Press Release

Thursday 29 November 2007

A NEW TIGER IN TASMANIA
A new era of competition that will benefit passengers to and from Tasmania began today with the arrival of Tiger Airways to the state.

The Minister for Tourism, Arts and the Environment, Paula Wriedt, welcomed the inaugural flight by the low-cost carrier, which arrived in Launceston from Melbourne this afternoon.

“Only last month, I greeted the one-millionth passenger through Launceston airport,” Ms Wriedt said.
“This was the first time in the airport’s history that it had welcomed one million passengers in a year.

“The arrival of this new service into Launceston further confirms the popularity of northern Tasmania as a holiday destination, which the 2007 Tasmanian Visitor Survey showed a staggering 17 per cent growth compared with last year.

“And as history has shown with other low-cost air carriers, it’s fully expected that the introduction of Tiger Airways’ services to Tasmania will generate renewed interest in travel to the state.

“In line with low-cost carrier business models, Tiger Airways is offering a no-frills service to match its fares.”
Ms Wriedt said the airline has started business on its Australian routes with five A320 aircrafts and is later expected to boost its domestic fleet to 50, all of which will operate from its Melbourne (Tullamarine) base.

“In the same way that Tourism Tasmania works with all of the state’s major air and sea carriers, this is just the start of what we hope will be a productive and mutually beneficial relationship with Tiger Airways," she said.

“Tourism Tasmania has already met with Tiger Airways to discuss co-operative marketing opportunities.

“Importantly too, we have not ruled out the potential to further develop Tasmania’s international route connections with the carrier, whose parent already services Asia.”

Tiger Airways is owned by Tiger Airways Pty Ltd, which itself is owned by Singapore Airlines (49 per cent), Indigo Partners LCC (24 per cent), Irelandia Investments (16 per cent) and Tamasek Holdings Pty Ltd (11 per cent).
Its business model is based on that of low cost British carrier Ryanair, which carried 42 million passengers in 2006.

Tiger Airways has also announced the commencement of a daily service to Hobart in January 2008.

For further information contact Tourism Tasmania's Communications Unit

(03) 6230 8244
email mediainfo@tourism.tas.gov.au