Scoot salvages Melbourne-Singapore route

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Budget carrier Scoot has resumed regular scheduled passenger services from Melbourne to Singapore for the first time since the route was temporarily suspended in March due to COVID-19.

The move comes after Singapore announced it would lift border restrictions for Victorians from Friday. However, all Australian travellers must still obtain an exemption from the Department of Home Affairs.

With current regulatory constraints on inbound traffic into Melbourne until 21 November 2020, only Scoot flights from Melbourne to Singapore will carry passengers, until restrictions lift.

The revived passenger services will be able to meet demand for repatriation travel from Australia, especially to India.

Scoot has so far conducted five repatriation flight charters carrying over 1,600 passengers returning to India from Australia since September, including two from Melbourne to India cities Amritsar and Chennai.

The low-cost airline’s widebody 787 Dreamliners are returning to ply the Melbourne-Singapore route at a reduced frequency of one direct flight per week.

Scoot customers can transit through Singapore Changi Airport from Melbourne and connect to destinations in the Singapore Airlines Group network currently operated by Singapore Airlines, SilkAir or Scoot.

Pre-COVID, Scoot operated 10 to 12 return flights weekly between Singapore and Melbourne.

The resumed Melbourne-Singapore services joins Scoot’s three-times-weekly services between Perth and Singapore.

It expands Scoot’s active network to 19 destinations in the Asia Pacific, as of the month of November.


Image source: iStock/John Mackintosh

Latest News