SINGAPORE. The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) has issued a statement about the recent failure of Awair to establish a new Jakarta-Singapore route.
The carrier, which relaunched itself as a low-cost airline late last year, had intended to start the new route in January but was forced to cancel its maiden flight when its application for landing rights was rejected.
AirAsia holds a 49% stake in the airline.
CAAS commented: “The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore has completed its review of Awair’s documents for the airline’s application to operate to Singapore from Jakarta”¦CAAS is unable to proceed further with Awair’s application to operate to Singapore at this juncture in light of new developments concerning the operations of low-cost carriers between Singapore and Indonesia.”
CAAS claimed that in late January, it was informed by the Indonesian aviation authority of its intention to introduce a new restriction on services by low-cost carriers to/from certain points in Indonesia. Accordingly, Awair’s planned operation to Singapore has been affected by this new development.
CAAS has subsequently contacted its Indonesian counterpart to discuss this matter further with a view to facilitating the operations of all carriers from both countries.
The authority said: “CAAS welcomes all airlines, including Awair, to operate to Singapore. We look forward to the lifting of these restrictions by the Indonesian authorities, and the launch of Awair’s operation to Singapore, as this would mean more choices for the travelling public and would give a boost to tourism between Indonesia and Singapore.”
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