SilkAir

SilkAir

IATA ICAO Callsign MI SLK SILKAIR
Founded	1976 (as Tradewinds Charters)
Commenced operations	1992
Hubs	Singapore Changi Airport
Frequent-flyer program	KrisFlyer
Fleet size	24
Destinations	44
Parent company	Singapore Airlines Limited
Headquarters	Singapore
Key people	Marvin Tan (CEO) Leslie Thng (CEO Designate)
Website	www.silkair.com

SilkAir (Singapore) Private Limited (Tamil: சில்க்ஏர்)(Chinese: 勝安航空 Shèng'ān Hángkōng) is an airline with its head office in Airline House in Singapore; previously it was on the fifth storey of the SIA Superhub in Singapore. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore Airlines and operates scheduled passenger services from Singapore to 43 cities in Southeast Asia, South Asia, China and Australia . As the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, it serves the short-haul destinations in the Singapore Airlines Group network, and flew 1.56 million passengers in 2006. It made a profit of S$30 million, as turnover rose 20.4% to $415 million.

As of 31 March 2010, SilkAir employs 278 staff.

History

The airline had its roots as a regional air-charter company as Tradewinds Charters formed in 1976, and using planes predominantly leased from parent company Singapore Airlines serving leisure destinations. Scheduled services were introduced as Tradewinds Airlines on 21 February 1989, when it leased McDonnell Douglas MD-87 airplanes for services to 6 destinations: Bandar Seri Begawan, Pattaya, Phuket, Hat Yai and Kuantan from Singapore's Changi International Airport and Tioman from Singapore's Seletar Airport. As the carrier matured, regional business destinations such as Jakarta, Phnom Penh and Yangon were added to its network, thereby broadening the airline's appeal beyond the holiday-maker to include the business traveller.

SilkAir A319-100 at Singapore Changi Airport, with a Singapore Airlines (parent company) Boeing 777 in the background.

A major marketing overhaul was started in 1991, culminating on 1 April 1992, by giving the airline its present name and logo as a new corporate identity. The re-branded airline utilised up to six of the new Boeing 737-300s introduced just a year earlier. The mid-1990s saw two Airbus A310-200 aircraft in use and the expansion of services to India as well as mainland China. It was the first Asian carrier to offer handheld portable video-on-demand (VOD) in-flight entertainment in the form of the DigEplayer 5500, available on flights to selected countries.

Destinations

Main article: SilkAir destinations

Codeshare agreements

SilkAir has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:

• Bangkok Airways
• Garuda Indonesia
• Malaysia Airlines
• Shenzhen Airlines
• Singapore Airlines
• Virgin Australia

==Fleet==

SilkAir Airbus A320 at Davao International Airport, Philippines

SilkAir at Sam Ratulangi International Airport in Manado. (above)

SilkAir began operations with two leased McDonnell Douglas MD-87 aircraft in 1989, before investing in its own fleet of six Boeing 737-300s, the first of which began operations in 1991. It operated two Airbus A310-200s for a brief period from 1993 to 1995 before they were transferred to Singapore Airlines, and two Fokker 70s from 1995 to 2000. It began replacing its Boeing fleet with Airbus aircraft when the first Airbus A320-200 arrived on September 18, 1998, and retired all Boeing aircraft a year later. Soon after its first A320 was delivered, SilkAir took delivery of its first A319-100 aircraft on September 3, 1999. The A319 is currently utilized on certain routes within Southeast Asia, and to some cities in India, while the larger A320 is used on most of the airline's major routes. On 20 December 2006, SilkAir signed an agreement to purchase 11 Airbus A320-200 aircraft with nine more on option. These aircraft will be delivered between 2009-2012.

On 3 August 2012, SilkAir had signed a letter of intent with Boeing for a purchase of 68 aircraft. The agreement includes a firm order for 23 Boeing 737-800s and 31 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, and purchase rights for another 14 aircraft. On 14 November 2012, the commitment was then converted to a firm order. The 737 aircraft will be used to replace the existing A319/320 fleet and for the expansion of the airline.

The SilkAir fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of 31 December 2013):

SilkAir Fleet

Aircraft	In Service	Orders	Options	Passengers
				J	Y	Total
Airbus A319-100	6	—	—	8	120	128
Airbus A320-200	18	—	—	16	126	142
Boeing 737-800	—	23	—	12	150	162
Boeing 737 MAX 8	—	31	14	TBA
Total	24	54	18

Cabins

There are two classes of cabins available on all SilkAir flights — Business class and Economy class.

SilkAir A320-200 Economy Class cabin

Business Class

Business class cabins are available on all SilkAir flights. The business-class cabins offer a seat pitch of between 39 to 40 inches and legroom of 19.3 inches. Business class passengers now receive leather seats which are on all Airbus A320s.

Economy Class

All economy class cabins on SilkAir have a seat pitch of 31 inches and legroom of 12 inches. Economy class now features a new autumn color scheme - the older seats found in some of the older A320s are blue-green.

On-board amenities

Dining

SilkAir offers Oriental and Western menus which emphasise on flavours of the region. Local delights such as Hainanese chicken rice, laksa, mee siam and mee rebus are available on selected flights.

Entertainment

SilkAir offers a selection of short story books and magazine titles on board and screens a series of short features on their inflight screens. SilkAir inflight magazine, Silkwinds is complimentary for all passengers. It is published once every two months.

Wi-Fi service

SilkAir has started a wireless inflight entertainment system trial on one of its Airbus A320 aircraft. The system allows passengers to stream movies, TV programmes and music directly onto their personal devices while on a flight. They can then access the content through their laptops, tablets and smartphones. This service is free for all passengers.

Tradewinds Tours and Travel

Tradewinds Tours and Travel Private Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of SilkAir, providing package tours to destinations flown by the airline, as well as chartered flights within the Asia region. The company was incorporated in 1975, and became a fully licensed tour operator in 1984.

SilkAir, the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, was once known as Tradewinds Charters at its founding in 1976, before earning its present name in 1991. The chartered operations were hence continued to be handled by Tradewinds Tours and Travel.

Awards

The airline won successive Best Regional Airline: Southeast Asia in 2009 and 2010 by Skytrax at each year's respective World Airlines Awards. In October 2011, SilkAir was awarded the Regional Airline of the Year by the Centre for Aviation (CAPA), an aviation research body.

Incidents and accidents

• On 19 December 1997, SilkAir Flight 185, operated by a Boeing 737-300 and piloted by Captain Tsu Way Ming, plunged into the Musi River in Sumatra during a routine flight from Jakarta to Singapore, killing all 104 people on board. The crash was investigated by various groups, with different results. The Indonesian NTSC, who were lead investigators, stated that they were unable to determine the cause, while the U.S. NTSB concluded that the crash resulted from an intentional act by a pilot, most likely the captain.

External links

• Official website
• SilkAir aircraft