SilkAir
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Founded | 1975 (as Tradewinds Charters) 21 February 1989 (as Tradewinds Airlines) | ||||||
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Commenced operations | 1 April 1992 | ||||||
Ceased operations | 28 January 2021 (merged with Singapore Airlines)[1] | ||||||
Hubs | Singapore Changi Airport | ||||||
Frequent-flyer program | KrisFlyer | ||||||
Fleet size | 1 | ||||||
Destinations | 28 | ||||||
Parent company | Singapore Airlines | ||||||
Headquarters | Singapore | ||||||
Website | silkair.com |
SilkAir (Singapore) Private Limited,[2] operating as SilkAir, was a Singaporean regional airline with its head office in Changi, Singapore.[3] It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore Airlines and operated scheduled passenger services from Singapore to 28 cities in 13 countries in Southeast Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, East Asia, and Northern Australia. As the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, it served the short to medium-haul destinations in the Singapore Airlines Group network.
On 18 May 2018, Singapore Airlines announced that the SilkAir fleet would undergo a major cabin product upgrade from 2020 before being fully merged into the parent company.[4][5][6] As part of the merger, SilkAir's website was discontinued and integrated into Singapore Airlines' website on 31 March 2019 with the airline itself folded into SIA by the end of January 2021.[7]
History[]
The airline had its roots as a regional air-charter company as Tradewinds Charters formed in 1975,[8] 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 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.
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.[9]
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.[10] For the year ending 31 March 2015, the airline flew over 3.5 million passengers and made an operating profit of S$40.8 million.[11] SilkAir announced the appointment of Mr Foo Chai Woo as Chief Executive as of 18 May 2016, succeeding Mr Leslie Thng.[12]
On 29 October 2017, SilkAir took over Scoot's services to Yangon. With the transfer, the airline boosted its Yangon operations to 15 non-stop services a week.[13] On 30 October 2017, SilkAir launched its inaugural flight to Hiroshima, marking the first Japanese destination that SilkAir has added to its network.[14] On 22 November 2018, SilkAir announced plans to transfer 17 routes to Scoot including Luang Prabang, Chiang Mai, Kota Kinabalu, Yogyakarta and Wuhan over the months of April 2019 to July 2020, ahead of its merger with Singapore Airlines in the late 2020 or early 2021.[15]
Corporate affairs[]
Business trends[]
The key business trends for SilkAir are shown in the following table (as at year ending 31 March):
2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Revenue (S$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 | [16][17] | [16][18] | [16][18] | [16] | [16] | [19] | [11] | [20] | [21] | [22] | [23] | [24] |
Destinations[]
At the end of April 2021, SilkAir's network covered three destinations – Cebu, Kathmandu and Singapore.[25]
[]
SilkAir had codeshare agreements with the following airlines:[26][27]
- Air China[28]
- Air New Zealand[29]
- Bangkok Airways[30]
- Fiji Airways[31][32]
- Garuda Indonesia[33]
- Lao Airlines[34]
- Malaysia Airlines[35]
- Shenzhen Airlines[36]
- Virgin Australia
- Vistara[37]
Fleet[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/SilkAir%2C_9V-MGE%2C_Boeing_737-8SA_%2832719157797%29.jpg/220px-SilkAir%2C_9V-MGE%2C_Boeing_737-8SA_%2832719157797%29.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4e/Airbus_A320-233%2C_SilkAir_JP7063092.jpg/220px-Airbus_A320-233%2C_SilkAir_JP7063092.jpg)
Current fleet[]
As of 1 September 2021, the SilkAir fleet consists of the following aircraft:[38]
Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
J | Y | Total | ||||
Boeing 737-800 | 1 | — | 12 | 150 | 162 | |
Total | 1 | — |
Former fleet[]
Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Replacement | Notes/references |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Airbus A310-200 | 2 | 1993 | 1995 | Fokker 70 | Leased from Singapore Airlines |
Airbus A319-100 | 8 | 1999 | 2021 | ||
Airbus A320-200 | 19 | 1998 | 2021 | ||
Boeing 737-300 | 6 | 1990 | 1999 | Airbus A320-200 | One crashed as MI 185 |
Boeing 737 MAX 8 | 6 | 2017 | 2021 | — | Transferred to Singapore Airlines |
Fokker 70 | 2 | 1995 | 2000 | Airbus A320-200 | |
McDonnell Douglas MD-87 | 1 | 1989 | 1991 | Boeing 737-300 |
Fleet development[]
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 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.[39] 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.[40]
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.[41] On 14 November 2012, the commitment was then converted to a firm order.[42] 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.[43] On 4 October 2017, SilkAir received its first Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft.[44]
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.[45] Following the events of the Boeing 737 MAX, plans to transfer the Boeing 737-800 were suspended in April 2019.[46][47]
Services[]
In-flight services[]
Cabins[]
There are two classes of cabins available on all SilkAir flights — Business class and Economy class.[48] 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.[4]
Business class cabins consist of leather seat pitch of between 39 and 40 inches and seat width between 20-22 inches. On Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, seat pitch has been increased significantly to 49 inches in Business Class with additional seat recline.
