Perth has lost a second carrier on the Singapore route with Tigerair Singapore to drop service to the West Australian capital in early February 2015 as part of the low-cost carrier’s network review.
A Tigerair Singapore spokesperson said decision to end service to Perth was made after careful consideration and confirmed the last flight to depart Perth for the city-state would be TR2717 on February 7 2015.
“The suspension of the Perth route is part of Tigerair’s network review process and is in line with our route rationalisation strategy,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement on Monday.
“In order for Tigerair to continue providing low fares to our customers, we review our network regularly and make careful adjustments where necessary, to ensure that we’re operating efficiently as an airline.”
Perth was one of three destinations Tigerair Singapore was stopping services to, with the low-cost carrier dropping flights to Bandung, Indonesia, at the end of October and ending its Singapore-Phnom Penh route on November 11.
Qantas ended year-round Perth-Singapore services in May 2014, although the Flying Kangaroo had indicated it would operate the route on a seasonal basis during times of peak demand such as school holidays. Singapore-based Jetstar Asia, which is 49 per cent owned by Qantas, flies between Singapore and Perth.
Singapore Airlines and its wholly-owned low-cost carrier Scoot also fly the Perth route from their Singapore hub.
Scoot and Tigerair Singapore, which is 40 per cent owned by Singapore Airlines, recently won approval from regulators to cooperate on schedules and pricing, as well as collaborate on boosting connecting traffic at Changi.
Tigerair Singapore’s progressive withdrawal from Bandung, Phenom Penh and Perth also comes as the airline group prepares to sub-lease 12 surplus aircraft to India’s Indigo Airlines.
The majority of the 12 aircraft were previously operated by Tigerair Philippines and Indonesia’s Tigerair Mandala, Tigerair said on Friday.
“The sublease agreement resolves our excess capacity issue and puts us in a better position to focus on our Singapore operations,” Tigerair group chief executive Lee Lik Hsin said in a statement.
“We will actively explore options for the placement of the surplus aircraft subsequent to their return from IndiGo.”
Deliveries of the 12 aircraft to the Indian budget carrier were due to take place over a six-month period beginning in October, with the sub-lease lasting between three and four years.
Tigerair Philippines was sold to Cebu Pacific Air in March 2014, while Tigerair Mandala was shut down in July 2014.
Airlines across South-East Asia have been dealing with excess capacity in the market in recent times, leading to losses from a number of low-cost carrier groups.
