Scoot (TR, Singapore Changi) will take over a total of 17 routes currently served by SilkAir (Singapore Changi) ahead of the planned merger of the latter airline with parent Singapore Airlines (SQ, Singapore Changi).
The carriers have announced that Scoot, the Singapore Airlines owned LCC, will take over the following services currently served by full-service SilkAir: Luang Prabang, Vientiane (both in April 2019), Coimbatore, Thiruvananthapuram, Vishakhapatnam (between May and October 2019), Changsha Huanghua, Fuzhou, Kunming Changshui, Wuhan (between May and June 2019), Chiang Mai (in October 2019), Kota Kinabalu (in December 2019), Balikpapan, Praya Lombok International, Makassar, Manado, Semarang, and Yogyakarta Adisutjipto (all between May and July 2020).
In order to operate the enlarged network, Scoot will also receive fourteen B737-800s from SilkAir. Currently, the LCC operates an Airbus-only narrowbody fleet consisting of two A319-100s, twenty-seven A320-200s, and a single A320neo. It also has ten B787-8s and eight -9s.
SilkAir currently operates seventeen B737-800s.
"The remaining three of the Boeing 737-800 in question will continue to operate in SilkAir’s fleet," Singapore Airlines Group spokesperson told ch-aviation.
SilkAir will, however, continue to add B737-8s, of which it already has five and a further thirty-two on order with Boeing. SilkAir also operates two A319s and eight A320s.
In turn, the mainline unit of the group will take over Scoot's services to Bengaluru International and Chennai in May 2019 and May 2020, respectively. Currently, both Scoot and Singapore Airlines serve these two destinations. Scoot will also drop its services to Shenzhen and Kochi International, which will remain served exclusively by SilkAir.
Other network amendments include the termination of Scoot's Honolulu services and conversion of the Mandalay International route into a seasonal, winter-only operation.
Singapore Airlines Group announced in May 2018 that it will merge SilkAir into Singapore Airlines, although without disclosing a specific timeline. Cabin upgrades are expected to commence around 2020. Scoot will remain the group's separate low-cost unit, operating both short- and long-haul services.
