Wikipedia

SilkAir

(Redirected from Silkair)
Not to be confused with Silk Way Airlines or Silk Way West Airlines.

SilkAir Singapore Private Limited, operating as SilkAir, was a Singaporean regional airline with its head office in Changi, Singapore. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore Airlines and in 2017, operated scheduled passenger services from Singapore to 54 cities in Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, East Asia, and Northern Australia.[2] As the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, it served the short to medium-haul destinations in the Singapore Airlines Group network.

SilkAir
IATA ICAO Call sign
MI SLK SILKAIR
Founded1975 (1975)
(as Tradewinds Charters)
Commenced operations
  • 21 February 1989 (1989-02-21)
    (as Tradewinds Airlines)
  • 1 April 1992 (1992-04-01)
    (as SilkAir)[1]
Ceased operations6 May 2021 (2021-05-06)
(merged into Singapore Airlines)
HubsChangi Airport
Frequent-flyer programKrisFlyer
Parent companySingapore Airlines
HeadquartersSingapore
Websitesilkair.com

By the end of 2021, SilkAir ceased operations, with all flights transferred to its parent company Singapore Airlines or its low-cost affiliate Scoot.[3]

History

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The airline had its roots as a regional air-charter company as Tradewinds Charters formed in 1975,[4] serving leisure destinations using planes predominantly leased from parent airline Singapore Airlines. Scheduled services were introduced as Tradewinds Airlines on 21 February 1989, when it leased McDonnell Douglas MD-87 aeroplanes for services to 5 destinations: Pattaya, Phuket, Hat Yai, and Kuantan from Singapore's Changi 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.

A major marketing overhaul was officially started in 1991 and officially culminating on 1 April 1992 by giving the airline its present name and logo as a new corporate identity officially launching new name and new logo as SilkAir on 1 April 1992. 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.[5]

Four months later, SilkAir officially very first began operations to Indonesia in August same year and has steadily strengthened its network over the years. SilkAir currently serves eleven Indonesian destinations, namely Balikpapan, Bandung, Lombok, Manado, Makassar, Medan, Palembang, Pekanbaru, Semarang, Solo and Surabaya.

On 10 April 2015, SilkAir launched a new collection of uniforms, the fourth uniform change in over 26 years. There are two variations of the uniform - aqua-blue for junior crew and a plum-red version for senior crew. Both variations are accompanied by a dark blue skirt.[6] For the year ending 31 March 2015, the airline flew over 3.5 million passengers and made an operating profit of S$40.8 million.[7] SilkAir announced the appointment of Foo Chai Woo as Chief Executive as of 18 May 2016, succeeding Mr Leslie Thng.[8]

On 29 October 2017, SilkAir took over Scoot's services to Yangon. With the transfer, the airline boosted its Yangon operations to 15 non-stop services a week.[9] On 30 October 2017, SilkAir launched its inaugural flight to Hiroshima, marking the first Japanese destination that SilkAir has added to its network.[10] On 22 November 2018, SilkAir announced plans to transfer 17 routes to Scoot including Luang Prabang, Chiang Mai, Kota Kinabalu, Yogyakarta and Wuhan over the months of April 2019 to July 2020, ahead of its merger with Singapore Airlines in the late 2020 or early 2021.[11]

By the end of 2021, SilkAir had ceased operations and gradually finished integration into its parent company, Singapore Airlines.[3]

Corporate affairs

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The key business trends for SilkAir are shown in the following table (as at year ending 31 March):

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Revenue (S$m) 546.3 538.5 670.3 750.8 846.0 856.6 902.5 965.7 990.3 1,020.3 1,030.9 906.0
Operating profit (S$m) 33.6 49.2 121.4 104.6 96.7 34.5 40.8 90.6 100.8 42.5 15.2 −112.3
Number of employees 876 944 1,116 1,192 1,360 1,462 1,452 1,573 1,632 1,574 1,484 1,389
Number of passengers (000s) 1,954 2,356 2,764 3,032 3,295 3,411 3,553 3,836 4,106 4,687 4,902 4,440
Passenger load factor (%) 72.5 77.1 76.4 75.7 73.6 69.6 70.2 71.5 70.8 73.4 76.2 77.3
Number of aircraft (at year end) 16 18 18 20 22 24 27 29 30 32 33 31
Sources [12][13] [12][14] [12][14] [12] [12] [15] [7] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20]


Destinations

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Main article: List of SilkAir destinations

At the end of April 2021, SilkAir's network covered three destinations – Cebu, Kathmandu and Singapore.[21]

Codeshare agreements

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SilkAir had codeshare agreements with the following airlines:[22][23]

Fleet

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SilkAir Boeing 737-800
 
SilkAir Airbus A320-200

Throughout its existence, SilkAir operated the following aircraft:[35]

