The transaction, once completed, will see Virgin Australia secure 100 per cent ownership and full control of Tigerair Australia and brings to a conclusion the joint venture between Virgin Australia and Tiger Holdings which commenced in July last year. As part of the proposed acquisition, Virgin Australia will secure the brand rights to fly Tigerair Australia to a number of short-haul international destinations, providing new growth opportunities for the business.

Tiger Airways will launch seven weekly services to Yogyakarta and Bandung from July 1st and August 1st 2013 respectively. Ho Yuen Sang, managing director, Tiger Airways Singapore, said: “Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world, and is one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets.

Tiger Airways has appointed independent creative agency The Secret Little Agency as its brand agency in Asia Pacific after a closed door pitch. “We aim to be the leading low-cost carrier in Asia Pacific that is focused on providing our customers with a seamless experience from the point of booking to when they return from their travels,” said Alexander Knigge, chief commercial officer, Tiger Airways.

Tiger Airways is to launch direct flights between Singapore and Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital city. There will be four flights a week when the service launches – on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

Thai Airways has effectively severed ties with Tiger Airways after confirming it would not renew its alliance with the carrier. Singapore-based Tiger was grounded for several weeks earlier this year following concerns over safety.

Earlier this week it appeared Tiger Airways – grounded since July 1st – would be back in the skies by the start of next week. That now appears to have been optimistic, to say the least, with the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority identifying further problems with the carrier, which could now be grounded for the foreseeable future.