Tigerair Launches Direct Flights To Ningbo Today

SINGAPORE –Tigerair today commenced its inaugural flight to the seaport city of Ningbo, a choice destination and connecting hub for both business and holiday travelers, and a flourishing melting pot of trade, entertainment and culture.

Henceforth, Tigerair will call at Ningbo three times every fortnight, on every alternate Thursday, Tuesday and Saturday.

“Ningbo’s comprehensive and reliable transport networks makes it an ideal first stop for those who wanting to explore various key Chinese cities in a single itinerary,” said Mr Ho Yuen Sang, Chief Operating Officer at Tigerair, “we are proud to be the only airline making a direct Ningbo call from Singapore, and look forward to better serving our customers with this new Tigerair destination.”

Thanks to its strategic location and exceptional connectivity to regional Chinese cities, Ningbo’s bustling seaport has become a gateway for the export of electrical products, industrial tools and textiles, and ranks second only to Shanghai in terms of the amount of cargo handled annually. It comes as no wonder then, that the city was ranked seventh in ‘Forbes China’s 2012 Best Cities for Business’.

The city’s superb rail infrastructure connects it to the major cities of Wenzhou, Nanjing and Hangzhou via high-speed bullet trains travelling at speeds of up to 350 kilometres per hour. This enables commuters to reach Hangzhou in a mere 26 minutes, while reducing traveling time to Nanjing from five hours to two.

Ningbo is also the door to the World’s longest sea-crossing bridge – the 36-kilometre long Hangzhou Bay Bridge. An architectural masterpiece that took nine years in its making, the S-shaped stayed-cable bridge opened in 2008 with six lanes running in either direction, providing access across the entire Hangzhou Bay by connecting Ningbo to the municipalities of Shanghai, while shortening the distance between them by 120 kilometres. The bridge effectively completes the transport network of China’s ‘Golden Industrial Triangle’ between Ningbo, Shanghai and Hangzhou, which together form the most vibrant economic zone in the Mainland and accounts for over 21% of China’s gross domestic product.

To take that convenience one step further, bus shuttle services between Ningbo Lishe International Airport and the East Railway Station will commence tomorrow, making it even easier for travelers to access bullet train services to and from Beijing, Fuzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Shanghai, Wenzhou and Xiamen.

With the addition of Ningbo, Tigerair today serves a total of eight destinations in Greater China, namely, Guangzhou, Haikou, Hong Kong, Lijiang, Macau, Ningbo, Shenzhen and Taipei. All of these destinations have in recent years experienced a burgeoning demand in air traffic with the rest of the Asia-Pacific as a result of increasing tourism and trade links. Tigerair’s launch of direct flights to Ningbo is hence timely, as the airline is now able to provide even greater choice to customers with its enlarged palette of Greater China destinations.

One-way fare for the Singapore-Ningbo route is currently available from S$214, inclusive of taxes and other charges.