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SilkAir outlines initial B737 MAX operations
August 25th 2017
SilkAir, the regional subsidiary of the Singapore Airlines Group, will be receiving its first of 37 on-order B737 MAXs in September. Read More » The airline will be the second carrier in the Asia-Pacific to operate the MAX, following first delivery to the Lion Air Group in May.
The arrival of the MAX in Singapore will mark the beginning of a significant expansion at the carrier. SilkAir now operates three A319s, ten A320s and 17 newly-delivered B737-800s.
In 2018, SilkAir will have completed its shift from an all-Airbus operator to an all-Boeing operator. The 17 B737-800s delivered to the airline between 2014 until the end of this year will stay. The 37 MAXs will be on top of that, increasing the SilkAir fleet from 30 aircraft to 54, a significant expansion the carrier deems necessary to fend off growing competition from low-cost carriers.
Hong Kong’s Cathay Dragon, the regional offshoot of Cathay Pacific Airways, this week announced its intention to order 32 A321neo aircraft, replacing and expanding its current fleet comprising 15 A320s and eight A321s. Cathay Dragon, similar to SilkAir, is hoping to reconquer market share lost to lower-cost rivals.
The first SilkAir MAX 8 will be rostered on the five-weekly Singapore-Cairns route from October 27. According to the latest GDS filings, the next routes to see the MAX will be Bangalore, Hiroshima, Hyderabad and Kathmandu.
SilkAir will configure the new type with twelve seats in business and 144 seats in economy class. It promises an enhanced business class experience coinciding with the arrival of the MAX.
“The order of B737 MAX 8s is part our plan to transition to an all-Boeing fleet. The B737 MAX 8s will complement the existing B737-800s in our fleet, enabling us to expand our network to new destinations across the region and grow our capacity on existing routes,” SilkAir told Orient Aviation on Thursday. “We would also like to point out that we have converted 6 of our B737-800 orders to B737 MAX 8s, so that means we now have 17 B737-800s in our current fleet, and 37 B737 MAX 8s on order.”
