Seair Receives Rights to Fly to Kuala Lumpur

Filipino carrier Southeast Asian Airlines has been given approval to launch flights to the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur its President Avelino Zapanta has confirmed, although no formal launch date for the new international service has yet been announced. The expanding carrier is currently in the process of rationalising its activities as it focuses more on the low-cost market.

Initially providing a focus on regional leisure markets Seair is now managed by Tiger Airways following the Asian budget carrier’s acquisition of a 32.5 per cent stake in the airline – the rest of its shareholding is controlled by three private investors. Since Tiger Airways’ arrival the airline has introduced its first short-haul jet airliners and now operates domestic services between Boracay, Batanes, Tablas (Romblon), Clark and Cebu and international routes to Hong Kong, Macau and Singapore from its Clark International hub.

It plans to add up to ten more A320s to its fleet over the coming five years according to reports, with the first two additional units expected to be delivered before the end of the first quarter of this year. These will be used on existing routes to Cebu and Davao and to add more frequencies and possible new destinations in the future.

As part of its revised business strategy, Seair has established a new affiliate company, Seair International, which is to take over the Dornier 328 turboprop operations of the company and maintain its leisure-oriented business under a separate licence, leaving Seair responsible for the low-cost services.