Kahini Chakraborty – Mumbai
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Robert Yang
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Singapore-based budget carrier Tigerair is looking for opportunities to further strengthen its network in the India market. Adopting a wait-and-watch approach, Robert Yang, commercial director, Tigerair told Express TravelWorld, “Introduction of new flights on certain routes will be determined by market demand and regulatory approvals. We remain open to strategic partnership opportunities. At present, we have an existing interline agreement with SpiceJet to offer seamless connectivity to consumers between India and Singapore through Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai international airports.” The airline presently operates 37 flights weekly to six destinations in India- Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Tiruchirapalli and Thiruvananthapuram, in South India connecting over 40 destinations across 14 countries in Asia Pacific.
“Tigerair will focus more on introducing new add-on products for Indian consumers to make their international travel hassle free and position ourselves as the preferred low cost airline to fly to Asia Pacific,” added Yang. The airline recently partnered with ICICI Bank in offering a ‘pay to go, return for free’ offer, the first of its kind in India. “The promotion was well received by our Indian consumers and was even extended by popular demand,” he informed.
When asked about the load factors and business revenue generation from the India market, he mentioned, “We observe a significant percentage of our global passenger load factors coming from India and it will continue to be one of the key markets for revenue generation in the coming years due to strong socio economic factors. We have observed that smaller families and individuals who are in the age group of 25-35 years and are at the early stages of their career, increasingly choose Tigerair as an option to fly, in order to save on airfare and spend more at their travel destination.”
On the evolution of the aviation industry in India, Yang opined, “The Indian aviation industry is quite different as compared to other developed countries. We believe that the current scenario of more airlines entering the fray and increased competition will aid in market growth as well as provide customers with wider choices. The rise of the middle income groups has now made it possible for families to choose international destinations such as Singapore for their holidays. The youths, who make up more than one-third of the Indian population, are enthusiastic about exploring new places and overseas travel. Both these groups are turning out to be a huge traveller base in the Indian aviation market.”
