More destinations are in store for Scoot’s new Embraer aircraft as the low-cost carrier looks to expand

In the upcoming year, low-cost carrier Scoot plans to expand its network by three to five more South-east Asian destinations. These new locations will be served by the airline’s new Embraer E190-E2 aircraft. Together with Koh Samui in Thailand and Sibu in Sarawak, Malaysia, these would be the additional destinations that Scoot said on March 5 would be covered by the 112-seat single-aisle aircraft, which are scheduled to be delivered to the airline over the course of two years, beginning in April. The new Embraer aircraft will also serve four other existing Scoot destinations, including Hat Yai and Krabi in Thailand and Kuantan and Miri in Malaysia. Some flights to these locations are scheduled to begin in May.

Leslie Thng, the chief executive of Scoot, stated in an interview on March 7 that the company intends to keep expanding its capacity, which is determined by multiplying the number of seats available for passengers by the distance flown. With 3.297 billion available seat-km in January 2024 compared to 3.347 billion in January 2020, Scoot has recovered 98.5 percent of its pre-Covid-19 levels. According to Mr. Thng, the nine new Embraers it is leasing from the American company Azorra will serve as the foundation for expansion. In 2023, Scoot transported over 15.4 million passengers. There are still plenty of choices in this region, such as the Philippines, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Mr. Thng continued, “We are currently working to finalize some of the details.

With the addition of Koh Samui and Sibu, Scoot’s network will reach 69 locations, including cities in the Philippines, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Mr. Thng stated that while Scoot would start adding 18 new narrow-body aircraft to its fleet in 2025—a combination of A320neos and A321neos—it does not currently have plans to expand the locations it serves with its Airbus A320s and Boeing 787s. When that occurs, he continued, the airline will be free to search for new locations for the new aircraft or, as travel demand matures, improve current routes with larger aircraft.