SilkAir former fleet
Aircraft Total Introduced Retired Replacement Notes/references
Boeing 737-300 6 1990 2000 Airbus A320-200 9V-TRF crashed as Flight 185.[36]
Airbus A310-200 2 1993 1995 None
Airbus A319-100 8 1999 2020 Boeing 737-800
Airbus A320-200 19 1998 2020 Boeing 737-800
Boeing 737 MAX 8
Boeing 737-800 17 2014 2021 None Transferred to Singapore Airlines and Virgin Australia.[citation needed]
Boeing 737 MAX 8 6 2017 2021 None Transferred to Singapore Airlines.
Fokker 70 2 1995 2000 Airbus A319-100 [36]
McDonnell Douglas MD-87 1 1989 1991 Boeing 737-300

Fleet development

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SilkAir began operations with one 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 1990. 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 18 September 1998, and retired all Boeing aircraft a year later.[37] Soon after its first A320 was delivered, SilkAir took delivery of its first A319-100 aircraft on 3 September 1999. The A319 was utilised on certain routes within Southeast Asia, and to some cities in India, while the larger A320 was 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 were delivered between 2009–2012.[38]

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.[39] On 14 November 2012, the commitment was then converted to a firm order.[40] The 737 aircraft will be used to replace the older A320 fleet and for the expansion of the airline. On 4 February 2014, SilkAir received its first Boeing 737-800 aircraft.[41] On 4 October 2017, SilkAir received its first Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft.[42]

On 21 June 2018, Singapore Airlines announced that it plans to transfer a number of Boeing 737-800 to Scoot between late-2018 to early-2019 to better optimise the overall group's network.[43] Following the events of the Boeing 737 MAX, plans to transfer the Boeing 737-800 were suspended in April 2019.[44][45]

Services

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Cabins

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Past SilkAir A320-200 Economy Class cabin

There were two classes of cabins available on all SilkAir flights — Business class and Economy class.[46] In 2020, there were new lie-flat seats in Business class, and the installation of seat-back in-flight entertainment systems in both Business and Economy classes.[47]

Business class cabins consisted of leather seats with a seat pitch of between 39 and 40 inches and seat width between 20-22 inches. On Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, the seat pitch was increased significantly to 49 inches in Business Class with additional seat recline.

Economy class cabins had a seat pitch of 31 inches and seat width between 17-18 inches. On Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft there were seat-back tablet and phone holders, and personal in-seat USB charging ports.

In-flight entertainment

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SilkAir's seat pocket contents in September 2019.

SilkAir offered a selection of newspapers and magazine titles on board and screened a series of short features on its 11-inch overhead dropdown screens. The Silkwinds inflight magazine was complimentary for all passengers. In-seat audio and power supply were available exclusively on its Boeing aircraft.

2014 saw the launch of SilkAir Studio as a complimentary wireless streaming service for its passengers. It was first available on its Boeing 737-800 aircraft before being progressively rolled out to its Airbus fleet. This system complemented the existing overhead systems.[48]

SilkAir Studio was introduced in 2014 where passengers were able to stream blockbuster hits, short features, and music, to their personal laptops and handheld devices via Wi-Fi. This system complemented the existing overhead systems. Passengers in Business Class on flights more than two hours were offered a tablet. In May 2017, the service was enhanced and upgraded to offer more than 150 international blockbuster movies and TV sitcom shows available on SilkAir Studio.[49] For Apple users, the SilkAir Studio app had to be downloaded prior to flight in order to enjoy the in-flight entertainment.

Dining

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SilkAir offered Oriental and Western menus. Light snacks were also available on selected flights of less than one and a half hours. SilkAir launched their All-Time Favourites dishes in July 2016 where they served a selection of Asian, Western and local cuisine such as Nasi Lemak, Hainanese Chicken Rice, Beef Tenderloin, etc. that Business Class passengers could pre-book meals before their flight.[50]

Frequent-flyer programs

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SilkAir shared the KrisFlyer frequent flyer program with its parent company, Singapore Airlines.[51] However, unlike Singapore Airlines, SilkAir is not a member of Star Alliance, so frequent flyer miles on SilkAir flights may only be credited on the KrisFlyer programme, but not on other Star Alliance frequent flyer programs.[52]

Tradewinds Tours and Travel

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Tradewinds Tours and Travel Private Limited was 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 hence continued to be handled by Tradewinds Tours and Travel.

Accidents and incidents

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SilkAir Flight 185

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Main article: SilkAir Flight 185
 
9V-TRF, the Boeing 737-300 involved in the accident, pictured in May 1997

On 19 December 1997, SilkAir Flight 185 registered as 9V-TRF, operated on 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.[53][54] A civil lawsuit case against Parker Hannifin, the manufacturer of the PCU-dual servo unit essential in the 737's rudder control—and also suspected in causing the crashes of United Airlines Flight 585 and USAir Flight 427 under similar flight-event parameters, had provided the NTSB the initial test results of the recovered PCU-dual servo unit from Flight 185 in 1997, but was later further independently investigated for litigation on behalf some families of Flight 185 passengers in a civil lawsuit against Parker Hannifin.[55] The jury under the Superior Court in Los Angeles in 2004, which was not allowed to hear or consider the NTSB conclusions, decided that the crash was caused by a prominent issue inherent in other 737 crashes: a defective servo valve inside the Power Control Unit (PCU) which controls the aircraft's rudder, causing a rudder hard-over and a subsequent uncontrollable crash. The manufacturer of the aircraft's rudder controls and the families later reached an out of court settlement. It is the only fatal hull loss for SilkAir in its history.

