Tag Archives: Singapore Airlines

Vistara welcomes its 50th A320NEO

Vistara, India’s finest full-service carrier and a joint venture between the Tata group and Singapore Airlines, today, welcomed its 50th Airbus A320neo to its young, modern fleet. With this latest addition, Vistara now has a total of 66 aircraft, including 50 Airbus A320neo, 10 Airbus A321, and six Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. In line with the focus to expand its domestic and international footprint, Vistara is on course to have 70 aircraft by the end of FY2024, thereby providing better connectivity and a wider network to its customers. Vistara currently operates over 300 daily flights, connecting 32 domestic and 18 international destinations. Vistara’s fleet is not just one of the youngest in the industry but has also been recognized for its overall inflight experience which is at par with some of the biggest and best airlines in the world. The airline has always focussed on investment in modern aircraft with cutting edge technology and fuel-efficient engines. Vistara has also been recognized with ch-aviation Asia’s 3rd Youngest Aircraft Fleet Award 2023, for the second consecutive year, which is a testament to its efforts in this area. Vistara is India’s highest-rated airline on Skytrax and TripAdvisor, and it has been the winner of several ‘Best Airline’ awards, besides being lauded for world-class cabin cleanliness and upholding high safety standards. The only Indian carrier to feature amongst World’s Top 20 Airlines, Vistara has been named ‘16th Best Airline’ globally while also being recognized as the ‘Best Airline in India and South Asia’ for the third time in a row, ‘Best Airline Staff in India and South Asia’ for the fifth consecutive year, ‘Best Cabin Crew in India and South Asia’ for the third …

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Vistara inaugurates non-stop flights between Mumbai and Doha; Bolsters presence in the middle east.

Vistara, India’s finest full-service carrier and a joint venture between the Tata group and Singapore Airlines, inaugurated direct 4x weekly flights between Mumbai and Doha. The inaugural flight, operated on Vistara’s A321neo aircraft, commenced from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai, at 18:45 Hours (IST) on 15 December 2023 and arrived at Hamad International Airport, Doha, at 20:30 Hours. With a consistent surge in demand for travel between India and the Middle East, Vistara has been focussing on expanding its presence in the region. The airline already provide direct connectivity to five destinations in the region, namely Abu Dhabi, Dammam, Dubai, Jeddah and Muscat. Mr. Vinod Kannan, Chief Executive Officer, Vistara, said, “Based on the remarkable response to Vistara’s Middle Eastern routes, we are confident that the launch of operations to Doha will further strengthen our footprint in the region. Doha – an essential commercial hub and home to a large Indian diaspora – is Vistara’s 50th destination and the sixth in the middle east. We are excited to bring the Best Airline in India and Southern Asia to Doha with direct connectivity from Mumbai. We firmly believe that Vistara’s widely appreciated product and globally awarded service make for just the right combination to cater to the market requirements and customers’ demand.” Ms. Sujata Suri, Senior Vice President, Finance and Procurement at Hamad International Airport said: “We are pleased to announce our new partnership with Vistara, linking Doha to Mumbai—a strategic collaboration that reinforces Hamad International Airport’s commitment to expanding connectivity and offering passengers unparalleled travel experiences. As Doha becomes Vistara’s 50th destination, this collaboration signifies a shared commitment to excellence and marks a milestone of its own for Hamad International …

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Singapore Tourism Board (STB) conducts virtual familiarisation for India travel trade

More than 200 travel agents pan-India took part in the ‘SingapoReimagine Virtual Experiences Familiarisation Day’ organised by STB on July 27 and 31. Featuring virtual experiences by Singapore Airlines, Singapore Zoo, Monster Tours and a masterclass by Brass Lion Distillery, the full-day event set new standards of how virtual experience engagement can be presented immersively and seamlessly.

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STB partners with local MICE industry to catalyse new opportunities at virtual show on March 3-4

About 700 participants are expected at the SingapoReimagine MICE Virtual Show, an event organised by Singapore Tourism Board for local and international MICE players to connect and showcase their offerings. This is its first such collaboration with local MICE players. The two-day event will be held from 3 to 4 March 2021 and is part of Singapore’s efforts to catalyse the MICE industry’s recovery and generate business opportunities for its partners. The event will see up to 40 suppliers like hotels, convention centres and tour operators. Exhibitors include Gardens by the Bay, Singapore Airlines and Sentosa Development Corporation. The top 5 voted buyers will each win a hosted trip to Singapore on Singapore Airlines, inclusive of a hosted stay and exclusive experiences.

