#TigerAirways gets to second base with Sydney Airport

Tiger Airways will establish a second base at Sydney Airport after CASA approved the carrier’s plan to increase flights to pre-grounding levels over the next six months, the Australian Aviation reported.

The plan will allow Tiger to use all 10 of its aircraft for the first time since its operations were shut down for six weeks over safety concerns last July and August. Three of the carrier’s jets have sat idle since Tiger returned to the air under a CASA-imposed cap, contributing to losses of about $37.6 million over the first three quarters of the financial year.

Under the expansion, Tiger will base its three currently unused A320s in Sydney starting on July 1 and will increase daily Sydney flights from 18 to 38. The added flights will include “up to four” daily return services on new routes between Sydney-Gold Coast and Sydney-Brisbane as well as two additional daily flights between Sydney and Tiger’s Melbourne hub.

Tiger said the expansion would add 150 new jobs in Sydney, including flight, cabin and ground crew and engineering support. Tiger currently employs about 350 people in Australia.

To read the full article click here.

The Aviation Outlook conference will be happening on the 23-25 July 2012. It will discuss opportunity and strategy for airlines, airports and investors. For more information, click here.