Scoot’s first A321neo aircraft takes off

The low-cost arm of Sinagpore Airlines has its first flight to Bangkok

Scoot, the low-cost arm of Singapore Airlines, welcomed the entry into service of its new single-aisle Airbus A321neo aircraft, as it made its inaugural flight from Singapore to Bangkok as TR610.

Scoot’s A321neo aircraft has a range of up to 2,620 nautical miles (nm), or 4,852 km, approximately 270nm farther than the A320neo. This allows Scoot to deploy the A321neo aircraft on short to medium-haul routes with up to six hours of flight time compared to the older-generation A320 aircraft’s four-to-five hours, thereby opening up more options for new destinations.

Scoot said it plans to deploy the A321neo on its Singapore-Cebu and Singapore-Ho Chi Minh City routes in August. Scoot’s A321neo aircraft feature 236 seats in a single-class, 3-3 configuration.

With a larger passenger capacity of 236 seats, 50 more than the A320neo, and more fuel- efficient engines, the single-class A321neo will allow Scoot to improve its operating economics and unit costs. It will also enable Scoot to optimise its fleet utilisation to better match capacity to demand.

According to Scoot’s chief executive officer Campbell Wilson, aside from additional capacity and range that will be unlocked by the new A321neos,investing in a new-generation aircraft and operating a young, fuel-efficient fleet is a cornerstone of the airline’s strategy to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

“Combined with our recent achievement as the world’s first and only low-cost carrier to attain the highest Diamond status in the APEX Health Safety powered by SimpliFlying global audit of airlines, Scoot is on a firm footing to recover and re-establish ourselves as the low-cost carrier of choice in the region for post-pandemic travel,” Wilson said.