As the year-end school holidays and winter season approaches, Singapore's low-cost carrier, Scoot, is launching one of its most significant route network expansions. New routes and resumptions are to come as it caters to the expected surging demands. And Scoot will be expanding in quite an adorable fashion, as the airline will deploy its iconic Pikachu Jet on several more routes!

Scoot expands in Indonesia

The low-cost carrier already has quite a decent presence in Indonesia, with four active destinations. Still, due to popular demand from its passengers, Scoot will launch twice weekly flights into Lombok and Makassar, beginning on October 16th and 24th, respectively. The flights will be operated on the budget carrier's Airbus A320-200 aircraft, enabling Scoot to offer approximately 720 seats on each route weekly.

Lombok

Makassar

Besides new routes, Scoot will also be resuming twice-weekly flights to Yogyakarta on Mondays and Saturdays and Pekanbaru on Mondays and Fridays. The flights will restart on October 15th and 24th, respectively, and both routes will also utilize the airline's Airbus A320-200s. Together with the two new additions, these destinations will enhance Scoot's existing network within Indonesia to eight cities.

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Scoot expands in North Asia

When news of Korea, Japan, and Taiwan easing their entry restrictions was announced, Singaporeans were especially delighted that it was finally possible to travel to their favorite holiday destinations hassle-free. And Scoot aims to ensure that there will be plenty of flights for everyone to North Asia at its affordable low-cost airfares.

Korea

First launched not too long ago in May this year, Scoot added Jeju Island as its second destination in South Korea. Initially operating on a thrice-weekly frequency, the airline is looking to increase it to five-times weekly and continue utilizing its Airbus A321neo.

Japan

Currently, Scoot offers daily non-stop flights to Tokyo/Narita and five-times weekly flights to Osaka. From end-October, the budget carrier will increase its Osaka flight service in becoming daily. Additionally, Scoot will add seasonal non-stop flights between Singapore and Hokkaido/Sapporo from November 2nd till February 27th, 2023.

The seasonal flights to Sapporo's New Chitose Airport will be operated on Scoot's Boeing 787-8 aircraft, presumably the aircraft without the crew bunk since it's not a long-haul route. Configured for 335 passengers in a two-class configuration, the aircraft enables Scoot to offer approximately 2,680 weekly seats on this route.

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Taiwan

As for Taiwan, Scoot operates numerous connecting flight services, such as flights to Tokyo/Narita, Hokkaido/Sapporo, and Seoul via Taipei. From October 30th, the low-cost carrier will increase the frequency of the Singapore-Taipei-Tokyo route to daily flight services, operated on the Boeing 787-9, configured for 375 passengers.

Then effective from November 1st, the Singapore-Taipei-Sapporo routes will get upgraded to three-times weekly. The route will be utilizing Scoot's Boeing 787-8 aircraft.

The Singapore-Taipei-Seoul flights will be resumed at a five-times weekly frequency, operating on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays. This route will be served on Scoot's Boeing 787-9 aircraft, allowing the low-cost carrier to offer about 2,250 weekly seats. With the enhancements, Scoot will operate at least 18-times weekly flights to the Taiwanese capital.

Scoot continues resuming flights to China

Since late September, Scoot has resumed weekly flight services to Fuzhou, flying every Monday on the Airbus A321neo. The budget carrier then upgraded flight frequencies to Nanjing to twice-weekly on Thursdays and Sundays, operating on its Boeing 787-9. From October 3rd, the budget carrier will resume once-weekly flights to Hangzhou every Monday, also on the Boeing 787-9.

Scoot's Greater China network resumption doesn't stop there, as it will also reinstate flight services to Zhengzhou, flying every Wednesday on the Boeing 787-9, beginning on October 12th. The following day, October 13th, flight services to Wuhan get restarted with flights every Thursday on the same aircraft. As for another network expansion, Scoot will increase flight frequencies to Tianjin to twice weekly on Thursdays and Sundays, also on the same aircraft.

Bottom line

Considering how Scoot celebrated a decade's worth of low-cost operations earlier this year, the recent new route launches, the partnership with The Pokémon Company, and now this significant expansion is no surprise. Scoot continues to spring new surprises, and even though this expansion was already quite extensive, it is likely that the airline still has some pleasant surprises up its yellow tail. Only the remainder of this year and the beginning of next, which includes the Lunar New Year, will tell what Scoot has next installed.