Joint Media Release: SilkAir to Fly to Koh Samui From 27 September

SilkAir, the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, is set to begin services to Koh Samui in Thailand from 27 September 2011.

Flights are scheduled to operate three times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

Koh Samui will be SilkAir’s third destination in Thailand, after Phuket and Chiang Mai. The new services will be operated with the Airbus 319 aircraft, featuring both Business and Economy Class cabins.

Bangkok Airways will be the codeshare partner on these flights. SilkAir will also codeshare on Bangkok Airways’ daily evening services between Singapore and Koh Samui, providing customers with more flight options.

Currently, Bangkok Airways operates a daily non-stop service on this route with the same aircraft type, leaving Koh Samui at 1635hrs and departing from Singapore at 2010hrs.    

Flights will be operated according to the following schedule*:

SilkAir (MI) operated flights:
MI772/PG4221 Tue,Thur,Sun 
Singapore 0810hrs/ Koh Samui 0900hrs

MI771/PG4222 Tue, Thur, Sun 
Koh Samui 0945hrs/Singapore 1235hrs

Bangkok Airways (PG) operated flights:
PG962/MI5662 Daily 
Singapore 2010hrs/ Koh Samui 2055hrs

PG961/MI5661  Daily 
Koh Samui 1635hrs/ Singapore 1920hrs
* All times local

“SilkAir is very excited to launch services to Koh Samui, which is renowned for its beautiful white sandy beaches and coral reefs, making it an ideal destination for tourists, honeymooning couples and those who just want to get away from the daily stresses of life.  

“Koh Samui is popular with travellers seeking the ultimate tropical beach experience and SilkAir is well placed to meet this demand, with our extensive experience in flying to exotic regional destinations and our strong interconnectivity with the Singapore Airlines network,” said Chief Executive SilkAir, Mr Marvin Tan.

“Additionally, our codeshare arrangement with Bangkok Airways will enhance the connectivity between Singapore and Koh Samui and offer our customers more convenient connections and flexibility when planning their holidays,” added Mr Tan.

Peter Wiesner, Bangkok Airways’ Senior Vice President for Network Management, said: “By having a codeshare arrangement on the Singapore-Koh Samui route, it actually allows us to drive more traffic into Koh Samui. We are planning on capturing traffic from Singapore as well as through traffic from long-haul routes connecting from a major aviation hub like Singapore Changi International Airport.  Adding to this, passengers will benefit from better flight connectivity and accessibility as SilkAir operates a morning flight while Bangkok Airways an evening one.”

In addition to the Singapore–Koh Samui route, Bangkok Airways also codeshares on SilkAir’s Singapore–Chiang Mai and Singapore–Phuket routes.  Likewise, SilkAir will codeshare on Bangkok Airways’ Bangkok-Samui, Samui-Phuket and Chiang Mai-Samui routes.

For more information on SilkAir and Bangkok Airways, including its destinations and services, please visit silkair.com and bangkokair.com.