Press release - 7 September 2016 14:19

FLY DIRECT TO OKINAWA ON SPECIAL SILKAIR FLIGHTS

SilkAir, the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, and Okinawa Prefecture Government (OPG) are pleased to announce 12 direct SilkAir charter flights between Singapore and Okinawa, Japan’s southernmost prefecture, between November 2016 and January 2017. These series charters are part of the continuing joint efforts to promote a direct Singapore-Okinawa air link. Departing from Singapore Changi Airport, the flight time is approximately five hours and 15 minutes on these non-stop services, which arrive straight into Naha, the capital of Okinawa.

These full-service flights will be operated with SilkAir’s latest Boeing 737-800 aircraft, featuring both Business and Economy class cabins. Passengers will be offered a suite of SilkAir’s full-service offerings, including 30kg and 40kg baggage allowance for Economy and Business class respectively, inflight meals, and complimentary inflight entertainment via SilkAir Studio, which allows them to stream movie, TV and audio content directly to their personal devices.

"SilkAir is again pleased to work with OPG to provide direct services to Okinawa. Our seven flights in June 2016 were well received by the market and we hope to provide our customers the opportunity again to experience the rich culture and enjoy the fascinating sights there in the year-end holiday season," said SilkAir Vice-President Commercial, Mr. Ryan Pua.

“OPG welcomes another series of direct charter flights to Okinawa by SilkAir. During the previous services in June, a great number of Singaporeans visited the islands and enjoyed Japan’s southernmost paradise. I truly hope that even more Singaporeans will visit the islands on the upcoming charter flights and discover Okinawa’s year-round attraction, which will build up travel demand for Okinawa and greatly contribute to the eventual launch of scheduled services,” said OPG’s Director General of the Department Culture, Tourism and Sports, Mr. Mitsuyuki Maeda.

Okinawa comprises hundreds of the Ryuku islands and these islands extend southwest from the southern end of mainland Japan to Taiwan. The close proximity to Chinese influence is visible in the region’s vibrant architecture, traditional dress and the martial art of karate. Okinawa’s capital, Naha, is located in the southern part of Okinawa Island. Attractions in Naha include Shuri Castle which is a registered UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Peace Memorial Park, and Churaumi Aquarium.

Members of the public from Singapore that are interested to travel to Okinawa can view the flight itinerary or contact any of the travel agents listed in Annex A.

Annex A

MI flight schedule to Okinawa:

Flight Dates	Sector	Flight Number	Departure Time	Arrival Time
19, 23, 29 Nov, 3, 7, 13, 17, 21, 27, 30, 31 Dec 2016 and 3 Jan 2017	Singapore to Okinawa	MI 884	1100hrs	1715hrs
Okinawa to Singapore	MI 883	1815hrs	2245hrs

*Subject to regulatory approvals

Travel Agents in Singapore offering SilkAir flights to Okinawa:

No.	Travel Agent	Contact No.
1	Airelated Travel	6532 5686
2	ASA Holidays	6303 5303
3	Chan Brothers Travel	6212 9679
4	CTC Travel	6536 3995
5	Dynasty Travel	6338 4455
6	Hong Thai Travel	6533 1788
7	JTB	6595 0600
8	Chan’s World Holidays	6507 9595
9	H.I.S International Travel	6224 1512

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Corporate Information

About SilkAir

As the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, SilkAir operates the Singapore Airlines Group's narrowbody fleet and extends the Group network by seeding and developing new, exciting destinations in Asia Pacific.

The airline took to the skies in February 1989 as Tradewinds the Airline, before evolving into SilkAir in 1992. In its early days, the airline catered to passengers holidaying in exotic destinations in the region, including Phuket and Tioman. As the carrier developed, regional business destinations such as Phnom Penh, Yangon and Kuala Lumpur were added.

Today, the full service airline operates almost 400 weekly flights to 49 destinations in 13 countries. Recent additions to the network include Cairns (May 2015) and Male (Oct 2015). SilkAir’s network will increase to 52 destinations in 14 countries when Vientiane and Luang Prabang commence operations in October 2016 and Fuzhou in November 2016. The airline currently has a fleet of 31 aircraft, comprising 4 A319s and 11 A320s and 16 Boeing 737-800s. In August 2012, the airline announced the largest order in its history of up to 68 Boeing 737 aircraft, with firm orders comprising Boeing 737-800 and Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft.

For more details visit silkair.com or http://www.facebook.com/SilkAir