Press release - 31 October 2016 15:11

SILKAIR'S INAUGURAL FLIGHT TO LAOS TAKES TO THE SKIES TODAY

SilkAir, the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, today launched its inaugural flight to Vientiane and Luang Prabang, Laos. With this launch, SilkAir’s route network now spans 51 destinations in 14 countries.

The inaugural flight departed this afternoon at 1.20pm from Changi Airport and is expected to arrive at Vientiane’s Wattay International Airport at 3.15pm. It will then depart at 4.05pm for Luang Prabang International Airport, and is expected to arrive at 5.00pm. The return flight will take off at 5.50pm and is expected to land in Singapore at 10.05pm (all times local).

The thrice weekly flights to Laos are scheduled on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, with same-day return. The services will be operated with Airbus A320 aircraft, featuring both business and economy class cabins.

To mark this special occasion, passengers on the first flight out of Singapore and Laos were presented with exclusively produced SilkAir gifts, as well as inaugural flight certificates signed personally by SilkAir’s Chief Executive, Mr. Foo Chai Woo, and Commander of the flight, Captain Sheldon Rasquinha.

Commenting on the launch, SilkAir’s Chief Executive, Mr. Foo Chai Woo said: “We are very excited to launch this new flight, as the popularity of Laos grows among travelers of the region and beyond. The air link will be the latest addition to the Singapore Airlines – SilkAir network covering over 100 international cities in 34 countries, providing our customers with enhanced connectivity through our Singapore Changi Airport hub. We hope that travelers will delight in the serene nature of Laos and all its vibrancy in culture and architecture.”

Flights are available for booking through the SilkAir website, call centres and travel agents. Detailed flight schedules to Laos are appended in Annex A.

Annex A

MI flight schedule (with effect from 31 October 2016):

Flight	Routing	Days of Operation	Departure (Local timing)	Arrival (Local Timing)
MI788	Singapore - Vientiane	Mon, Thu, Sat	Singapore 13:20	Vientiane 15:15
MI788	Vientiane - Luang Prabang	Mon, Thu, Sat	Vientiane 16:05	Luang Prabang 17:00
MI788	Luang Prabang - Singapore	Mon, Thu, Sat	Luang Prabang 17:50	Singapore 22:05

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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 30 aircraft, comprising 3 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