SilkAir launches DRW flights

[Jon Harris]

Breakings news from the Travel Daily...

SIA's SilkAir to launch Darwin services

Singapore Airlines & Virgin Australia have jointly announced the launch of new international and domestic services to Darwin.

Effective 26 Mar 2012, Singapore Airlines' subsidiary SilkAir will commence a four times weekly service between Singapore and Darwin, while Virgin Australia will complement the route with a new daily service from Sydney to Darwin, from 02 Apr.

The carriers also confirmed that passengers would be able to begin earning and burning points through their reciprocal frequent flyer programs, KrisFlyer and Velocity, from 20 Dec, along with reciprocal lounge access.

SIA and DJ expect to commence codesharing on each other's services from early 2012, they said.

Furthermore, Virgin Australia announced it would open a lounge facility to accommodate its guests and those of its alliance partners at Darwin Airport.

"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," SilkAir chairman Mak Swee Wah said.

Virgin Australia Group Executive of Alliances, Network & Yield Management Merren McArthur said "together with Singapore Airlines we will be able to offer visitors from Singapore, Asia and Europe the opportunity to visit the Northern Territory and then travel to Sydney and the East Coast of Australia."


More information in today's Travel Daily.

[lloyd fox]

Aghhhh i got it right again.Back on 20 november. Breaking News ???

http://www.jetspotter.com/forum/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=12847

[Jason Carruthers]

Good news for Territorians, for years the only option to Singapore was Jetstar or if you were desperate enough Air Asia connecting in Denpasar (on seperate PNR's).

It's good to see Virgin expanding domestically too. The Northern Territory is pretty much one of the last Qantas strongholds' they need to break into.

I'm a bit curious about the timings.

I guess it will be arranged so Silkair leaves Singapore early evening gets into Darwin around Midnight then leaves around 0300 it should get back into Singapore around 0600 local. If this Virgin flight leaves Sydney in the late evening arrives into Darwin around Midnight leaves at 0200 it would get back to Sydney around 0700 (0800 DST Months) similar to the existing Brisbane flight. If they retime the Melbourne flight that would allow passengers from the east coast to make a short connection in Darwin before arriving in Singapore at dawn the same would be true for the return pattern.

I guess time will tell

[Jarden S]

Did Silk air use to fly to DRW many moons ago? Good they can come back for another go.
Finally Virgin will start a SYD to DRW route its been a big hole in their network they hardly serve the NT capital at the moment with only 3 flights per day. Compared to QF group 20+ daily flights.

[Phillippe M]

Hey Jarden,
SilkAir I don't believe have ever flow to Darwin, many years ago Singapore Airlines did fly here.
Same as Virgin, did at once also have a direct Darwin to Sydney services, which would have been around 2004/5 (I think).
Phillippe

[Rowan McKeever]

It kind of is 'breaking news' if you consider that all the official announcements are dated 13 December, even more so if you consider that on 20 November the Silkair service was still 11 days away from being commercially viable (ie the ACCC decision).

[Gareth U]

SilkAir I don't believe have ever flow to Darwin, many years ago Singapore Airlines did fly here.

Silk Air have flown limited charters into Darwin in the past.

I am surprised it has taken them this long to start scheduled services. Remember, we are talking about Darwin to the world on a full service airline. I am still confused as to why Qantas completely turn their back on this market. The daily 747SPs were full. Surely a 4pw 73H (in addition to JQ - which does have a place in this market) would have suited? Silk Air seems to think so!

[Steve Jones]

Given yesterday's announcement and the current competitive environment, it wouldn't surprise me at all if QF 73H flights DRW-SIN materialise very soon!

[Stefan Perkas]

Morning all,

Here are the schedules from http://www.silkair.com/mbe/en_UK/content/corporate/newsflash/NF1001_13122011.jsp

MI802 Dep SIN 1930 Arr DRW 0145 + 1 (Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun)
MI801 Dep DRW 0230 Arr SIN 0530 (Mon, Tue, Thu, Sat)

[lloyd fox]

Silk Air have flown charters to DRW before mainly to do with the Asian games.

