Jane Chen / Shanghai Daily news
Following Thai AirAsia, Singapore Tiger Airways Pte Ltd has become the second
overseas budget airline approved to enter China's aviation market, today's
Shanghai Securities News reported.
Citing an official with the Civil Aviation
Administration of China, the report said the authority has approved Tiger
Airways' proposal, submitted in December, to commence two flights between the
island nation and China.
The two routes, from Singapore's Changi Airport to
China's Meilan International Airport on Hainan Island and to Shenzhen
International Airport, will be launched as soon as April, the official
predicted.
Price details of the services are not yet available.
The new
face will not upset its Chinese counterparts, however.
Citing the different
business scopes, Liu Jieyin, director and president with China's first budget
carrier Okay Airways Co., said "we are focusing on domestic routes, while, so
far, the incoming overseas rivals are only operating international services."
Though he expects domestic routes to eventually become open to overseas
carriers, he said the Chinese firms are safe before that time.
Established in
December 2003, Tiger Airways now serves ten cities around Asia with a fleet of
four new Airbus A320 aircraft.
Singapore Airlines Limited holds a 49 percent
stake in the company with three other companies holding the balance.
Prior
to this, last year AirAsia was the first overseas budget carrier to enter China
by launching a flight between China's Xiamen and Bangkok in Thailand at a price
of 299 yuan (US$37).