Air India announced on Thursday, Dec. 11, a new partnership with Scoot, Singapore Airlines’ low-cost subsidiary, to expand its reach across Southeast Asia, North Asia, and Australia via Singapore (SIN).
The deal will allow Air India to access Scoot’s network, enabling its passengers to travel to more than 70 destinations across 18 countries.
A growing market
The announcement comes as Air India seeks to affirm its position in the Southeast Asia market, which has continued to grow as air travel recovers post-pandemic.
The new, previously uncovered destinations include: Macau SAR in China; Padang and Labuan Bajo in Indonesia; Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Langkawi, Ipoh, Kuantan, Miri, Sibu, Malacca and Kota Bharu in Malaysia; Davao and Iloilo City in the Philippines, Koh Samui, Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai in Thailand; and Nha Trang and Phu Quoc in Vietnam.
As Air India passengers can fly directly from Delhi (three daily flights), Mumbai or Chennai (two daily flights from both) to Singapore, they will now be able to take onward journeys to the destinations in Scoot’s network.
Nipun Aggarwal, Air India’s chief commercial officer, said in a statement:
Asia Pacific remains the world’s fastest-growing region for aviation, with intra-regional air travel demand surging at significant rates.
Our new interline partnership with Scoot taps into that momentum, meeting the rising Indian traveller appetite for seamless access to far-flung corners of the continent – from Malaysia’s rainforests to Vietnam’s beaches and Indonesia’s emerging cities.
His Scoot counterpart, Calvin Chan, added that:
This partnership marks an important step in broadening travel options for customers in India to discover unique destinations across Scoot’s extensive network via Singapore.
Seamless experience for passengers
Passengers who want to take advantage of the connections only need to buy one ticket and will receive two boarding passes for the Air India and Scoot flights, thanks to the Inter-Airline Through Check-In (IATCI) system. Check-in luggage will also only have to be dispatched once.
The interline itineraries will be progressively made available for purchase through Air India’s channels and travel agencies worldwide.
Are you planning to travel through Singapore soon? Will these seamless connections benefit you? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
