October 4, 2010
Shares of Singapore budget carrier Tiger Airways fell by 3.9 percent in early trade on Monday after a local newspaper reported that the firm had cancelled about 40 flights over a four-day period.
Tiger, 49 percent owned by Singapore Airlines, confirmed in a statement that a number of cancellations occurred last week as a result of the knock-on effects of two aircraft being grounded.
"These disruptions were caused by the impact of technical issues with two Singapore-based aircraft which required extended maintenance," the airline said in a press release.
Tiger said the first aircraft, which was delivered in February 2010, was out of operation for several weeks. The carrier managed to claim against the warranty of the plane, however.
The second passenger jet was grounded for a week due to fuel tank contamination. Tiger operates about two dozen Airbus A320 passenger jets.
"Given the tight scheduling and high utilisation of planes for budget carriers, planes that are out of action will have a much more severe impact compared to the full service carriers," DMG & Partners said in a report.
The Straits Times reported on Saturday that Tiger Airways has cancelled about 40 flights since September 28, citing problems such as fuel and electricity trouble.
(Reuters)
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