Tiger Airways starts flights to the RP

Tiger Airways starts flights to the RP

SINGAPORE: Singapore low-fare carrier Tiger Airways said on Friday it will begin daily flights to the Philippines from July 30, up from five times a week, due to strong demand.

"The increase will allow Tiger Airways to carry more than 180,000 passengers to the Philippines in a year, bringing about economic benefits to tourism and businesses in the region," the airline said in a statement.

Airline chief executive Tony Davis said the increase in flights was the "direct result of requests" from Filipino officials. He said Tiger Airways has noticed "strong forward bookings" for the June-July period.

Tiger Airways, which is 49-percent owned by Singapore Airlines, began flights to Clark Field, 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Manila, on April 5. Clark Field is a former U.S. air base converted into a commercial airport.

Commercial passenger buses are on hand to ferry passengers from the airport to Manila, which is about two hours away.

Airline tickets for a one-way trip between July 1 and August 31 had been selling for as low as S$14.98 Singapore (US$9.0), excluding taxes and other charges, according to the Tiger Airways website. -- AFP