Scoot receives first of 9 new Embraer jets

Plane is set to land in S’pore from Brazil on April 15 before first flight to Krabi in May

- Kok Yufeng

SAO JOSE DOS CAMPOS, Brazil Some 14 months after Scoot inked a deal to add Embraer planes to its books, the first of nine new E190E2 jets was handed over to the Singapore budget carrier ahead of the aircraft's inaugural flight to Krabi in Thailand on May 7.

It is the first time an aircraft from the Brazilian manufacturer is being introduced to the fleet of a Singapore carrier, and a handover ceremony was held on April 11 at Embraer's headquarters in the city of Sao Jose dos Campos, an hour's drive from Sao Paulo.

Scoot chief executive Leslie Thng and other senior Scoot executives were in Brazil earlier in the week to get a first look at the plane, decked in the airline's yellow-and-white livery.

"We are all very excited that it is finally here," Mr Thng told reporters after inspecting the jet, which has an all-economy configuration.

"It is after really hard work over the past 14 months, in terms of trying to work out the specifications of the aircraft so it meets the overall mission." The 112-seat E190-E2 will be the smallest commercial aircraft based out of Changi Airport, and one of the plane's selling points is that there are no middle seats.

"The two-by-two seating on the aircraft is something different from what we currently have on Airbus and Boeing planes," Mr Thng said. "I think it will be welcomed by all our passengers."

Scoot chief operating officer Ng Chee Keong noted that the airline is making history with the jet. "It is typically unheard of for an aircraft to come into service within such a short span of time," he said.