SINGAPORE : Singapore Airlines plans to fly to Moscow by mid
next year, but the move will need the approval of Russian
regulatory authorities.
Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, who is on a visit to Moscow, revealed
this to reporters.
Singapore Airlines, which has been studying the Russian market for
some years now, plans to tap into this middle class market.
It sees tourist traffic heading from Southeast Asia to Moscow in
the summer and is confident of the Russian interest in Southeast
Asia during the winter months.
"The tourism market is high on our agenda because a lot of Russians
are travelling to exotic destinations in the Far East, Singapore
and Southeast Asia," said Jayaraj Shanmugam, general manager
(Russia) at Singapore Airlines.
"We have seen a lot Russians heading to Phuket, Hanoi, Bali, Saigon
and even to Australia. So it's going to be a fair mix of tourism
and business travel," he added.
There is an air service agreement between Singapore and Russia but
Singapore Airlines says it is still undecided if it will fly direct
to Moscow or stop-over in Dubai or Bangkok.
There are some 45 international airlines flying to Russia. Asian
airlines like Thai Airways are planning to fly to Russia in
November.
- CNA /ls