- Scoot has been operating cargo flights since early 2020 using its passenger aircraft, to transport essential goods and maintain global supply chains.
- Seats have been removed to double the narrowbody aircraft’s capacity to nearly 20 tonnes.
Singapore, 2020-Aug-25 — /Travel PR News/ — With stringent border control measures in place due to COVID-19 causing a reduction in passenger flights, there has been a severe decline in the volume of bellyhold space available for cargo. To make up the shortfall and maintain global supply chains during the pandemic, Scoot has operated hundreds of cargo flights using passenger aircraft, including many where cargo was placed on passenger seats.
Now, to better serve cities with smaller airports, Scoot has modified one of its A320ceo aircraft (9V-TAZ) to carry cargo in the cabin by removing all seats, doubling its cargo-carrying capacity to nearly 20 tonnes.
The four-day modification of the aircraft included the removal of passenger seats, installation of placards to demarcate areas where cargo can be placed, and the uplift of additional fire extinguishers. For flights operated with this aircraft, there will be a minimum of two pilots and two cabin crew on board to ensure safety and smooth operations, as well as manage any inflight emergencies. All pilots and cabin crew are trained regularly to identify hazards and handle various emergencies, including situations involving smoke, fumes or fire.
The first cargo charter flight by the modified 9V-TAZ took off on 22 August 2020 from Fuzhou to Singapore, making Scoot one of the first airlines in Southeast Asia to operate cargo charters with such modified aircraft. The aircraft transported a total of 13 tonnes of cargo in both the bellyhold and cabin, comprising mainly goods for daily use, and has four more flights scheduled for the rest of August. Another A320ceo aircraft is scheduled to undergo similar modification works this week.
In March, Scoot was one of the first airlines in the region to start operating belly-hold cargo charters using its B787-9 widebody passenger aircraft. It has since been seeking opportunities to continually grow and diversify its freight capabilities to offer more options to cargo agents, freight forwarders, and other industry stakeholders. In May 2020, after obtaining the necessary approvals, Scoot had also started operating cargo charters using its A320 narrowbody aircraft, as well as began loading cargo in the cabin, secured on passenger seats.
Mr Campbell Wilson, Scoot’s Chief Executive Officer, said, “With many passenger aircraft sitting idle due to the pandemic, Scoot started operating cargo charters to carry essential supplies as an alternative revenue stream. Since then, we have been growing our cargo capacity and capabilities to remain competitive while providing more value for our customers.
The modification works carried out on 9V-TAZ are our biggest undertaking to date, and we thank the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) for their support in this endeavour with their certification of the modification works.”
Mr Kevin Shum, Director-General of CAAS, said, “Scoot has responded nimbly to the market conditions during these challenging times to meet demand for airfreight. CAAS is happy to support their efforts in modifying their passenger aircraft to carry cargo in the cabin. The modified aircraft would enable Scoot to mount freight services between Singapore and key
trading markets.”
To date, Scoot has operated more than 200 cargo charters to and from 10 cities, namely Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Hong Kong, Kunming, Nanjing, Perth, Sydney, Taipei, and Wuhan.
About Scoot
Scoot is the low-cost arm of the Singapore Airlines Group. 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, widebody Boeing 787 Dreamliners and 29 young and modern Airbus A320 family aircraft, with five more Boeing 787 Dreamliners, 30 Airbus
A320neo and 16 A321neo aircraft on order. Scoot’s network presently encompasses 62 destinations across 15 countries and territories, 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. Book your tickets at FlyScoot.com or contact our Call Centre. Find out more on FlyScoot.com, Facebook.com/FlyScoot, Instagram.com/FlyScoot, and Twitter.com/flyscoot.
Media Contact:
Email: mediarelations@flyscoot.com
Mobile: +65 9729 8802
Source: Scoot