Thai-Tiger partnership struggles to lift off
Tiger Airways boss Tony Davis has denied speculation that the budget carrier is ready to walk away from a proposed partnership with Thai Airways.
Thai Tiger Airlines (TTA) is a 51:49 THAI-Tiger partnership due to launch in the first quarter 2011.
Davis said Tiger Airways is prepared to extend the deadline for TTA for a fourth time.
The involvement of Temasek, the Singaporean government’s investment arm, and Singapore Airlines, which is a partial owner of Tiger, is believed to be the cause of delays in approval for the new carrier.
Temasek bought Shin Corp from fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a tax-free deal in 2006.
Another key issue is TTA would gain access to Thai domestic routes, normally reserved for Thai airlines, because it has at least 51 per cent-Thai ownership.
The new budget carrier plans to fly from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport to Phuket, Chiang Mai, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Macau, Chennai and Shenzhen. An eighth service would connect Phuket and Chiang Mai.
Ian Jarrett
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