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SIA-Vistara deepen partnership

Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Vistara have signed a Commercial Cooperation Framework Agreement, which is an extension of a codeshare partnership that was established in 2017. Taking it a step forward, the new agreement would allow both airlines to achieve further synergies on services between Singapore and India, as well as in the key regions of South East Asia, Australia and New Zealand. JoAnn Tan, Acting Senior Vice President Marketing Planning, Singapore Airlines, said: “By bolstering our partnership, Singapore Airlines and Vistara are able to work together to provide additional options for our customers. It also reflects the importance of the Indian market to Singapore Airlines, as well as our commitment to grow our network in the coming years.” Leslie Thng, Chief Executive Officer, Vistara said: “We are thrilled to further strengthen our partnership with Singapore Airlines. The intent is reflective of our deep-rooted commitment to providing our customers the finest and the most convenient way to fly across the world with the consistency of a five-star travel experience. This is in line with our long-term growth plan of expanding Vistara’s global presence and presenting India’s best airline to the world.”

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Indian visitor arrivals double from 33k-66k in four years for New Zealand

The total visitor arrivals from India to New Zealand have doubled from 33,000 to 66,000 in the past four years, with more Indians visiting the country than ever before. In recognition of this incredible growth, Tourism New Zealand is expanding its annual travel trade event, Kiwi Link India, this year. The new format will see the organisation and partners hosting key buyers from around India in Mumbai from July 9-10, followed by frontline training in Bangalore and New Delhi from July 12-13 respectively. Kiwi Link serves as a platform for Indian travel agents, product managers and planners to interact with New Zealand operators and understand the new developments and market insights in the tourism sector. Kiwi Link 2018 will see participation from record 40 New Zealand operators, along with three airlines – Air New Zealand, Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways, Immigration New Zealand and 72 Indian delegates from 49 travel companies. More than 50 Indian participants are expected to attend the frontline training programme which will be conducted in the Bengaluru and New Delhi markets. Steven Dixon, Regional Manager-South and South-East Asia, Tourism New Zealand said, “The record number of New Zealand operators visiting India to participate in Kiwi Link this year is a real reflection on the value we place on the market. This event provides an opportunity for both new and experienced tourism operators to develop an alliance with vital travel decision makers, thus enabling them to drive sales out of India.”

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SilkAir to be merged with SIA, cabin products to be upgraded

Singapore Airlines’ (SIA) regional wing, SilkAir, is set to undergo a significant investment programme to upgrade its cabin products as part of a multi-year initiative that will ultimately see it merged into SIA. The programme will comprise investment of more than $100 million to upgrade the wholly owned subsidiary’s cabins with new lie-flat seats in Business Class, and the installation of seat-back in-flight entertainment systems in both Business Class and Economy Class. This will ensure closer product and service consistency across the SIA Group’s full-service network. “Singapore Airlines is one year into our three-year Transformation Programme and today’s announcement is a significant development to provide more growth opportunities and prepare the Group for an even stronger future,” said Goh Choon Phong, CEO, SIA. “Importantly, it will be positive for our customers. It is another example of the major investment we are making to ensure that our products and services continue to lead the industry across short-, medium- and long-haul routes.” Aircraft cabin upgrades are expected to start in 2020 due to lead times required by seat suppliers, including to complete certification processes. The merger will take place only after a sufficient number of aircraft have been fitted with the new cabin products. Specific details will be announced progressively as the programme develops and timelines are finalised.  

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Philippines Tourism & Singapore Airlines ink deal to boost India arrivals

Anticipating a significant increase in Indian arrivals into the Philippines, the Department of Tourism (DOT), Philippines signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Singapore International Airlines (SIA) on December 12. Through the one-year collaboration, DOT and SIA will undertake joint marketing initiatives that will implement activities to promote the Philippines to the Indian market through social media, familiarisation tours, roadshows, among others. The agreement was signed by Benito Bengzon Jr., Undersecretary, DOT  and Campbell Wilson, Senior Vice President for Sales and Marketing, SIA at the Makati Diamond Residences, Philippines. “The India market is growing at a very fast rate. In fact, we are expecting to reach 100,000 arrivals by end of 2017. This joint agreement is envisioned to sustain and further strengthen this growth in the coming years,” said Bengzon. He also disclosed that the department is not only looking at the headcount but also with the revenue it would generate. According to Wilson, this mutually beneficial agreement will pave way for a positive impact on the country’s tourism industry. “We are confident we can increase visitor arrivals; it is an honour to bring our passengers anywhere in the Philippines,” he said.  

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Singapore Airlines, Silkair to codeshare on Scoot flights

Singapore Airlines (SIA) and SilkAir have signed a codeshare agreement on the group’s low-cost subsidiary Scoot flights that will give their customers access to more than 130 destinations across the SIA Group network. Under the agreement, SIA will progressively add its ‘SQ’ designator code while SilkAir will add its ‘MI’ code to Scoot-operated flights between Singapore and more than 30 destinations served only by Scoot within the SIA Group. The codeshare arrangements will begin with Scoot flights serving Athens, Clark, Gold Coast, Hat Yai, Ipoh, Krabi, Kuching and Palembang. The new agreement will enable SIA and SilkAir customers to travel on single-ticket itineraries to these codeshare destinations, which means that their boarding passes and baggage tags will be issued up to their final destination at the first point of check-in. Tickets will be progressively made available through the various booking channels.

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