SilkAir, the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, will launch direct air services between Singapore and Visakhapatnam, India, from October 28, 2012, subject to regulatory approvals, the carrier has confirmed. This will be the first direct international air connection with Visakhapatnam and will increase the number of destinations in SilkAir’s route network to 42 in 12 countries. SilkAir will offer a three times weekly schedule operated with Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft, featuring both Business and Economy class cabins.

SilkAir’s Chief Executive, Mr Leslie Thng, anticipates strong demand for the new service and expects the launch of direct flights will provide a further boost to the growth and development of business and tourism in both countries. “This represents a significant milestone as SilkAir is the first carrier to offer international flights to and from Visakhapatnam. We are extremely delighted to add Visakhapatnam to our network and are confident that this direct service will further strengthen the strong economic ties between Singapore and India.”

Popularly known as Vizag, Visakhapatnam is the second largest city of Andhra Pradesh and offers a multitude of cultural, historic and natural scenic sites such as the Dolphin’s Nose, a prominent rock promontory, the world famous Araku Valley, a pleasant hill station renowned for its scenic gardens, and also the greatly revered Borra Caves, famous for its spectacular, million-year-old stalactite and stalagmite formations.

“This new route will also give business travelers access to one of the fastest growing commercial cities in India while introducing a great sightseeing destination for the leisure-oriented tourists,” added Thng.

The HUB reported earlier this year about the international aspirations of Visakhapatnam Airport as it welcomed its first indirect international link, an Air India service to Dubia, via Hyderabad. The facility, controlled by the Indian Navy, has experienced mass growth over the past decade, but previously solely in the domestic market. Back in 1999, the airport had just a single domestic flight but its network now stretches to eight points (Bhubaneswar, Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Tirupati) with five airlines (Air India, IndiGo, Jet Airways, SpiceJet and Star Aviation) offering around 150 flights per week.

The airport is now working to secure a further international route with Bangkok understood to be top of its wish list, like Singapore providing onward connection to destinations across the globe. Airport Director, K Srinivasa Rao, told The HUB earlier this year that market surveys by both local carriers and international operators have shown “a positive” response for hub destinations like Dubai, Singapore and Bangkok. “We are working to attract additional flights by highlighting the industrial growth in the region and wider catchment area and likely increase in traffic based on actual figures of traffic over the years,” he added.

The airport’s management is confident that new services can be secured, although the restricted opening times of the facility could cause some schedule issues. Visakhapatnam is now CAT VII certified and planned projects will bring additional capacity to the airport. This includes a proposal to expand the apron to accommodate additional parking spaces and a proposal to open a new cargo facility by modifying the old passenger terminal. The major selling point for the airport is its large catchment. Approximately 17.23 million people live within the five districts of Andhraparadesh, a further 5.35 million in the six districts of Orissa and 2.67 million more in the three districts of Chattisgarh.

For SilkAir, Visakhapatnam will be its eighth destination in India. Together with its sister carrier Singapore Airlines, the SIA Group will this winter serve a total of eleven cities in India. In 2011, an estimated two million O&D passengers flew between Singapore and India with the largest traffic flows being, unsurprisingly, from the major Indian cities of Chennai (28.1 per cent), Mumbai (24.5 per cent) and Delhi (16.8 per cent). An estimated 1,800 passengers flew between Visakhapatnam and Singapore last year on flights with Air India and Jet Airways via Chennai.

In the table below we highlight the leading airlines in the Singapore – India market by O&D traffic last year. SilkAir is ranked the fifth largest carrier in the market with an 8.9 per cent share of the traffic, however together with its sister carrier Singapore Airlines, the SIA Group has a market dominating 37.9 per cent share.