Sydney Airport will see the launch of services by two new carriers – Delta Airlines and Tiger Airways – this Friday.
Delta is the world’s largest airline and will commence a service from Sydney to Los Angeles. Tiger will commence flying on the Sydney-Melbourne route. As well as being Australia’s busiest route, this city pairing is one of the busiest routes in the world with more than seven million passengers flying between the cities last year.
The CEO of Sydney Airport, Russell Balding, said the launch of two new carriers on the one day was great news for Sydney and a vote of confidence in the future development of Sydney Airport.
“Delta’s entrance into the Australian market is a real win for Sydney. It will boost tourism to Sydney and provides travellers with more choice when travelling between North America and Australia.
“Tiger will be expanding its network by adding the Sydney-Melbourne route and this is another win for Sydney.
“Sydney Airport is a major contributor to Sydney’s economy and the arrival of two new carriers is very good news for all those people employed in Sydney’s tourism, hospitality, and related industries” Mr Balding said.
Sydney Airport is a major employment generator, directly generating more than 75,000 full- and part-time jobs, plus indirect employment of around 131,000 jobs.
Victorian roads and ports minister Tim Pallas joined with Tiger Airways to launch the new route and said the service would start with four flights daily and support the future growth of the airline in Melbourne.
“The Brumby Labor Government is taking action to secure jobs and investment for the state and build for the future of Victoria,” Mr Pallas said.
“These new flights will add over 250,000 inbound seats to Melbourne so Victorian tourism and our local economy will be the big winners.
“Tiger’s low-cost model opens up flying to people who would otherwise rarely or never travel and with this being the world’s third-busiest route there is enormous scope for further growth.
Established in 2007, Tiger Airways Australia is a subsidiary of the Singapore-based low-cost carrier and is headquartered in Melbourne.
Tiger commenced operations from Melbourne Airport in November 2007 and currently has four Airbus A320 aircraft serving 11 destinations from Melbourne. Lower air traffic levels at Sydney Airport have enabled Tiger to commence the new Melbourne-Sydney route.
The aviation and aerospace industry is estimated to be worth $600 million to the Victorian economy, employing more than 20,000 people in over 400 businesses.