While today’s return to the air by Tiger Airways does not yet include the resumption of services into Cairns, it is expected the low-cost airline will return to the Far North with a more user-friendly timetable.

The Singapore Airlines-owned carrier resumed services between Melbourne and Sydney this morning after the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) grounded the airline on July 1, citing safety and pilot training concerns.

A Cairns Airport spokesman said Tiger was now operating on a reduced fleet until the end of August, and while they were not yet flying into Cairns, a more user-friendly timetable that had been announced shortly before the airline’s grounding was expected to be introduced with the resumption of the Far North Queensland service.

Before the airline’s grounding, Tiger was operating a daily service between Melbourne and Cairns, and while cheap airfares were offered, the airline’s late-evening timetable drew criticism for being inconvenient for travellers.

The new timetable is expected to see flights leave Melbourne at 1.50pm and arrive in Cairns at 5.15pm, or departing Cairns at 5.45pm for a 9.10pm Melbourne arrival.

The Cairns Airport spokesman said more information was expected from the airline closer to their intended resumption date.

“We are anticipating that the new schedule announced shortly before Tiger’s grounding will be introduced when they return to Cairns,” the spokesman said.

“We don’t yet know exactly when that is, but we are confident they will return.”

Tiger Airways has stated that the CASA had notified Tiger Airways Australia that it would discontinue its legal action against the airline, allowing their Air Operator's Certificate to be re-instated after working constructively with CASA to address the concerns that were raised by the regulator, including pilot simulator re-training.

Ticket sales resumed on Wednesday, with the airline reducing its operating fleet from 10 Airbus A320 aircraft to eight initially on the most profitable routes and a single crew base operating from Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport.