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Scoot takes delivery of 14th B787 with crew bunks
May 19th 2017
Singapore Airline Group’s long-haul low-cost carrier, Scoot, has taken delivery of its 14th B787 Dreamliner. Read More » The latest addition to the Scoot fleet is the first aircraft the carrier had fitted with crew bunks, readying the airline for nonstop flights beyond Australia and Northeast Asia.
Scoot flies its newest Dreamliner on four-a week services from its Singapore base to Athens from June as well as “direct services to another long-haul destination to be announced later in 2017”. The Straits Times said the additional route will be Singapore-Osaka-Honolulu.
Scoot’s Athens flight will make the carrier a serious contender on the Kangaroo Route, with fares from Australia to Athens starting at below AU$1,000 (US$744). Scoot rival AirAsia X will launch a four-weekly Kuala Lumpur-Osaka-Honolulu A330 route on June 28, which will be AirAsia X’s first service to the U.S.
Scoot CEO, Lee Lik Hsin, speaking at the aircraft delivery ceremony in Everett, said: "Our vision of serving not just passengers in the region, but also those beyond, is being realised with Mous-Scoot-Ka. The new aircraft is named after the Greek classic dish, Moussaka, Scoot said.
“Scoot and our sister airline, Tigerair, have a strong presence in the Asia-Pacific with a network of 59 cities in 16 countries. Our extensive footprint in the region provides us with a good base of connecting traffic to support our long-haul services. We are excited about the opportunities that we can tap with our expanded fleet."
Scoot expects to receive four B787-8s fitted with crew bunks in 2017. The aircraft accommodate 329 passengers with 18 in the ‘ScootBiz’ section. In comparison, Scoot's B787-8s without crew bunks are configured with 335 seats, including 21 in the ‘ScootBiz’ section.
The fleet expansion is part of Scoot's long-term growth strategy. Following the integration of Scoot and Tigerair in May last year, the two airlines have been working towards the operation of services under a single Scoot brand and are expected to complete the process in the second half of 2017.
SIA operated Singapore-Athens on its own metal for years, but retreated from the route last year because of unsatisfactory yields. It is expected that Scoot will take over more of SIA’s leisure-heavy, low-yielding routes.
