New airline takes off

New airline takes off

SINGAPORE (AFP): Region Air, a local air charter company owned
by reclusive hotelier Ong Beng Seng, took off yesterday on its
maiden flight to the Vietnamese city of Vung Tau as Singapore's
third fully-fledged airline, officials said.

Region Air was targeting business travelers, primarily in the
oil industry, for its twice-weekly flights to Vung Tao, 120
kilometers (74 miles) east of Ho Chih Minh City, a spokesman for
the airline said.

The airline is also expected to begin thrice-weekly flights to
the Thai resort island Ko Samui from early December, initially on
a charter basis.

Neither of Singapore's two scheduled airlines -- national
carrier Singapore Airlines (SIA) and its wholly-owned subsidiary
SilkAir -- services these two destinations.

"We may look into other destinations down the line, but that
is of course subject to government approval from the countries
involved," John Lim, Region Air's marketing manager, said
recently.