Cairns' major link to the world celebrates 3rd birthday
TOURISM MILESTONE
SilkAir, the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, has achieved a major milestone marking the third anniversary of their service between Singapore and Cairns.
And Tourism Port Douglas Daintree’s Executive Officer, Tara Bennett, said that the direct flight is an extremely important connection with huge flow on effects for Port Douglas and the region.
“It was exciting when the service began as it created a direct link through to the western market.
“Three years on we are now seeing visitors from Europe and especially Scandinavia,” she said
Bennett said TPDD has been working with the airlines to establish better flight connections to the area. SilkAir now brings connections to Cairns through Singapore from Copenhagen, France and Germany.
Singapore acts not only as a gateway to Asia, but is a major stopover destination for travellers from Europe. Having a connection straight to Cairns means travellers don’t have to stop in one of our southern cities and are therefore more likely to visit the Far North.
Cairns Airport’s Chief Commercial Officer Paul McLean said that SilkAir has continued to grow over the past three years.
“The airline currently operates five return services per week. The flights offer international visitors from Asia and Europe convenient access to Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef,” McLean said.
SilkAir is soon set to undergo major cabin upgrades as they prepare to merge into Singapore
Airlines.
“When the Singapore to Cairns service operates under the globally recognised Singapore Airlines brand there will be more consistent products and services across the group’s full-service network.
“International visitors and locals will still have the option of seamless travel to and from Tropical North Queensland from Europe and Asia that they can currently enjoy with SilkAir,” McLean said
The Singapore Airlines and SilkAir networks combined offer 102 destinations in 34 countries. SilkAir currently operates a fleet of 11 Airbus A320-family aircraft and 22 Boeing 737-800 MAX 8 aircraft. It is now transitioning to an all-737 fleet. They fly to 49 destinations across 16 countries.
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