SÃO JOSÉ DOS CAMPOS, Brazil—Embraer has handed over Scoot’s first E190-E2, making the Singapore Airlines (SIA) LCC subsidiary the first airline in the Asia-Pacific region to operate the type.
This comes as the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer hints of possibly “two to three” more new signings in the region.
The aircraft will be registered as 9V-THA and is the first of nine E190-E2s for Scoot. Leased from Azorra, the E2 is the third aircraft type in Scoot’s fleet alongside Boeing 787-8/9s and Airbus A320ceo/neo family aircraft.
Scoot has opted for 112 economy seats supplied by Safran, in a 2-2 configuration.
Signed and delivered within a relatively short span of 14 months, the acquisition is SIA group’s plan to quickly enter the market and take on untapped, lean routes. Scoot has announced it will commence flights from Singapore to Krabi, Thailand, on May 7, followed by Hat Yai, Thailand; both are A320 routes.
New routes to Koh Samui, Thailand, and Sibu, Malaysia, will commence from mid-May following the delivery of the second aircraft and will take on Malaysian destinations Miri and Kuantan, also A320 routes but with increased frequencies.
Scoot CEO Leslie Thng said the forward bookings for Koh Samui is comparable to Sibu—it is popular for international travelers outside of Singapore and Thailand. He said the LCC will announce three to five new destinations in the 2024 calendar year as more E190-E2s arrive.
The aircraft will depart São José dos Campos on April 12, flying to Singapore via the Canary Islands, Athens, Dubai, and Hyderabad, India.
Embraer Asia Pacific VP Raul Villaron said in addition to Japan and Australia where there are older Embraer operating, potential new customers include carriers from Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia; active campaigns are ongoing.
“We can feel it in our hands,” Villaron said when asked about opportunities in Asia-Pacific. He quoted how Vietnam Airlines and VietJet were looking at how Vietnamese carrier Bamboo Airways is flying the E195 on exclusive profitable routes, indicating the Southeast Asian country would be a key market as the two airlines ramp up capacity post-pandemic.
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