QANTAS is to invest into a new budget airline based in Singapore. The as yet unnamed carrier will begin operating before the end of 2004, initially with a fleet of four aircraft, building up to 20 over the next three years. A choice has still to be made whether to go for Airbus A320 series aircraft or Boeing 737 New Generation. Announcing the start-up Qantas CEO Geoff Dixon said that the new carrier would fly to a range of Asian cities within five hours of Singapore, but that the routes would not include any current Qantas destinations. Qantas will own 49.9% of the airline with the rest split between three Singapore based investors.
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