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Scoot expands network with new routes to China, Indonesia, and Vietnam
Singapore Airlines’ low-cost carrier Scoot announced the launch of three new flight services to Phu Quoc in Vietnam, Padang in Indonesia, and Shantou in China. Flights to Phu Quoc and Padang will commence on 20 December 2024 and 6 January 2025, respectively, and will be operated on the Embraer E190-E2 aircraft. On the other hand, flights to Shantou take off on 16 January 2025 on the Airbus A320 family aircraft. With the launch of services to Phu Quoc, Padang and Shantou, Scoot will operate 31 weekly flights to three cities in Vietnam, 84 weekly flights to 11 cities in Indonesia and 89 weekly flights to 17 points in China by January 2025. Flights to Phu Quoc, Padang and Shantou will be available for booking from today, via Scoot’s website, mobile app, and progressively through other channels. One-way Economy class fares start from SGD135 to Phu Quoc, SGD119 to Padang, and SGD169 to Shantou, inclusive of taxes. Scoot CEO Leslie Thng said of the new routes: “We are happy to announce the introduction of flight services to Padang, Phu Quoc, and Shantou, and hope to inspire more travellers to discover the diverse experiences our new destinations have to offer. We will continue to seek opportunities, expand our network and connect our customers to new travel experiences.” Vibrant new destinations Known for its rare wildlife and pristine beaches, Phu Quoc is a tropical haven perfect for a holiday of adventure or relaxation. It also houses the Phu Quoc National Park, recognised as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. At present, Phu Quoc is the only destination in Vietnam that has a 30-day visa-free policy, offering international travellers convenient access. From 20 December 2024, Scoot will operate three times weekly flights to Phu Quoc. Two more weekly flights will be added from 25 January 2025, bringing the total number of weekly flights between Singapore and Phu Quoc to five times. Padang, the capital city of West Sumatra and the birthplace of Padang cuisine (Nasi Padang), is a vibrant destination known for its Minangkabau culture and breathtaking beaches for surfing. Whether a culture seeker, a nature or food lover, Padang is a hidden gem waiting to be discovered. Scoot will operate four times weekly flights to Padang. Shantou, a coastal city located in the province of Guangdong in China, is a destination with deep cultural heritage and home to Chaoshan cuisine including marinated raw seafood. Travellers may like to stroll down Shantou Small Park to see the memorial hall of Dr Sun Yat-sen at Zhongshan Memorial Pavilion, or escape the city to bask in Nan Ao Island’s blue skies, sandy beaches and majestic mountains. Scoot will operate three times weekly flights to Shantou. Network adjustments In addition to the new destinations, Scoot will be making some adjustments to its network to better match capacity to demand and optimise fleet deployment. Scoot will add two more weekly flights to Jakarta, bringing the total number of weekly flights to 19 times weekly from 24 November 2024. Services to Koh Samui will be increased from 14 to 21 times weekly from 20 December 2024, and services to Davao will increase from five times weekly to daily flights from 22 December 2024. Flights to Vientiane will increase from four to five times weekly from 9 February 2025. Operations to Nanchang will be suspended after the last flight on 14 February 2025.
Hainan Airlines releases flight schedule for winter 2024 / spring 2025
Hainan Airlines announced that it will implement its winter and spring flight plan beginning 27th October, adding new routes and increasing flights to meet the needs of holiday travellers. The airline also announced its plans to introduce a new range of innovative products and services, as well as making travel more convenient for passengers in the coming seasons. For winter 2024 / spring 2025, Hainan Airlines plans to operate up to 500 domestic routes covering 80 cities. It will also add 40 new routes to its domestic network. New destinations Among the routes for addition to the network are flights going to and from Haikou, Changsha, Lanzhou, Urumqi, among other places. The airline will also increase the frequency of popular flights, including Haikou-Changsha / Xi'an / Nanchang, Beijing Capital-Sanya / Shanghai Pudong / Xi'an, Sanya-Nanchang / Jinan / Zhengzhou. In terms of international routes, Hainan Airlines aims to fly over 50 international and regional round-trip passenger routes departing from Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Haikou, Chongqing, Xi'an, Changsha, Taiyuan, Dalian, and Guangzhou to more than 30 countries and regions, further meeting the entry and exit needs of passengers. In addition, the airline will add international routes such as Shenzhen-Madrid, Haikou-Seoul, Beijing-Vladivostok, and increase the frequency of flights on popular international routes such as Haikou-Bangkok / Singapore and Chongqing-Paris. Catering to different passenger needs During the upcoming season, Hainan Airlines’ focus will be on the core public and business markets. That said, the airline plans to create special route products such as "Boutique Express" and "Free Trade Port Express", covering routes in and out of Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Haikou, and Sanya. The airline also seeks to create a better and more efficient travel experience for passengers by optimising flight scheduling, upgrading cabin and ground services, and integrating convenient travel rights. In addition, Hainan Airlines will continue to launch reservation products such as "Free Flight" and "Enjoy the Sea Flight", as well as customer care products such as "Exclusive for Students" and "Exclusive Preferential Services for Passengers with Outstanding Contributions" to give back to the support and love of the majority of passengers.
