Silkair launches Busan flights with Boeing 737-800

Singapore Airlines’ regional subsidiary Silkair has launched new non-stop flights to Busan, giving the South Korean city its first direct air connection to Singapore.

The new four-times-weekly service is being operated by the carrier’s Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Flights depart on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Silkair had previously earmarked the aircraft’s newer iteration, the Boeing 737 Max 8, for the launch of the route. However, following the fatal crash of an Ethiopian Airlines flight in March involving the aircraft, the Max has been grounded globally as investigations are carried out.

The older Silkair 737-800s feature a similar set up to their newer variants, though with older business class seat products than those on the Max 8.

Onboard, passengers can expect to see some Korean touches, notably with the in-flight menus. Silkair has introduced a number of popular Korean dishes on the flight such as bibimbap (Korean mixed rice), beef japchae (stir-fried glass noodles) and chicken bulgogi and kimchi fried rice.

Speaking about the launch of the new route, Silkair’s chief executive, Foo Chai Woo, said: “The launch of Busan flights marks yet another milestone for Silkair, as it is the first South Korean city in our network”.

The new route is an interesting one for Silkair, which as of last month has begun the process of ceding 17 of its routes to its low-cost sibling Scoot over the next two years as it prepares to merge with the two airlines’ parent carrier, Singapore Airlines (SIA).

The regional carrier is expected to get new flatbed business class seats designed by manufacturer Thompson Aero ahead of the merger in order to create “closer product and service consistency across the SIA Group’s full-service network”, the company said last year.