Tiger Airways Flying Once Again in Australia

It was good to see Tiger Airways flying once again in Australia today. Tiger Airways had its first flight today after its six-week suspension. It was grounded by regulators after one of its planes came into land too low in Melbourne on July 1 this year.

To start off with Tiger Airways will only fly the popular Sydney- Melbourne route, the busiest in Australia. It has its reduced its lights to 18 flights a day nationwide for the rest of the month.  It has cut its Australian fleet from 10 to 8 Airbus SAS A320 aircraft because of these reductions in service. It also closed its base in Adelaide and temporarily closed another one at Avalon airport in Victoria near Melbourne.

Tiger Airways began domestic Australian flights in November 2007. It has offered low fares for passengers by charging extra for food, airport check-in and checked-in luggage.  Chief Executive Officer Tony Davis said “There is a confidence issue we need to build on, but it is a business model that has been proven around the world.”   

Tiger Airways has committed itself to improving pilot training, crew scheduling and fatigue management, as well as hiring more qualified personnel.

Tiger Airways is the budget airline owned by Singapore Air. The suspension has cost Tiger Airways more than $10 million in lost revenue, and upset travel plans of thousands of Australian holiday makers, business professionals, and conference and expo participants. It is to be hoped that Tiger Airways can quickly re-establish itself as a popular Airline in Australia and regain lost ground.