
7th March 2012, 09:10 AM
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Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 122
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From ninemsn 7th March
Quote:
Low-cost carrier Tiger Airways says it will set up a second Australian base in Sydney as aviation regulators ease restrictions on the troubled airline.
Tiger, in a statement on Wednesday, said it would have three Airbus A320 aircraft flying out of Sydney, adding about 3,600 seats a day in and out of the city's airport.
These included new Sydney-Brisbane and Sydney-Gold Coast services.
The base would also create 150 new jobs.
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) grounded Tiger's Australian fleet of 10 Airbus A320s on July 2, 2011, saying at the time it believed permitting the airline to continue flying posed a serious and imminent risk to air safety.
CASA cleared Tiger to resume flying on August 2. The airline currently is operating on a restricted schedule.
Moreover, all flights either start or terminate at Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport.
Tiger Airways Australian chief executive Andrew David said the expansion plans at Sydney signalled CASA's approval of the airline's 2012 business growth plan.
"The business goal was to have all 10 aircraft operating in Australia by the second half of 2012 and today's news proves we're on track," Mr David said in a statement.
Tiger has not made a profit in Australia since starting operations in this country in November 2007.
Sydney Airport chief executive Kerrie Mather said Tiger would, from July, fly up to 38 services a day from the harbour city, up from the current 10.
Prior to the grounding, Tiger had bases at Melbourne Tullamarine and Avalon airports, as well as Adelaide.
The South Australian government was seeking about $2.5 million from Tiger for breaking a contract to maintain a base in Adelaide.
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