Strong demand over summer peak season drives record half-year results for SIA Group
The robust demand for air travel continued into the Northern Summer travel season, led by the rebound in passenger traffic to North Asia with the full reopening of China, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, and Taiwan. This resulted in record half-year operating and net profits for the SIA Group. SIA and Scoot carried 17.4 million passengers in the first six months of FY2023/24, an increase of 52.3% year-on-year. Passenger traffic grew 38.0% from a year before, outpacing the capacity expansion of 29.0%. As a result, the Group passenger load factor (PLF) improved by 5.8 percentage points to 88.8%, the highest ever half yearly PLF. SIA and Scoot achieved record PLFs of 88.0% and 91.3% respectively. The demand for air freight remained soft due to inventory overhang, as well as geopolitical and macroeconomic headwinds. The cargo load factor fell 8.4 percentage points to 52.7% year-on-year as cargo loads dipped 6.0%, while capacity grew 8.9% mainly due to increased passenger aircraft bellyhold space. Increased competition and softer demand also contributed to the downward pressure on cargo yields, which fell by 46.2% from a year before. Nevertheless, at 41.8 cents per load tonne-kilometre, cargo yields remained 37.0% above pre-pandemic levels 1 . Group revenue rose $745 million (+8.9%) to $9,162 million, with the $1,571 million (+26.3%) increase in passenger flown revenue to $7,550 million partially offset by a $1,039 million (-49.5%) decline in cargo flown revenue to $1,060 million. Expenditure increased by $427 million (+5.9%) to $7,609 million, with the rise in non-fuel expenditure of $840 million (+18.7%) partially offset by a $413 million decrease (-15.3%) in net fuel cost. Net fuel cost fell to $2,283 million mainly due to a 29.2% decrease in fuel prices (-$1,077 million), despite higher volume uplifted (+$566 million) and lower fuel hedging gain (+$173 million). The 18.7% increase in non-fuel expenditure was in-line with the 19.9% increase in overall passenger and cargo capacity. Overall, the Group recorded an operating profit of $1,554 million, $320 million higher than a year before. The Group posted a net profit of $1,441 million, $514 million more than the previous year (+55.4%), on the strong operating performance. The improvement in the bottom line was also aided by the net interest income versus net finance charges last year (+$222 million) and share of profits versus share of losses of associated companies last year (+$87 million), partially offset by a higher tax expense (-$118 million). Second Quarter FY2023/24 – Profit and Loss The Group posted a record quarterly operating profit of $799 million for the second quarter, an increase of $121 million (+17.8%) from last year, on the back of the strong demand over the peak summer season. Group revenue rose $195 million (+4.3%) year-on-year to $4,683 million. Passenger flown revenue increased by $570 million (+17.3%) to $3,873 million, lifted by the 28.9% growth in traffic. Group PLF increased 2.0 percentage points to 88.6%, as traffic growth outpaced the increase in capacity (+26.0%). Cargo flown revenue dipped 48.3% or $484 million to $519 million due to a decline in yield (-48.0%) on weaker demand, coupled with the reinstatement of industry bellyhold cargo capacity. Nonetheless, cargo yields – at 39.2 cents per load tonne-kilometre – were 28.5% above pre-Covid levels 1 . Cargo loads remained flat year-on-year (-0.5%) while capacity increased 6.0%, resulting in a 3.5 percentage point drop in cargo load factor to 53.5%. Group expenditure grew by $74 million (+1.9%) year-on-year to $3,884 million. This consisted of a $267 million increase (+11.2%) in non-fuel expenditure that was partially offset by a $193 million decrease (-13.6%) in net fuel cost. Net fuel cost fell to $1,230 million, mainly due to a 25.2% drop in fuel prices (-$478 million) that was partially offset by higher volume uplifted (+$262 million) and a lower fuel hedging gain(+$72 million). The increase in non-fuel expenditure was below the 17.0% increase in overall capacity including cargo. The Group posted a second quarter net profit of $707 million, an increase of $150 million (+26.9%) from a year before. The improvement was mainly due to the better operating performance (+$121 million), a net interest income versus net finance charges last year (+$78 million), and a surplus on disposal of aircraft, spares, and spare engines (+$22 million), and partially offset by higher tax expense (-$56 million). Balance Sheet As of 30 September 2023, the Group shareholders’ equity was $17.3 billion, a decline of $2.5 billion from 31 March 2023. This was due to the redemption in June 2023 of half of the Mandatory Convertible Bonds (MCBs) that were issued in June 2021, which amounted to $3.4 billion. Total debt balances decreased by $0.7 billion to $14.7 billion, mainly due to the repayment of borrowings. Consequently, the Group’s debt-equity ratio increased from 0.77 times to 0.85 times. Cash and bank balances saw a decrease of $2.8 billion to $13.5 billion, with the drop in cash balance arising from the redemption of the MCBs, repayment of borrowings, and payment of dividends. This was partially mitigated by the $2.6 billion of net cash generated from operations, which included proceeds from forward sales. In addition to the cash on hand, the Group retains access to $2.4 billion of committed lines of credit, all of which remain undrawn. The Group’s balance sheet remains healthy and is among the strongest in the industry. FLEET DEVELOPMENT SIA added three aircraft to its operating fleet in the second quarter. These comprise one Airbus A350-900 (delivered in July 2023) and two Boeing 787-10s (delivered in August 2023 and September 2023). As of 30 September 2023, the Group’s operating fleet had 202 aircraft comprising 195 passenger aircraft and seven freighters. SIA’s operating fleet comprised 140 passenger aircraft 2 and seven freighters, while Scoot had 55 passenger aircraft 3 . The Group has 96 aircraft 4 on order. With an average age of seven years and one month, the Group operates one of the youngest and most fuel-efficient fleets in the airline industry 5 . This allows its airlines to offer greater comfort and innovative products to customers, while further driving operating efficiency and supporting ongoing efforts tolower carbon emissions. NETWORK DEVELOPMENT During the second quarter, SIA reinstated services to Busan while Scoot resumed flights to Jinan, Nanchang, and Shenzhen. As of 30 September 2023, the Group’s passenger network 6 covered 119 destinations in 36 countries and territories. SIA served 75 destinations while Scoot served 67 destinations. The cargo network comprised 124 destinations in 38 countries and territories. In the Northern Winter operating season (29 October 2023 to 30 March 2024), SIA will re-introduce services to Chongqing (November 2023), Chengdu (December 2023), and Xiamen (between December 2023 and January 2024). As part of the regular review of the Group’s network, SIA will operate to Shenzhen in lieu of Scoot with the reinstatement of the full-service carrier’s flights from November 2023. SIA will also ramp up frequencies to Guangzhou from November 2023 from daily to double daily. Scoot will resume operations to Kunming and Changsha from November 2023. With these reinstatements, SIA and Scoot will serve 23 destinations in China compared to 25 points pre-pandemic 7 . In addition to the expansion in mainland China, Scoot will deploy supplementary services to Hong Kong SAR, Melbourne, and Sydney from December 2023 to February 2024 to cater to the year-end holiday demand.
Myanmar Airways makes Seoul its 10th destination
Myanmar Airways International has confirmed it will introduce a new nonstop service from its Yangon base to Seoul in South Korea this December. The airline, which has strong links with travel agents across Asia is confident that the new service will gain support from South Korea’s outbound travel firms. The four-weekly flights will depart Yangon on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Flights will arrive in Seoul Incheon on the following morning. The airline currently flies to Bangkok, Singapore, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Nanchang, Hefei, Fuzhou and Kolkata with a fleet of three A319 aircraft. The flight to Seoul Incheon will be its 10th destination. MAI’s commercial partner, Air KBZ, provides a domestic route network that connects with MAI flights. It allows foreign tour operators to bundle fares on MAI through the Yangon gateway to all popular tourist destinations in the country.
