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| SINGAPORE A350-941 9V-SMC (MSN |
Singapore Airlines will begin taking over the fleet and routes of regional sibling SilkAir as its smaller sibling is wound down over the coming 12 months. Nine of SilkAir's Boeing 737-800 jets, redressed in the familiar Singapore Airlines livery, will be darting around Asia from March, starting with Phuket and Brunei. Those aircraft will sport SilkAir's current 12 business class recliners, albeit with fresh upholstery. The newer lie-flat Vantage seats remain slated for the SilkAir Singapore Airlines Boeing 737 MAX jets, which are currently grounded, although many countries are now allowing airlines to resume 737 MAX flights based on approval from aviation regulators. Also missing from the ex-SilkAir Boeing 737-800 jets is inflight Internet, although Singapore Airlines' KrisWorld entertainment can be streamed to your laptop, tablet or smartphone over WiFi.
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| SILK AIR B737-831 9V-MGI (MSN |
SilkAir is expected to be fully subsumed into its parent by March 2022. Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong said the adoption of the Boeing 737s "will bring about a more comfortable and seamless travel experience for customers on our regional routes," while the integration of SilkAir "also allows us to be nimble and flexible in aircraft deployment, and supports our fleet and network growth strategy." Competitor Cathay Pacific has also shuttered its own regional arm Cathay Dragon, with the Dragon's former routes to be divided between Cathay Pacific and low-cost HK Express.
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| CATHAY DRAGON A321-231 B-HTJ (MSN |
Cathay Pacific is reportedly aiming to take over slightly more than half of the routes previously flown by the Cathay Dragon, with the rest assigned to low-cost carrier HK Express. "Cathay Pacific has applied for around 25 former Cathay Dragon routes with a heavy emphasis on the larger cities in China: the list is said to include Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Taipei, Penang, Tokyo and Kolkata.
However, some key routes may also be opened up to rival Hong Kong Airlines and newly-minted competitor Greater Bay Airlines, which plans to launch in mid-2021 with a fleet of Boeing 737 jets and helmed by former Cathay Dragon CEO and 40-year Cathay veteran Algernon Yau Ying-wah. Cathay Dragon, formerly Dragonair, operated as Cathay Pacific's regional arm but was scrapped in October 2020 as part of an extensive cost-saving exercise aimed at ensuring the parent airline's survival as it weathers the global pandemic and "adapts to the new travel reality.
Silk Air began its life as a regional air-charter company as Tradewinds Charters formed in 1975, serving leisure destinations using planes predominantly leased from parent airline Singapore Airlines. Scheduled services began on the 21st February 1989, when it leased McDonnell Douglas MD-87 aeroplanes for services to 5 destinations: Pattaya, Phuket, Hat Yai, and Kuantan from Singapore's Changi International Airport, and Tioman from Singapore's Seletar Airport. As the carrier matured, regional business destinations such as Jakarta, Phnom Penh, and Yangon were added to its network, thereby broadening the airline's appeal beyond the holiday-maker to include the business traveller. On the 18th May 2018, Singapore Airlines announced that the SilkAir fleet would undergo a major cabin product upgrade from 2020 before being fully merged into the parent company. As part of the merger, SilkAir's website was discontinued and integrated into Singapore Airlines' website on 31 March 2019.
As of 31st January 2021, the SilkAir fleet consists of the following aircraft:
SilkAir fleet| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes |
|---|
| J | Y | Total |
|---|
| Airbus A319-100 | 2 | — | 8 | 120 | 128 | To be retired by 2021. |
| Airbus A320-200 | 4 | — | 12 | 138 | 150 |
| Boeing 737-800 | 17 | — | 12 | 150 | 162 | First of nine to be transferred to Singapore Airlines by February 2021. |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | 6 | 31 | 12 | 144 | 156 | All aircraft are currently grounded
To be transferred to Singapore Airlines as a result of the upcoming merger |
| Total | 29 | 31 | |
|---|
Below Silk Air aircraft are parked up in the desert at Alice Springs in the Northern Territory Australia
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| SILK AIR B737-8 MAX 9V-MBB (MSN 44240) |
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| SILK AIR B737-8 MAX 9V-MBC (MSN 44244) |
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| SILK AIR B737-8 MAX 9V-MBD (MSN 44241) |
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FRONT: SILK AIR B737-8 MAX 9V-MBE (MSN 44242)
REAR: SILK AIR B737-8 MAX 9V-MBA (MSN 44246) |
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| SILK AIR B737-8 MAX 9V-MBF (MSN 44250) |
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