Singapore Airlines 2011 Annual Report Download - page 31

ANNUAL REPORT 2010/2011 029
SilkAir
SilkAir closed the year in review with a profit after taxation of $104 million, an increase of 153.2% compared
to the previous financial year.
The airline carried a total of 2.8 million passengers during the year, an improvement of 17.3%. With capacity
growth outpacing passenger carriage, passenger load factor declined by 0.7 percentage points to 76.4%.
Three new points were added to the SilkAir network during the financial year in review – Bangalore and
Chennai in 2010 and Pekanbaru in 2011.
SilkAir’s flights between Singapore and Bangalore, the capital city of the state of Karnataka, began on 17 May
2010, while flights between Singapore and Chennai, the capital city of the state of Tamil Nadu, started on 14
June 2010. The introduction of these two daytime services complemented Singapore Airlines’ night flights to
both cities, providing more options to our customers.
Thrice-weekly flights to Pekanbaru, the capital of Riau in Sumatra, were launched on 28 February 2011.
Pekanbaru is the airline’s eighth Indonesian destination after Balikpapan, Lombok, Manado, Medan, Palembang,
Solo and Surabaya. In addition to these new destinations, capacity to a number of existing destinations, such
as Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Medan, Yangon and Kunming, was increased to meet growing demand.
In addition to its scheduled services, the airline actively worked with its partners to operate charters to
destinations such as Dili (in Timor Leste), Guiyang and Darwin.
During the year in review, SilkAir witnessed a change of leadership with the appointment of Marvin Tan as
Chief Executive from 11 October 2010. Mr Tan, formerly the Divisional Vice President Customer Services for
Singapore Airlines, took over from Chin Yau Seng, who returned to the parent company as Divisional Vice
President Cabin Crew Operations. Mr Tan joined SilkAir as a Board Director on 1 June 2010 and has been with
Singapore Airlines for over 14 years, holding various positions in head office and overseas.
In a bid to play its part in wildlife conservation, SilkAir joined hands with Singapore Airlines to support
the Giant Panda collaborative programme between Wildlife Reserves Singapore and the China Wildlife
Conservation Association. SilkAir provides air tickets, between Singapore and both Chengdu and Chongqing,
to facilitate the travel requirements of the teams of zookeepers, veterinarians and researchers for training and
familiarisation programmes.
SilkAir has also continued to receive accolades for its dedication to product and service quality. In October
2010, SilkAir was inducted into the TTG Travel Hall of Fame following its 10th win in the TTG Travel Awards
in 2009. SilkAir was voted ‘Best Regional Airline’ in the annual TTG Travel Awards for 10 years between 1995
and 2009 (1995-1997, 2002, 2004-2009). Other Travel Hall of Fame honoraries include Singapore Airlines
and Singapore Changi Airport. SilkAir was once again also voted as one of the Top 10 Airlines Worldwide for
Cabin Service by Hong Kong-based online travel magazine, Smart Travel Asia.