$500m at list prices, is to support the next phase of the airline's expansion in the region. The A320s will be configured in a 180 seater all economy configuration.

“Tiger Airways has met our business targets in the first ten months of operations and the board of directors has endorsed our plans to expand services by Tiger Airways in the region. We anticipate Tiger Airways will carry between four and five million passengers a year when we have all 12 of our new A320 aircraft in service,” said Tiger Airways CEO Tony Davis.

“This vote of confidence by the board in our low-fare, low-cost business model is great news. This is doubly significant an endorsement in view of recent announcements by other budget carriers of cancellation or delay of their own orders. We would like to acknowledge the support of our customers who have supported us by flying with Tiger Airways as their first choice of low fare airline,” added Davis.

Davis said Tiger Airways has also increased its productivity as shown in the number of seats offered. During the airline’s first complete season (from 15 Sep 2004 to 26 Mar 2005), it produced 12,600 seats per week with two aircraft in operation.

For the current Northern Summer season (27 Mar – 30 Oct 2005) Tiger Airways produces 21,600 seats a week with four aircraft.

With the upcoming northern winter season (from 31 Oct 2005 to 26 Mar 2006), Tiger Airways will increase this production of seats to 27,720. This results in a more than 120% increase in seat production year on year performing well above Tiger Airways’ expectations.

Tiger Airways now flies from Singapore to Thailand, Vietnam, Macau, The Philippines and Indonesia.

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