JEDDAH, 13 August — Singapore Airlines (SIA), which has three weekly flights from Jeddah, is keen on making Riyadh its second online station in Saudi Arabia.
This was one of the subjects discussed by a senior SIA executive with top officials of the Presidency of Civil Aviation during his visit to Kingdom last week.
"We’ve enough demand in the capital to plead for an additional online station," Paul Tan, the airline’s senior vice president for West Asia & Africa, told Arab News at the airline’s office in Jeddah.
Manjit Grewal, Jeddah-based general manager of the airline for the Middle East comprising the Kingdom, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Yemen and Iraq, said: "Indonesians, Filipinos and Indians are increasingly traveling by our airline from Jeddah. There is demand from these and other communities in the capital," he said.
Asked to comment on the island country’s visa procedure, Tan said: "We issue visas to Saudis within seven days and to expatriates of certain nationalities within three days. Those transiting through Singapore don’t need a transit visa."
Acquainting the facilities at the Singapore Changi Airport’s new Plaza premium lounge located at Terminal 2 on 3rd floor, Tan said: "An increasing number of passengers have been making use of the lounge, equipped with a gym and areas for shower, nap, massage and oxygen therapy. It costs $30 Singapore dollars for a five-hour stay."
Tan, who is with the airline for the past 22 years, said the airline, which is currently operating services to India’s four main destinations — Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta and Madras — would add to this list Hyderabad in October and Bangalore in April. It is also planning to operate to Trivandrum and Cochin in the southern Kerala state.
Asked about the impact of the post-Sept. 11 events on the airline, Tan said: "Our drop in business was six to seven percent compared to the same period last year. Yet, our financial results have been encouraging, particularly because our load factor was generally good at 70 percent. We’ve new aircraft with bigger capacity."
He added: "The Kingdom and the rest of the Gulf market have remained steady for us and that’s how we’ve made good recovery despite the adverse effects of Sept. 11. In fact, we’ve increased our frequencies to Dubai."
Tan added: "Availability of halal food and favorable cultural environment have been among the factors that have contributed to Singapore increasingly becoming a favorable destination for vacationers from the Arab world."
