Tiger on the prowl in New Zealand?

Is Singapore's Tiger Airways looking to enter the New Zealand market? There are loud whispers after the managing director of the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) Peter Harbison said he expected Tiger to leap across the Tasman and enter the NZ domestic market by mid 2008 at the latest.

The budget airline is due to begin its Australian operations with five aircraft in November. Harbison told media that the South Pacific aviation market was in for a major shake-up next year, with Air New Zealand's lack of an Australian network leaving the market wide open.

Air New Zealand has been more or less unchallenged in the domestic market, following the collapse of Origin Pacific last year and the cancellation of Qantas's New Zealand operations except for very select sectors.


(Also see: Virgin will wage airfare war in New Zealand)