Scoot has marked 10 years of service which has seen it operate widebodies and become a major carrier in Asia.
Saturday marked the 10th anniversary of Scoot, Singapore Airlines' (SIA) low-cost airline. Originally founded as a medium- and long-haul carrier, Scoot has since added narrowbodies and become a more typical budget airline. However, despite this, it retains some interesting touches from its parent airline.
Scoot was founded by SIA on 25th May 2011, with the aim of building a budget long-haul airline out of Asia. Campbell Wilson was the first and third CEO of Scoot, serving in the role from July 2011-2016 and again from April 2020 until mid-2022, when he takes over as the CEO and MD of Air India.
The first flight took off from Singapore Changi Airport on 4th June 2012, a decade ago to the date, flying to Sydney Airport. Scoot's initial fleet consisted entirely of six transferred Boeing 777-200ERs from Singapore Airlines, but these would soon be replaced by an order for 20 Boeing 787s: consisting of 10 -8s and 10 -9s.
The first year saw destinations focused in Australia, with the Gold Coast being added soon after, and east Asia, with Taipei, Seoul, and Hong Kong. As the fleet grew, Scoot looked to add popular routes before longer ones, with Bangkok, Perth, and Tianjin joining in 2015. This was the same year when the first 787s came to modernize the flight.
As Scoot began adding 787s in January 2015, it looked to strengthen a medium- and long-haul network. Additionally, the airline's first joint-venture, NokScoot, was founded in December 2014 and flew until 2020 using Scoot and SIA's ex-777s. The 787s were quickly deployed to increase frequencies to Sydney, Hong Kong, Gold Coast, and Bangkok.
Scoot also expanded further into North and South Asia in 2015 and 2016, with Tianjin, Shenyang, and Qingdao being added in China and Amritsar, Chennai, and Jaipur joining from India. However, until 2017, the route map remained restricted to Asia and Australia as Scoot looked to capitalize on high-density and routes not served by SIA.
In late 2016, SIA announced that it would merge Scoot and Tigerair under the former's brand. This decision saw the entry of Scoot's first narrowbodies, with 44 Airbus A320 family jets joining the fleet, primarily the A320-200. The merger saw Scoot suddenly offer dozens of more connections using smaller planes, opening up a new market segment.
However, this didn't mean Scoot's long-haul focus shifted, with the airline's first flight to Europe taking off in June 2017. Singapore-Athens was the first route, with Berlin joining soon after. While the European expansion took a pause due to COVID, Scoot today even flies to London Gatwick since 2021.
Until the pandemic hit in 2020, Scoot was on an unstoppable run of establishing itself as one of the rare successful low-cost, long-haul operations globally. Backed by SIA and offering perks like frequent-flyer miles on some tickets, the airline has the potential to make a business model work that has struggled at times.
As Singapore closed its borders due to COVID, Scoot cut all but two markets: Hong Kong and Australia. After restricted flying to select Asian cities, Scoot began its recovery in late 2021 and has since quickly expanded flights to return to Europe, India, and much of East Asia. For now, keep an eye out as this long-haul and low-cost airline makes a full return.
Have you flown Scoot? Let us know in the comments!
Lead Journalist – India – Pranjal is an experienced journalist with a strong focus on Indian aviation. His background in political science and economics gives him unique insight into issues surrounding international travel and governmental regulations. Pranjal is enthusiastic about new aircraft types and has his stories regularly picked up by renowned publications including Forbes. Based in New Delhi, India.