Low-cost carrier Scoot plans to launch flights between Singapore and London Gatwick Airport (LGW) via Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (BKK), its first foray into the UK.
The new service will start on December 16, 2021 and be operated by its Boeing 787 Dreamliners, Scoot said on November 12, 2021.
Flights will increase to thrice-weekly from March 2022. Scoot said it will review demand and regulatory approvals with a view to a further potential frequency increase.
Scoot said the new route via BKK would complement parent Singapore Airlines’ (SIA1) (SINGY) direct flights from Singapore Changi (SIN) to London Heathrow (LHR).
“The progressive relaxation of international borders presents new opportunities for airlines and travelers alike,” Scoot chief executive Campbell Wilson said in a statement. “With the ability to now travel quarantine-free between the United Kingdom and Thailand, Scoot is excited to introduce the only low-cost option between Bangkok and London offering our unique combination of great value and great experience with a touch of Scootitude.”
Asia to London long-haul low-cost routes have been a tough nut to crack. AirAsiaX scrapped its service between Kuala Lumpur and London in 2012 after the route proved uneconomical, while Norwegian also ended its SIN-LGW service in 2019 after a year of operations.
Scoot notes that its 787 Dreamliners are “able to operate long-haul flights efficiently, given their superior operating economics and environmental gains”.
Scoot’s current’s European destinations include Berlin (BER) and Athens (ATH). It offers direct flights to BER from SIN three times a week, plus has a four-time-weekly service SIN-ATH-BER route.
Adding LGW takes Scoot’s network to over 30 destinations in December 2021. Pre-pandemic it flew to 68 cities and operated over 50 aircraft, a mixture of Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A320 family aircraft. It currently has 20 787 Dreamliners, of which five are in storage, according to Cirium fleets data.