Silkair Marks Silver Jubilee With Delivery Of New Boeing 737-800 Aircraft

SINGAPORE, Jan 9 - With 25 years in the air under its wing, SilkAir, the regional arm of Singapore Airlines, will be celebrating its Silver anniversary this year.

To mark the jubilee celebrations, the airline will be taking delivery of the first aircraft in its new fleet of 54 Boeing 737s in early February 2014.

A total of eight planes are expected this year, with the remaining aircraft to be delivered by the end of this decade.

With the new aircraft, several enhancements will be offered to improve the in-flight experience for travellers including upgraded cabin interiors with more spacious overhead luggage compartments and lighting systems.

In addition to the milestone aircraft delivery, SilkAir will roll out a host of surprises and celebrations for their avid Asian traveller target.

At a press briefing here Thursday, SilkAir chief executive, Leslie Thng, said: "Our new Boeing fleet will enable us to put the passengers at the centre of our focus, with the objective of delivering a higher level of quality and experience.

"Despite aggressive competition, we have maintained a strong foothold in the market as a full-service regional carrier and become known for offering access to unique destinations, with genuine and thoughtful service that exemplifies true Asian hospitality," he said.

Moving forward, Thng said the airline would continue to improve and adapt, catering to the evolving needs of travellers in Asia.

"We will focus on expanding our network to unique destinations especially in key markets such as China, India and Indonesia and continue to build on the last 25 years, and soar to new heights of air travel excellence."

To rally consumers and involve them in SilkAir's historic Boeing delivery, the airline will bring aviation buffs together to virtually deliver the new aircraft to Singapore.

Tracking the actual delivery route, from the Boeing Renton factory in Seattle to Singapore's Changi Airport, the "Bringing Boeing Home with SilAir" programme is Asia's first 25-hour flight simulator event that will allow up to 150 selected members of the public to fly a simulator SilkAir Boeing 737-800 plane into Singapore.

The event will take place overnight from Feb 7-8 at Flight Experience Singapore, located at the Singapore Flyer.

SilkAir travellers will also be rewarded through special promotional deals where 250,000 tickets will be made available at special rates for consumers in Singapore and across the region.

The first aircraft is planned to enter service from Feb 20, 2014, flying to destinations including Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Phuket and Medan while the arrival of the second plane will allow the addition of other routes including Siem Reap, Danang, Davao, Cebu and Kochi from March 17.

BERNAMA