Tiger Airways has selected Newcastle Airport as its only New South Wales destination. Twice daily flights to Melbourne are scheduled to commence on 18 January 2008. Newcastle Airport, CEO, Paul Hughes said the announcement is a vote of confidence for the Airport and the region.

 

“The benefits of a new airline to the region are numerous; it will provide competition to the existing airlines servicing the airport, boost local tourism and provide local employment opportunities. The Airport is a committed driver of tourism to the region and already significantly contributes to the local economy. The announcement is a great achievement for Newcastle Airport, with inbound tourism benefits sure to provide further economic growth in the area,” said Paul.

This announcement will provide an additional 5,000 seats on the Newcastle-Melbourne route each week and increases the number of daily flights from seven to nine.

“The additional flights will create more choice and opportunity for the people of the Newcastle, Mid North Coast, Upper Hunter, Central Coast and surrounding regions. The airport has found that people will often travel to Sydney as Newcastle doesn’t have a flight time that suits them. Newcastle is now in a position to offer frequency to one destination that is comparable to some of Australia’s major airports. I would like to welcome Tiger Airways onboard as a contributor to Newcastle Airport’s future aviation growth and am confident the region will embrace the benefits the new airline and new services bring.”

Newcastle Airport joins a suite of Australian airports who are already in the Tiger ambush including Melbourne, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Rockhampton, Mackay, Launceston, Perth, Alice Springs and Darwin.