Guiyang city, China, sees outbound growth rate of 389%: Ctrip travel report
According to the report on 2017 China's Outbound Tourism, jointly released by China Tourism Academy and Ctrip, Chinese citizens made over 130 million outbound trips in 2017, spending USD 115.29 billion, making them the world's largest source of outbound tourists. Outbound tourism has become a big measure of happiness for urban families and the young people in China and for the travel industry it means a massive opportunity. The report, released in partnership with MasterCard, depicts China's outbound and inbound tourism based on the data collected from 2016 to 2018. The 2018 Cross-Border Travel Consumption Report analyses new trends, consumer behavior and customer segmentation and draw insights and suggestions for relevant industries and institutions. Outbound tourism trends In 2017, there were 131 million outbound tourists and 140 million inbound tourists. With the development of transportation, consumption upgrading and policy guidance, as well as the deepening of tourism cooperation among countries, outbound tourism has become an important leisure and entertainment mode for Chinese consumers. According to MasterCard consumption data, United States, Australia, Canada and Japan remain the traditional top countries for outbound consumption. Thailand, Japan, Vietnam and Singapore remain high, with more than 10 million Chinese tourists visiting these countries this year. Ladies first A considerable rise in young women travelling, especially those born post-90s and post-00s is recorded. The proportion of female visitors who chose to travel independently has risen from 46% in 2016 to 58% in 2018 and lesser of their men counterparts travelled dropping their ratio from from 54% to 42%. Young, wild and free According to a recent data released by Ctrip, young users under the age of 29 are the fastest growing group, accounting for nearly 50%. Customers under 35 makes up 70%. From January to September 2018, the proportion of tourists from the post-90s and post-00s exceeded 30% in total, surpassing the post-80s for the first time. Even when it comes to the big bucks, those born after 2000 spent close to 6,000 yuan on an average. Parent-child travel Parent-child travel is becoming increasingly popular, and the two-child policy contributes to this increase. From 2016 to 2018, the compound annual growth rate of parent-child travel trips and booking consumption was as high as 23% and 28%, respectively. Chinese parents look for short and convenient destinations that are safe and naturally abundant. According to Ctrip's outbound tourism product data, the top 20 parent-child travel destinations are mostly safe and developed countries - close to China (Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam) or with direct flights (Cairns, Melbourne). High on experiences The number of high-end tourists and the consumption per capita is fast growing with tourists focusing more on experiences rather than shopping. 20% of high-end visitors contribute to 80% of total outbound spending. The number and consumption from travel-related services and products booked by travelers during their trip rose 110% and 24% respectively. Niche markets being developed to suit visitors with greater taste for personalised trips that allow them to soak in the culture and destination in-depth. Nearly 40% of people sign up for independent travel, and they are more inclined to in-depth and personalized experiences. Thus Ctrip has added 350,000 products that includes tasting wine in Greece, IMG world in UAE and more. Small cities, big dreams While first-tier cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, are still the main source of outbound tourists, 80% of some 7000 offline Ctrip stores are located in non first-tier cities. Nanchang. China It is worth noting that with more direct air routes and the further opening of visa policies, the number of outbound tourists from second-tier cities are seeing rapid growth; in Guiyang, Changzhou, Nanchang, Kunming, Taiyuan the annual growth rate of these cities has exceeded 250%. Guiyang tops the list with a growth rate of 389%. Inbound tourism growth and business Chinese cities also show strong appeal for foreign tourists and China's inbound tourism grew by 7% between 2016 and 2018, and the number of arrivals grew by more than 9%. Leisure consumption still accounts for the vast majority in terms of proportion but business / corporate consumption has grown at an alarming rate in the past two years. Compound annual growth rate of business consumption is six times that of leisure consumption. The main sources of corporate consumption are the US and the UK. Although Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen are still the main destinations for business travel, the growth rate of business consumption in non-first-tier cities surpasses that of first-tier cities.
