Changes to Singapore Airlines' schedule a boon to WA passengers

7/7/97

Transport Minister Eric Charlton said today Western Australian passengers and exporters would receive a boost following changes to Singapore Airlines' daily afternoon service between Perth and Singapore.

Mr Charlton said that from August 1 the airline would fly the latest 267-seat Airbus A340 aircraft on the run and this change would mean increased seat availability of 342 passengers per week on the route in both directions.

He said the increase in freight capacity would also lift, with the airline now being able to carry 224 tonnes of cargo out of Perth each week, compared with 181 tonnes previously. The airline's weekly Boeing 747 freighter service would not be affected by the new changes.

The larger A340 aircraft was the result of an upgraded Air Services Agreement between Australia and Singapore signed recently between Prime Minister John Howard and Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok. The agreement permitted a 37.5 per cent increase in passenger services and a 100 per cent increase in freight services between the countries.

Singapore Airlines currently operated a morning and afternoon flight, seven days a week between Perth and Singapore using the 189-seat Airbus A310 aircraft on all but one of the flights. The fourteenth flight (on a Monday afternoon) was operated by a 393-seat Boeing 747.

Media contact: Doug Cunningham 9321 7333