Scoot launches service to Berlin, its third long-haul destination

Scoot's flight to Berlin marks its third long-haul destination after Athens and Honolulu, which were launched last year.
Scoot's flight to Berlin marks its third long-haul destination after Athens and Honolulu, which were launched last year. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

Budget airline Scoot's inaugural flight to Berlin - its third long-haul service - was greeted by a traditional water cannon salute and cheers as it landed in the German capital at 7am yesterday.

The 12-hour non-stop flight to the German capital was 95 per cent full, carrying 311 passengers on its Boeing 787 Dreamliner. More than half of those on board were young adults aged 18 to 35.

Scoot chief operating officer Vinod Kannan said the airline expected Singapore-Berlin to be a popular route. "We expect demand to be high because of a lack of direct flights," he said.

Singapore Ambassador to Germany Laurence Bay added that the new service opened "new possibilities and opportunities for commerce, tourism, scientific collaboration, arts and culture, and sports" between Singapore and Germany.

To celebrate the maiden flight, Scoot's flight attendants donned traditional German outfits - the men wore lederhosen, the traditional leather shorts worn by working-class Germans, while the women wore the dirndl, the costume often associated with beermaids.

There were also games for passengers onboard the flight, including a dance-off to German heavy metal band Rammstein's songs and a lucky draw.

The airline flies to Berlin four times a week, with promotional prices starting from $239 one way.

  • 65

  • Number of destinations Scoot flies to.

  • 18

  • Number of countries its flights land in.

This marks Scoot's third long-haul destination after Athens and Honolulu, which were launched last year.

Scoot currently flies to 65 destinations across 18 countries with its fleet of 17 Dreamliners and 24 Airbus A-320 family aircraft.

Three more Dreamliners and 39 Airbus A-320neo aircraft have been ordered, with Scoot's fleet slated to increase to about 70 by 2022.

The budget carrier is the low-cost arm of the Singapore Airlines Group, which already flies to three destinations in Germany - Dusseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich.

Rachel Au-Yong

Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on June 21, 2018, with the headline Scoot launches service to Berlin, its third long-haul destination. Subscribe