SilkAir to Launch Flights to Cairns, Australia

SilkAir, the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, is to launch direct flights between Singapore and Cairns on 30 May 2015, subject to regulatory approvals.

SilkAir plans to operate the Cairns service three times weekly on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, through circular routings with Darwin.

The inaugural flight and subsequent Saturday flights will depart Singapore for Cairns non-stop and then return to Singapore via Darwin.

The Monday and Thursday flights will fly to Cairns via Darwin and then return to Singapore non-stop.

The new services will be operated with SilkAir’s latest Boeing 737-800 aircraft, featuring both Business and Economy class cabins.

SilkAir’s Chief Executive, Mr. Leslie Thng, said, “This is an exciting development for SilkAir, to be able to expand our presence in the Australian market. With the launch of Cairns, we, together with our parent company Singapore Airlines, will soon serve a total of seven points in Australia, namely Cairns, Darwin, Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. We believe this new service will be of interest to the leisure travellers as Cairns is well known for being the gateway to the popular Great Barrier Reef.”

Queensland’s Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Small Business and the Commonwealth Games, Jann Stuckey, said, “SilkAir’s new services into Cairns will bring an estimated 20,000 extra visitors annually into one of Australia’s most desirable destinations. The Queensland Government looks forward to working in partnership with SilkAir to deliver international marketing activities over the next three years to support this highly anticipated service.”

With the launch of Cairns, the number of destinations in SilkAir’s route network will increase to 49 destinations in 12 countries.