LOW-COST carrier Scoot began operations with its newest aircraft, the Embraer E190-E2, with flights to Krabi and Hat Yai commencing on Tuesday (May 7).
Part of Embraer’s newest family of regional jets, Scoot plans to add a total of nine of the aircraft to its fleet by the end 2025.
“(The jets’) smaller passenger capacity makes them ideal for opening new routes to smaller but growing markets within the region, as well as enabling additional flights on existing routes. This will help enhance the Singapore air hub’s network connectivity in South-east Asia,” said Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat at the launch event held at Changi Airport Terminal 1.
He added that the new jets were an “important milestone” in Changi Airport’s continued growth, as expanding Singapore’s commercial aviation network in South-east Asia would allow it to meet rapidly growing demand.
Scoot’s chief executive Leslie Thng told The Business Times that the new aircraft would allow the airline to expand to new destinations and build up its frequency with existing ones.
The E190-E2 will begin flights to Miri on May 20 and Kuantan on Jun 3. It will commence flights to Koh Samui on May 13 and Sibu on Jun 5 – both are new destinations for Scoot.
Scoot, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines : C6L 0%, is the first to operate the Embraer E2 series of aircraft in South-east Asia.
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The first E190-E2 was delivered to Scoot in Singapore in April.
A total of five aircraft will be delivered this year, with the remaining four to arrive in 2025.
When queried on how much additional capacity the new jets would give the airline, Scoot’s Thng declined to give specific figures but said that the carrier was already operating above 2019 levels.
He added that Scoot would continue to take delivery of Airbus and Boeing aircraft, which would give it wider capacity to look at different opportunities.
He also said that the airline is now past its post-Covid recovery and now in a “growth stage”, which it is looking at expanding further.
The E2 is a single-aisle regional jet with a capacity of 112 passengers. With a maximum flight time of six hours, it can serve all of South-east Asia as well as parts of East Asia, India and Australia.
According to Scoot and Embraer, the E190-E2 is the most efficient single-aisle aircraft in commercial aviation and emits 25 per cent less carbon than the previous generation.
