There was much excitement in the air as the inaugural Tigerair flight from Singapore to Ipoh touched down at the Sultan Azlan Shah Airport on Friday, May 29.
Executive Councilor for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Dato’ Nolee Ashilin binti Dato’ Mohammed Radzi, was on hand to officiate the Singapore-based budget airline’s inaugural flight and welcomed the first group of passengers. Present at the launch were Ho Yuen Sang, the Chief Operations Officer of Tigerair, Teh Yik Chuan, the Sales and Marketing Director of Tigerair, Mohamad Kamil bin Dato’ Shafie, the Chairman of Perak Tourism Management Bhd., Tuan Haji Ibrahim Seddiqi bin Talib, the Director of Tourism Malaysia (Perak) and Mohamad Suhaimi Abdul Mubin, the General Manager of Malaysia Airports Sdn Bhd.
“It’s a smooth flight, the cabin crew are very professional and friendly plus the runway is good. I’ve heard a lot about Ipoh, all the good food. I am looking forward to enjoy them all,” said Yang, one of the lucky holidaymakers from Singapore on board the flight, to Ipoh Echo.
The new route by the leading Singapore-based no-frills airline will be serviced by an Airbus 320 with an approximate capacity of 180 seats. It will carry about 1440 passengers per week, making Tigerair the only Airbus operator to fly directly to Ipoh four times a week.
The starting fare is S$39 (about RM105) for a one-way trip from Singapore to Ipoh and the ticket from Ipoh to Singapore starts at RM99. In Singapore, the flight lands at the Changi Airport.
During the press conference, Dato’ Nolee highlighted that the new route is not only ideal for business travellers but also for those looking for a short getaway to enjoy the many attractions Ipoh and Perak have to offer.
“Based on data by Tourism Malaysia, the number of hotel rooms in Perak, ending 2014, has increased by 26.9 per cent. There are now some 14,333 rooms available for tourists. The number of hotels too have increased from 253 in 2013 to 288 in 2014. These figures augur well for tourism, both local and foreign, in Perak,” she added.
Ipoh will be Tigerair’s fourth Malaysian destination besides Kuala Lumpur, Langkawi and Penang.
