SilkAir, the regional wing of Singapore Airlines (SIA), will begin direct air services between Singapore and Darwin, Australia from March 26, 2012, subject to regulatory approval. The introduction of the four times weekly flights to the capital city of the Northern Territory will increase the SilkAir network to 39 destinations in 12 different countries, although this will be its first in Australia.
SIA already serves a number of destinations in Australia but up until now these have been exclusively operated under its own brand. It currently offers links to Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, while its new low-cost sister company Scoot will also serve Sydney from next year.
"We are immensely excited to introduce our first destination in the South-West Pacific," said Marvin Tan, Chief Executive Officer, SilkAir. “Darwin is well known for its mining and tourism industries and we believe our new service will have much to offer to both the business and leisure traveller."
A modern metropolis, Darwin boasts rich and beautiful natural attractions such as the World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park, the world famous Katherine Gorge located in the Nitmiluk National Park, the culturally rich Tiwi Islands and the Lietchfield National Park, which is filled with amazing waterfalls, plunge pools, wildlife and birdlife. The city is also the northern gateway to the famous Australian Outback, which includes attractions such as Alice Springs and Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock.
An estimated 33,000 O&D passengers travelled between Singapore and Darwin in the past year, a route already served on a daily basis by Jetstar Airways as a codeshare with its parent Qantas. Alongside the SilkAir service, Virgin Australia is also flying to Darwin from April 2, 2012 with a daily connection from Sydney. These routes have both been developed following the recently approved alliance between Singapore Airlines and Virgin Australia.
“We are delighted to be adding Darwin to our network and providing more travel options for our customers as a result of our alliance with Virgin Australia,” said Mak Swee Wah, Executive Vice President Commercial, Singapore Airlines and Chairman, SilkAir. “Our partnership enables us to better service this important market, particularly with the introduction of a strong business class product and extensive international connections.”
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