[Justin L]

I remember once while in transit at Changi about three years ago there was a Silk Air flight on the departure board to Christmas Island. Would that have been a charter also? The reason I ask is that Silk Air's press release says Darwin is their first Australian city destination. Although Christmas Island technically is an external territory of Australia so I guess it could be excluded.

[J Brown]

Christmas Island flights were open charters for AustAsia Airlines if I remember correctly, SilkAir just operated them.

[Jarden S]

QF will do 2 DRW to HKG charters if they do well they could make them permanent and base a 73H for new international flying. I would have expected by now that Jetstar would have opened more points eg KUL, BKK along with HKG from DRW they seem to be hesitant at any new expansion lately, the days the MNL flight does not operate the A320sits on the ground for 12+ hours. But ofcourse the question is every new route proposed is a financial risk will the flight break even.

[Wesley D]

As far as I know, the QF charters to HKG are for Chinese new year. Doubt there will be anything permanent come of it.

[Ash W]

I am still confused as to why Qantas completely turn their back on this market. The daily 747SPs were full. Surely a 4pw 73H (in addition to JQ - which does have a place in this market) would have suited? Silk Air seems to think so!

You have to remember that Silkair has access to the whole SIA network from Singapore, but Qantas has London and Frankfurt. It makes a difference in how many planes you can fill and how often. This is also the reason why Qantas appears to 'under serve' Australia.

For example look at how many Thai Airways flights a day go to Bangkok compared to Qantas and from which cities. Same too with SIA to Singapore who have a clear frequency 'advantage' over Qantas. All for good reason.

[Gareth U]

You have to remember that Silkair has access to the whole SIA network from Singapore, but Qantas has London and Frankfurt.

I agree in that the Qantas network ex-SIN is no match for SQ and its partners. LHR or FRA are not insignificant markets out of Darwin. Add Helsinki, India, Narita, Haneda, Shanghai and Paris via codeshare partners, as well as access to the JQAsia network. And the reasonable DRW-SIN O&D market. This is enough to sustain a full service market presence, in my opinion.

[Radi K]

I think it's just PR hype. I don't know who would fly SYD-DRW-SIN with Virgin/Silk Air in the middle of the night. Especially with Scoot starting flights soon, and the many other direct options.

[Ash W]

I agree in that the Qantas network ex-SIN is no match for SQ and its partners. LHR or FRA are not insignificant markets out of Darwin. Add Helsinki, India, Narita, Haneda, Shanghai and Paris via codeshare partners, as well as access to the JQAsia network. And the reasonable DRW-SIN O&D market. This is enough to sustain a full service market presence, in my opinion.

Singapore airlines flies to 60 odd destinations, Silk Air 30+, so that is 90 destinations or about 10 times what Qantas has access to, and that is not counting codeshares etc.

So if 90+ destinations can support 1 A320 flight out of Darwin how can a dozen generate the same demand for a DRW-SIN flight for Qantas?

[Andrew P]

I think it's just PR hype. I don't know who would fly SYD-DRW-SIN with Virgin/Silk Air in the middle of the night. Especially with Scoot starting flights soon, and the many other direct options.

especially when you have to go thru customs/immigration in Darwin, problem with Jetstars Vietnam flights

[Jarden S]

There be very little connecting traffic from SYD to SIN via DRW when cheaper to fly non stop. It will be good for people on holiday coming in from the SIN hub to have a stopover in the NT for a few days before continuing to other places in OZ i.e. doing side trips using the Virgin domestic network.

[Gareth U]

So if 90+ destinations can support 1 A320 flight out of Darwin how can a dozen generate the same demand for a DRW-SIN flight for Qantas?

The 747SPs and 763s that originated in Cairns went out pretty full over the years.

[Ash W]

They may well have, but that aviation and tourism industry has changed quite significantly since then, meaning who & why we fly and where we fly is completely different. In particular the number of destinations we fly to has significantly changed, no longer do we, Australian's go to just the traditional "mother" countries in Europe, which is what these 747's and 763's would have feed into.