Early Ramadan linked to drop in APAC passenger numbers
Passenger growth in the Middle East has experienced a decline of -4.5% according to a report from the Airports Council International Asian office. The report reveals that, this year the earlier appearance of Ramadan in the calendar which ran from May 16 to June 14 - in 2017 the observance was May 26 to June 24 - is thought to have led to a dip in the passengers through the regions three main airports: Dubai (DXB) -3.8%, Doha (DOH) -23.6% and Abu Dhabi (AUH) -12.9%. However, bucking the trend, were Kuwait (KWI) and Muscat (MCT) airports which continued to experience positive growth at +18.2% and +6.9 respectively. The predominantly Muslim Malaysia also observed a drop in numbers with Kuala Lumpur (KUL) and Jakarta (CGK) with declines of -2.7% and -2.6 China Passenger traffic growth in China leveled out +8.2% for the month maintained by strong domestic demand at +7.11%. Out of the top 10 airports in Asia-Pacific that generated the highest domestic passenger volume increase from last year, six airports came from China and the top three were: Beijing (PEK) +6.8%, Shenzhen (SZX) +10.8%, and Nanchang (KHN) +46.2%. India Another key aspect of the report was that despite reporting growth of +13.3%, India’s domestic flight sector is not developing as rapidly as expected with the marker delivering the lowest rate of growth since recording +15.5% in November last year. Top volume drivers for the month were: Bangalore (BLR) +25.5%, Delhi (DEL) +8.6%, and Hyderabad (HYD) +27.3%. Freight For air freight, APAC hubs maintained solid growth at +4.7% while the Middle East experienced a small decline of -0.9%. Hong Kong continued to be the top freight hub delivering growth at +4.7% followed by Shanghai Pudong (PVG) +1.0% and Seoul Incheon (ICN) +4.4%. ACI Asia-Pacific is based in Hong Kong and represents 106 members operating 605 airports in 49 countries/ territories in Asia-Pacific and the Middle-East.
Low cost carrier Scoot launches non-stop flights to Berlin
Berlin, Germany viewed from above the Spree River Scoot launched its third long-haul destination with non-stop four-times-weekly flights to Berlin from Singapore. The capital city of Germany is Scoot’s third long-haul destination after Athens in Greece and Honolulu in the United States, both of which were launched last year. Asia/Pacific’s Best Low Cost Airline for four consecutive years and the low-cost arm of the Singapore Airlines (SIA) Group’s inaugural flight TR734 departed Singapore Changi Airport at about 12.25am local time and received a traditional water cannon salute upon arriving at Berlin Tegel Airport at approximately 7.20 am local time . The aircraft, a wide body Boeing 787 Dreamliner named “Bo Jio”carried 311 customers and was 95% full. Fliers originated from Singapore, Indonesia and Australia among other countries, and half of them comprised of young adults between 18 and 35 years old. Known for its unique and fun personality, Scoot has been known to organise neon parties, band performances, and even an inflight wedding on board its flights. In line with Berlin’s reputation as the party central of Europe, customers of TR734 were invited to take part in an electro dance party and exciting games with prizes. "Scoot’s low-cost long-haul network continues to grow at a steady pace" Mr Lee Lik Hsin, Scoot’s CEO, said, “With the addition of Berlin just a year after we successfully launched Athens, and then Honolulu, Scoot’s low-cost long-haul network continues to grow at a steady pace. Vibrant, creative and steeped in history, we are confident that the city of Berlin will appeal to any market or demographic, and open a new and exciting part of the continent for travellers.” Vinod Kannan, COO Scoot (LH) welcomes passengers and crew to Berlin Scoot’s spacious and comfortable state-of-the-art 787 Dreamliners offer several amenities and services suited to long-haul travel, such as inflight Wi-Fi, in-seat power and inflight ScooTV entertainment streamed to guests’ own devices. Guests can also choose from a full-leather ScootBiz seat with 38” pitch, 30kg checked-in baggage, and meals and drinks included, or enjoy a peaceful journey in the ScootinSilence economy class quiet zone with seat pitches ranging from 31” up to 35”. "Scoot’s extensive route network currently spans 65 destinations across 18 countries and territories" Scoot’s extensive route network currently spans 65 destinations across 18 countries and territories, with Nanchang to join next month. Its fleet of 17 787 Dreamliners and 24 Airbus A320 family aircraft, with three more Boeing 787 Dreamliners and 39 Airbus A320 neo aircrafts currently on order, Scoot is slated to increase to about 70 aircraft by 2022. With the addition of Berlin, the SIA Group network in Germany now encompasses four cities, including Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, and Munich, with a total of 29 return services a week. The flight schedule for the Singapore-Berlin service is as follows: Sector Departure Arrival Frequency Singapore – Berlin 12.25 a.m. 7.20 a.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday Berlin – Singapore 9.40 a.m. 3.45 a.m. (+1) Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday (All times local)