Economy class cabins have a seat pitch of 31 inches and seat width between 17-18 inches. On Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft there are seat-back tablet and phone holders, and personal in-seat USB charging ports.
In-flight entertainment[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8d/SilkAir_inventory_items.jpg/220px-SilkAir_inventory_items.jpg)
SilkAir offers a selection of newspapers and magazine titles on board and screens a series of short features on its 11-inch overhead dropdown screens. The Silkwinds inflight magazine is complimentary for all passengers. In-seat audio and power supply are 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.[49]
SilkAir Studio was introduced in 2014 where passengers will be able to stream blockbuster hits, short features, and music, to their personal laptops and handheld devices via Wi-Fi. This system will complement the existing overhead systems. Passengers in Business Class on flights more than two hours were to be offered a tablet. In May 2017, the service was enhanced and upgraded; there are now more than 150 international blockbuster movies and TV sitcom shows available on SilkAir Studio.[50] For Apple users, the SilkAir Studio app has to be downloaded prior to flight in order to enjoy the in-flight entertainment.
Dining[]
SilkAir offers Oriental and Western menus. Light snacks are 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 can pre-book before their flight.[51]
Frequent-flyer programs[]
SilkAir shares the KrisFlyer frequent flyer program with its parent company, Singapore Airlines.[52] 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.[53]
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.
Accidents and incidents[]
- On 19 December 1997, SilkAir Flight 185, 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.[54][55] 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.[56] 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.
References[]
- ^ "Goodbye SilkAir, Hello Singapore Airlines - Carriers Merge into One Airline Today!". 28 January 2021.
- ^ "Singapore Airlines Annual Report 2009/2010" (PDF). Singapore Airlines. p. 67. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 October 2010.
- ^ "Singapore Air Operators." (Archive) Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore. Retrieved on 31 October 2012. "05-D Airline House, 25 Airline Road, Singapore 819829"
- ^ Jump up to: a b "SilkAir To Undergo Major Cabin Product Upgrade And Be Merged Into SIA". www.singaporeair.com. Archived from the original on 18 May 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
- ^ "SilkAir to merge into Singapore Airlines after undergoing $100m revamp of cabin products". The Straits Times. 18 May 2018. Archived from the original on 18 May 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
- ^ "SilkAir to be merged with Singapore Airlines after cabin revamp". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 18 May 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
- ^ https://www.silkair.com/en_UK/en/faqCategory/?category=12509
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 13 August 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2015.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- ^ "Inflight Entertainment". SilkAir. Archived from the original on 14 June 2011.
- ^ "SilkAir Takes to the Skies in a Sophisticated New Look". Archived from the original on 29 June 2017. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Singapore Airlines Annual Report 2014/2015" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
- ^ Ramchandani, Nisha. "SilkAir appoints new chief executive". The Business Times. Archived from the original on 26 April 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
- ^ "SilkAir To Take Over Scoot's Yangon Services". www.silkair.com. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "SilkAir to give up some routes to Scoot ahead of merger with SIA; Scoot to suspend flights to Honolulu". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "Singapore Airlines Annual Report 2012/13" (PDF). Singapore Airlines Group. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 March 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
- ^ "Singapore Airlines Annual Report 2008/09" (PDF). Singapore Airlines Group. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 April 2012. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
- ^ Jump up to: 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.
- ^ "Singapore Airlines Annual Report 2013/2014" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
- ^ "Annual Report FY2015-16" (PDF). Singapore Airlines.
- ^ "Annual Report FY2016-17" (PDF). Singapore Airlines.
- ^ "Annual Report FY2017/18 - Singapore Airlines" (PDF). Singapore Airlines. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
- ^ "Annual Report FY2018-19" (PDF). Singapore Airlines.
- ^ "Annual Report FY2019/20 - Singapore Airlines" (PDF). Singapore Airlines.
- ^ "APRIL 2021 OPERATING RESULTS" (PDF). Singapore Airlines.
- ^ "Profile on SilkAir". CAPA. Centre for Aviation. Archived from the original on 29 October 2016. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
- ^ "Partner Airlines". SilkAir. Archived from the original on 28 February 2019.
- ^ "Singapore Airlines And SilkAir To Codeshare With Air China". Singapore Airlines. 29 March 2016.
- ^ "SilkAir - Co-operation partners - The Airpoints™ programme - Airpoints™ | Air New Zealand". Air New Zealand.
- ^ "Bangkok Airways and SilkAir Announce Codeshare Agreement". Mynewsdesk. 14 February 2012.
- ^ "Singapore Airlines And SilkAir To Codeshare With Fiji Airways". Singapore Airlines. 17 April 2018.
- ^ "Singapore Airlines and Silkair to Codeshare with Fiji Airways". Fiji Airways. 17 April 2018.
- ^ "Singapore Airlines And Garuda Indonesia Expand Codeshare Operations". Singapore Airlines. 15 April 2019.
- ^ "SilkAir to codeshare with Lao Airlines". Mynewsdesk. 27 July 2016.
- ^ "Malaysia Airlines And Singapore Airlines Sign Wide-Ranging Partnership Agreement". Singapore Airlines. 30 October 2019.
- ^ "SIA, SilkAir And Shenzhen Airlines Sign Codeshare Agreement". Singapore Airlines. 20 May 2013.
- ^ "Singapore Airlines And SilkAir To Codeshare On Vistara Flights". Singapore Airlines. 14 March 2017.
- ^ "Singapore Aircraft Registry". Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore.
- ^ "Airfleets: SilkAir". Airfleets.net. Archived from the original on 13 March 2008. Retrieved 13 January 2008.
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Boeing, SilkAir Finalize Order for 54 737s" (Press release). Boeing. Archived from the original on 16 November 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
- ^ "Boeing, SilkAir Begins Transition to All 737 Fleet Archived 22 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine" SilkAir. retrieved 6 February 2014.
- ^ "SilkAir Marks New Era With Arrival of First Boeing 737 MAX 8". www.silkair.com.
- ^ "Singapore Airlines to shift planes from SilkAir to Scoot". TODAYonline. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
- ^ Hashim, Firdaus. "SIA halts plans to transfer 737-800s to Scoot". FlightGlobal. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
- ^ "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
- ^ "Cabin Classes". www.silkair.com. Archived from the original on 14 April 2017. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
- ^ "SilkAir Launches New Inflight Entertainment Offer with SilkAir Studio". Mynewsdesk. 15 May 2014.
- ^ "SilkAir to enhance SilkAir Studio with wider array of inflight entertainment options". Traveldailynews.Asia. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
- ^ "Silk Air Launches All-Time Favourites Menu". Asian Journeys. Archived from the original on 2 February 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 19 December 2015.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- ^ [1]
- ^ Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network
- ^ Final flight: SilkAir (PDF), Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), archived from the original (PDF) on 27 June 2013
- ^ 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.
External links[]
Media related to SilkAir at Wikimedia Commons
- Singapore Airlines website
- SilkAir at the Wayback Machine (archive index)
- SilkAir aircraft
- Defunct airlines of Singapore
- Airlines established in 1992
- Airlines disestablished in 2021
- 1992 establishments in Singapore
- 2021 disestablishments in Singapore
- Singapore Airlines
- Government-owned airlines
- Singaporean brands
- Transport operators of Singapore
- Singaporean companies established in 1992
- Singaporean companies disestablished in 2021