Boosting the fleet

SilkAir, the regional counterpart of Singapore Airlines (SIA), drew up a commitment with Boeing for the purchase of up to 68 new aircraft to better serve its current 41 destinations across 12 Asia Pacific countries.

“We continue to see very strong growth within the region and these new aircraft will position SilkAir well. They will enable us to spread our wings to even more destinations and increase capacity on existing routes, contributing to the overall SIA Group network,” explained SilkAir Chief Executive Marvin Tan, adding that the order will help maintain the annual double-digit growth rates of his company through the end of this decade and even beyond.

This latest order is the largest to date for SilkAir, albeit the final bulk is still under negotiation. Firm orders are for 54 aircraft and purchase rights for an additional 14. The purchase will comprise of 23 Boeing 737-800s and 31 Boeing 737 MAX 8s, with the option to get other variants within the B737 range.

Valued at US$4.9 billion (based on Boeing’s latest price list), the 54 aircraft will be delivered starting 2014 until 2021. By then, SilkAir shall be more than doubled in fleet size as it now has 21 A319s and A320s, with three additional A320s to be delivered at the close of 2013.

“The selection of the B737 follows detailed evaluations and extensive negotiations with both Airbus and Boeing. The order will enable us to maintain a young and modern fleet, with an aircraft that has a proven track record of strong customer appeal, excellent reliability and low operating costs,” SilkAir’s Marvin Tan further disclosed.

The B737-800, according to surveys, is the bestseller among Boeing’s Next Generation group of single-aisle aircraft. However, B737 MAX – the latest generation of this product group -- is still in the development stage.

SilkAir has a string of awards, most notable are: TTG Asia’s Hall of Fame award after its 10th win as the Best Regional Airline in the 2009 TTG Travel Awards, 2011 2nd Best Regional Airline (Asia) in the Skytrax World Airline Awards, and among the Top 10 Airlines for Best Cabin Service Worldwide in 2011, 2010 and 2009 by Hong Kong based Smart Travel Asia magazine.

Meanwhile, I am off to Seattle, Washington this Saturday and will be back by August 30. I am one of three media practitioners invited by Cathay Pacific to join the group, led by no less than Chief Executive John Slosar that will pick up CX’s newest addition to its fleet: B777-300ER, at the Boeing factory.

It will be the fifth B777-300ER installed with the company’s latest offerings – the new Premium Economy Class cabin and the new Economy Class seats.

I will arrive in San Francisco on Sunday afternoon, from Cebu (through Hong Kong) with my CX escort Ryan Uy, Passenger Sales Manager. Then we catch a flight for Seattle. On Monday, we will have an official tour of the Everett Factory Building of Boeing. A Delivery Dinner will take place at the Museum of Flight. By Tuesday morning, we will be at the Everett Delivery Center to board our new aircraft for our flight back to Hong Kong.

After an overnight stay in Hong Kong, I will be back in Cebu through CX 921, in time for a late lunch.

Voila! I feel like a flight attendant in this schedule – wouldn’t you?