Asian air route updates from AirAsia, Bangkok Airways, Air Astana and more
AirAsia launches Borneo's new intra-island route Where? Kuching (Malaysia) to Pontianak (Indonesia) When? Daily, effective immediately Who? AirAsia Why? Low-cost carrier expands intra-island connectivity in Borneo, with new cross-border link between Malaysia and Indonesia Anything else? Pontianak is known as the “Equatorial City” as it is positioned exactly on the Equator. Air China expands European network Where? Beijing (China) to Zurich (Switzerland) When? Four times a week, effective immediately Who? Air China Why? Chinese national carrier continues to expand long-haul network with new link to European financial hub Anything else? Air China operates more flights between China and Europe than any other airline, with almost 300 weekly departures Air Astana goes international from Uralsk Where? Uralsk (Kazakhstan) to Frankfurt (Germany) When? Once a week, effective 14 June 2017 Who? Air Astana Why? Kazakhstan's national carrier aims to boost connectivity in the west of the country, which has strong mineral and agriculture sectors Anything else? This will be the first direct connection between Uralsk and Western Europe Capital connection for World Expo Where? Astana (Kazakhstan) to Delhi (India) When? Three times a week, effective 2 July 2017 Who? Air Astana Why? Kazakhstan’s national carrier expands international links from the country’s capital, Astana, as it hosts the World Expo Anything else? Air Astana already flies direct to Delhi from Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty Low-cost Spring resumes Bangkok route Where? Nanchang (China) to Bangkok (Thailand) When? Four times a week, effective 2 July 2017 Who? Spring Airlines Why? Chinese low-cost carrier continues to tap huge outbound demand for breaks in Thailand, resuming a previously suspended service Anything else? Spring now connects 19 Chinese cities with Bangkok, either direct or as part of one-stop routes Virgin Australia starts flying to Hong Kong Where? Melbourne (Australia) to Hong Kong When? Five times a week, effective 7 July 2017 Who? Virgin Australia Why? New service forms part of partnership between Virgin Australia and Hong Kong Airlines, with passengers offered codeshare connections in Australia and China Anything else? Hong Kong Airlines’ parent company, HNA Group, has purchased an equity stake in Virgin Australia Samui gets connected to Chinese megacity Where? Koh Samui (Thailand) to Chongqing (China) When? Three times a week, effective 22 July 2017 Who? Bangkok Airways Why? Thai carrier aims to take advantage of the huge Chinese appetite for Thailand’s beaches, with new flights from the megacity of Chongqing Anything else? Home to more than 40 million people, Chongqing is one of the world’s most populous urban areas Alitalia plans return to Delhi Where? Rome (Italy) to Delhi (India) When? Daily, effective 29 October 2017 Who? Alitalia Why? Italian national carrier taps demand from fast-growing Indian outbound travel market, whilst also taking advantage of partnership with Jet Airways Anything else? Alitalia previously flew between Milan and Delhi in 2008, but has not connected the Indian capital with Rome since the mid-1990s
Asian air route updates: Virgin Australia, Thai Lion, Air India and more…
Bangladesh gets low-cost Dubai link Where? Dubai (UAE) to Sylhet (Bangladesh) When? Four times a week, effective immediately (rising to six per week in May 2017) Who? Flydubai Why? New low-cost link to tap demand for trade between two Muslim countries, including overseas workers in the Gulf Anything else? Located in northeast Bangladesh, Sylhet is a major tea-growing area. It also hosted matches in the 2014 ICC Twenty20 cricket world cup. Expanding ASEAN connections for Thai Lion Air Where? Bangkok Don Mueang (Thailand) to Hanoi (Vietnam) When? Eight times a week, effective 24 March 2017 Who? Thai Lion Air Why? Low-cost carrier continues to expand international operations from Bangkok. This will become its second Vietnamese route, after Ho Chi Minh City Anything else? Bangkok is the most connected international city from Hanoi, with multiple airlines operating almost 80 weekly flights between the two capitals VASCO adds new domestic route from Hanoi Where? Hanoi to Dong Hoi (both Vietnam) When? Daily, effective 26 March 2017 Who? VASCO Why? Vietnam Airlines' domestic subsidiary continues to take over national carrier's smaller operations. This is the fourth domestic route transferred to VASCO Anything else? Dong Hoi is the closest city to Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, which houses the world's largest cave Bangkok-based LCC boosts coverage in China Where? Bangkok Don Mueang (Thailand) to Nanjing, pictured (China) When? Daily, effective 26 March 2017 Who? Thai Lion Air Why? Low-cost carrier continues to expand international operations in China. This will become its fifth Chinese destination, with a sixth (Nanchang) to follow shortly afterwards Anything else? Nanjing literally means “southern capital”, as opposed to Beijing with is China’s “northern capital” Malindo adds second service to Hainan Where? Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) to Haikou (China) When? Twice a week, effective 28 March 2017 Who? Malindo Air Why? Serving the ever-expanding trade and tourism links between Malaysia and China. Flight will operate via Penang. Anything else? This won’t be Malindo’s first connection to Hainan Island – the airline already flies to the beach resort of Sanya New beach flights from China's landlocked Ningxia region Where? Yinchuan (China) to Phuket (Thailand) When? Three times a week, effective 10 April 2017 Who? China Southern Airlines Why? Tapping the ever-increasing Chinese demand for tourism in Thailand. Flights will operate via Zhengzhou, the capital of China’s populous Henan province Anything else? Yinchuan is the capital of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, which sits on the ancient Silk Road and is predominantly Muslim Spring adds new low-cost link to Macau Where? Hangzhou (China) to Macau, pictured When? Daily, effective 16 April 2017 Who? Spring Airlines Why? A new low-cost connection for residents of eastern China wanting to visit the casinos of Macau Anything else? Gambling revenues in Macau - the world's biggest gaming market - declined for 26 straight months before rebounding in August last year Air India to start flying to Israel Where? Delhi (India) to Tel Aviv, pictured (Israel) When? Three times a week, effective May 2017 Who? Air India Why? Part of national carrier’s international expansion plan, which is also expected to include new services to Washington DC and Stockholm Anything else? Only Israel's El Al currently operates direct flights between Israel and India Virgin Australia launches Hong Kong flights Where? Melbourne (Australia) to Hong Kong When? Five times a week, effective 5 July 2017 Who? Virgin Australia Why? Part of a proposed alliance with HNA, which will see Virgin team up with Hainan Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines, Capital Airlines and Tianjin Airlines Anything else? Virgin Australia and its new partners will offer connections from Hong Kong to 13 destinations in mainland China
China drives Singapore tourism growth in 2013
Singapore recorded a steady increase in visitor arrivals in 2013, driven by a strong rise in the number of tourists from China. Singapore welcomed 15.47m international visitors in 2013 Citing preliminary full-year arrivals data, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) revealed this week that the city state welcomed 15.47 million visitors in 2013, 7.2% more than during 2012. And while most visitor source markets contributed more visitors to Singapore last year, it was the performance of mainland China that caught the eye. In the first three quarters of the year, arrivals from China surged 25.5% to 1.9m, making it Singapore's second largest source market, behind Indonesia. Much of this growth was driven by new air routes between China and Singapore. According to the Changi Airport Group, which operates Singapore's main international gateway, flights were launched to Singapore from seven new Chinese cities last year: Guilin, Jinan, Lijiang, Nanchang, Nanning, Ningbo and Wuxi. This brings Changi's total number of Chinese connections to 31. Indonesia remains the largest source of visitors to Singapore, with 2.28m visitors in the first nine months of the year, 9.3% more than the same period in 2012. Malaysia (+3.6% to 909,975), Australia (+10.4% to 842,382), India (+5.0% to 702,924), Japan (+11.7% to 619,374), the Philippines (+3.9% to 506,307), Hong Kong (+17.5% to 416,570), the USA (+4.8% to 372,330) and Thailand (+4.0% to 359,915) completed the top 10. The UK (+4.7% to 346,078) was Singapore's top European source market in the first three quarters of the year. In total, Singapore generated tourism revenues of SG$23.5 billion (US$18.7bn) last year, a year-on-year increase of 1.6% and a new annual record. According to STB’s accommodation data, Singapore’s average hotel occupancy was 86%, marginally down compared to 2012, while average room rates fell 1.4% to SG$258.10 (approximately US$205).
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