KOTA KINABALU: Scoot, the award-winning low-cost arm of Singapore Airlines Group, started its direct Singapore-Kota Kinabalu flight service with a good number of 176 passengers and two infants arriving at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA), early Tuesday.
It provides another alternative for people in Sabah to travel within the country and also to over 60 international destinations within the Singapore Airlines network.
The inaugural flight, TR490 from Singapore to Kota Kinabalu, was welcomed with a special water cannon salute ceremony as the Airbus 320 aircraft touched down at KKIA (BKI) at about 11.40am. The inaugural flight from Kota Kinabalu to Singapore, TR491, departed at 12.20pm and arrived in Singapore at 2.30pm.
Kota Kinabalu is Scoot’s eighth destination in Malaysia after Ipoh, Kota Bharu, Kuala Lumpur, Kuantan, Kuching, Langkawi and Penang.
Scoot is currently the largest foreign low-cost carrier in the Malaysian market, in terms of the number of destinations served. Malaysia is one of Scoot’s key markets, and Kota Kinabalu is the second destination Scoot has launched this year, four months after the Kota Bharu-Singapore route was launched in July.
The launch of daily services between Kota Kinabalu and Singapore further underscores Scoot’s commitment to growing its presence in Malaysia.
Scoot’s Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) Calvin Chan said they are delighted to add daily Kota Kinabalu services to their growing network in Malaysia, connecting travellers from Sabah to Singapore and onward to over 60 destinations worldwide, including Athens and Berlin in Europe.
“Customers can look forward to great value fares, and a memorable transit experience at the award-winning Changi Airport as well as Jewel. At the same time, we hope this route will also boost local tourism as Sabah has much to offer, from beautiful islands to the majestic Mount Kinabalu,” he said.
Malaysia Airports Group Chief Executive Officer, Raja Azmi Raja Nazuddin, said they are pleased to welcome Scoot from Singapore to Kota Kinabalu.
“It is the airline’s eighth destination in Malaysia. BKI recorded an increase of 23pc in passenger movement for its BKI-SIN sector from January to October 2019 compared to the same period last year.
“We anticipate a further increase in passenger movement through the inception of Scoot’s new service to the capital city of Sabah. Sabah has a lot to offer and the new flight service by Scoot will complement our efforts in supporting the Visit Malaysia 2020 campaign,” he said.
“We certainly look forward to welcoming Scoot passengers. While Singaporean arrivals do make up the top 10 for Sabah, this route has the potential to reach other key markets such as Australia, Japan, India and China of which we may have limited or no direct access to. Furthermore, arrivals to Kota Kinabalu via Singapore has been growing over the past few years,” said Noredah Othman, General Manager of Sabah Tourism Board (STB) in welcoming Scoot.
In celebration of the launch, Scoot is offering an attractive one-way, tax-inclusive, promotional fares on flights from Kota Kinabalu to Singapore from as low as RM115 for Economy FLY (excludes checked baggage and inflight meals), for sale between Dec 3-5.
Since Sept 23 this year, Scoot has also removed payment processing fees globally for all bookings made on its direct channels, offering customers greater value than ever. Promotional fares are subject to availability and all information are available at www.FlyScoot.com or the Scoot mobile app.
Scoot is flying Kota Kinabalu-Singapore at noon every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, and at night on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. While the Singapore-Kota Kinabalu flight in the morning on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, and at afternoon on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
Scoot took to the skies in June 2012 and merged with TigerAir Singapore in July 2017, retaining the Scoot brand and positioning it well for a new chapter of growth.
Scoot has carried over 65 million guests and now has a fleet of 20 state of the art, wide body Boeing 787 Dreamliners and 28 young and modern Airbus A320 family aircraft, with two more Boeing 787 Dreamliners, 31 Airbus A320neo and 16 A321neo aircraft on order.
Scoot’s network presently encompasses 68 destinations across 15 countries, with six more destinations from Indonesia to join the network by the second half of 2020.
Scoot provides – in addition to fantastic value airfares – a safe, reliable and contemporary travel experience with a unique attitude – Scootitude.
Offering amenities including on-board Wi-Fi Internet connectivity and in-seat power on selected flights as well as the ability to redeem and accrue Singapore Airlines Group KrisFlyer miles, Scoot was voted 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 Best Low Cost Airline (Asia/Pacific) by AirlineRatings.com and ranked in the Top 10 of the World’s Best Low-Cost Airlines in 2015 and 2018 by Skytrax.
In 2019, Scoot won “Best Low-Cost Carrier” at the 30th TTG Asia Awards and the Travel Weekly Asia 2019 Readers’ Choice Awards. Scoot is passionate about making travel attainable for all and enabling people to embrace the full potential of traveling and seeking new experiences.
Source: Daily Express