Scoot to take over Jeddah services from SIA

Singapore Airlines (SIA) has announced that its low-cost subsidiary Scoot will take over the carrier’s Jeddah service from May 1, 2016. The existing thrice-weekly flights to the Saudi Arabian city will be transferred to Scoot, with plans to adjust frequency based on demand. The only other means of flying between Singapore and Jeddah directly is through Saudia, the flag carrier of Saudi Arabia. SIA currently utilises the A330-300 on the Singapore–Jeddah route, with a two-class configuration of 30 seats in business and 255 in economy. Scoot will instead deploy its fuel efficient B787-8, with 21 in ScootBiz and 314 in economy. The significant expansion of capacity in economy, at the expense of that in business, may indicate that the demand for premium seats on the route is lacking. Flight TZ592 will depart Singapore every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 1640 and arrive in Jeddah at 2030. The return service will see flight TZ591 take off from Jeddah the same day at 2200 and touch back down in Singapore at 1240 the following day. Customers who booked to fly with SIA after May 1 will be re-accommodated to Scoot’s new service, for those that do not wish to fly with the low-cost carrier, a refund will be provided. “Scoot is thrilled to be adding our first Middle Eastern destination to our network,” said Scoot chief executive, Campbell Wilson. “We have long wanted to operate to Saudi Arabia. Jeddah, its second largest city, is both a commercial centre as well as the principal gateway for religious pilgrimages to nearby Mecca. With thrice-weekly non-stop services, Scoot looks forward to improving connectivity between Singapore and this important world city.” For more information, visit singaporeair.com and flyscoot.com Clement Huang