Brazilian regional aircraft manufacturer Embraer is said to be in talks with Singapore Airlines (SQ, Singapore Changi) regarding an order for up to 50 aircraft for its low-cost subsidiary Scoot (TR, Singapore Changi). Neither Embraer nor Scoot would confirm the talks to ch-aviation but Bloomberg did cite people "familiar with the talks" in its report.
On the radar is an order for up to 50 aircraft, which would include options. While any commitment would be a significant boost for Embraer, acquiring the regional jets would also signal a shift in fleet strategy for Singapore Airlines Group (SIA), which has never operated the type. Scoot presently flies 180-seat A320-200s, 186-seat A320-200Ns, and 236-seat A321-200NX in addition to larger B787s. Embraer aircraft typically seat between 80 to 146 passengers.
Bloomberg's unnamed sources note talks are continuing and there is no guarantee that any order will eventuate. While the SIA Group is best known for its large aircraft, regional aircraft will allow Scoot to target a vast array of smaller cities around Southeast Asia that cannot profitably support operations using Boeing or Airbus equipment. Embraer's smallest E2 family jet, the E195-E2 can fly for 2,000 nautical miles (3,704 kilometres) and utilise 1,730 metre-long runways while the larger E190-E2 can fly up to 2,600 nautical miles (4,815 kilometers) and access runways as short as 1,805 metres.
Meanwhile, just-released SIA Group operating statistics for November show that Scoot carried 790,500 passengers that month with an average load factor of 84.9%. The airline has 48 of its 60 aircraft in the air and is flying to 56 destinations. In November, Scoot re-commenced flights to Kuantan and Sapporo Chitose (via Taipei Taoyuan) while it suspended services to Zhengzhou following the imposition of Covid-19 restrictions in that city.
