SIA cutting 214 flights

By Karamjit Kaur, Aviation Correspondent

HIT by falling passenger numbers, Singapore Airlines (SIA) is cancelling more than 200 flights from now until the end of March.
In a circular to travel agents earlier this week, SIA said it would reduce the number of flights to Shanghai, Hong Kong and Guangzhou in China, as well

as to the Indian cities of Mumbai and New Delhi.

Travellers heading Down Under to Perth, Sydney and Brisbane, as well as those bound for London and Zurich will also have fewer options to choose from.

In all, 214 flights will be cut, or less than 3 per cent of the airline's total. While the numbers may seem like a drop in the ocean, they are a sign of worse things to come, said industry players.

'After the festive season is when we expect to see people really tightening their purse strings,' said Ms Alicia Seah, senior vice-president for marketing and public relations at CTC Holidays.

Demand for air travel has been slipping since last September when the credit crunch in the United States snowballed into what is now a global economic crisis.