References

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  1. ^ "Farewell SilkAir, after 29 years' service as SIA's 'Regional Wing'". 27 May 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  2. ^ "Destinations". Archived from the original on 3 October 2017.
  3. ^ a b "Singapore Airlines merges SilkAir into its parent company brand". sg.style.yahoo.com. 5 February 2021. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  4. ^ "Our Heritage". Archived from the original on 13 August 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  5. ^ "Inflight Entertainment". SilkAir. Archived from the original on 14 June 2011.
  6. ^ "SilkAir Takes to the Skies in a Sophisticated New Look". Archived from the original on 29 June 2017. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  7. ^ a b "Singapore Airlines Annual Report 2014/2015" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  8. ^ Ramchandani, Nisha. "SilkAir appoints new chief executive". The Business Times. Archived from the original on 26 April 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  9. ^ "SilkAir To Take Over Scoot's Yangon Services". www.silkair.com. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  10. ^ "Non-Stop Flight between Singapore and Hiroshima Launched on SilkAir's New MAX 8 Today". www.silkair.com. Archived from the original on 25 February 2018. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
  11. ^ "SilkAir to give up some routes to Scoot ahead of merger with SIA; Scoot to suspend flights to Honolulu". www.straitstimes.com. 22 November 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
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  13. ^ "Singapore Airlines Annual Report 2008/09" (PDF). Singapore Airlines Group. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 April 2012. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  14. ^ a b "Singapore Airlines Annual Report 2010/11" (PDF). Singapore Airlines Group. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  15. ^ "Singapore Airlines Annual Report 2013/2014" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
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  17. ^ "Annual Report FY2016-17" (PDF). Singapore Airlines.
  18. ^ "Annual Report FY2017/18 - Singapore Airlines" (PDF). Singapore Airlines. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  19. ^ "Annual Report FY2018-19" (PDF). Singapore Airlines.
  20. ^ "Annual Report FY2019/20 - Singapore Airlines" (PDF). Singapore Airlines.
  21. ^ "APRIL 2021 OPERATING RESULTS" (PDF). Singapore Airlines.
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  23. ^ "Partner Airlines". SilkAir. Archived from the original on 28 February 2019.
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  27. ^ "Singapore Airlines And SilkAir To Codeshare With Fiji Airways". Singapore Airlines. 17 April 2018.
  28. ^ "Singapore Airlines and Silkair to Codeshare with Fiji Airways". Fiji Airways. 17 April 2018.
  29. ^ "Singapore Airlines And Garuda Indonesia Expand Codeshare Operations". Singapore Airlines. 15 April 2019.
  30. ^ "SilkAir to codeshare with Lao Airlines". Mynewsdesk. 27 July 2016.
  31. ^ "Malaysia Airlines And Singapore Airlines Sign Wide-Ranging Partnership Agreement". Singapore Airlines. 30 October 2019.
  32. ^ "SIA, SilkAir And Shenzhen Airlines Sign Codeshare Agreement". Singapore Airlines. 20 May 2013.
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  34. ^ "Singapore Airlines And SilkAir To Codeshare On Vistara Flights". Singapore Airlines. 14 March 2017.
  35. ^ "Singapore Aircraft Registry". Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore.
  36. ^ a b "SilkAir replaces 737s and Fokker 70s with V2500 Airbus A319/320s". flightglobal.com. 7 October 1998.
  37. ^ "Airfleets: SilkAir". Airfleets.net. Archived from the original on 13 March 2008. Retrieved 13 January 2008.
  38. ^ "SilkAir Places New Order For 20 Airbus A320 Planes, To Meet Growth And Fleet Renewal" (Press release). SilkAir. 20 December 2006. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
  39. ^ Toh, Mavis (3 August 2012). "SilkAir signs LOI for 31 Boeing 737-8s, 23 737-800s". Flightglobal.com. Archived from the original on 20 August 2012. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
  40. ^ "Boeing, SilkAir Finalize Order for 54 737s" (Press release). Boeing. Archived from the original on 16 November 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
  41. ^ "Boeing, SilkAir Begins Transition to All 737 Fleet Archived 22 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine" SilkAir. retrieved 6 February 2014.
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  44. ^ Hashim, Firdaus. "SIA halts plans to transfer 737-800s to Scoot". FlightGlobal. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  45. ^ "Singapore Airlines remains committed to 100% lie flat despite changes in fleet plan | Corporate Travel Community". Corporate Travel Community. 22 May 2019. the group has dropped plans to transfer 14 737-800s from SilkAir to Scoot
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  49. ^ "SilkAir to enhance SilkAir Studio with wider array of inflight entertainment options". Traveldailynews.Asia. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  50. ^ "Silk Air Launches All-Time Favourites Menu". Asian Journeys. Archived from the original on 2 February 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  51. ^ "Loyalty Programme - PPS Club / KrisFlyer". Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
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  53. ^ Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network
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  55. ^ Chew, Valerie (30 September 2009). "Crash of SilkAir Flight MI 185". National Library Board. Archived from the original on 15 December 2011. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
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