Gold Coast second route for Singapore budget carrier

SYDNEY—Singapore Airlines’ new long-haul budget carrier Scoot said Tuesday Australia’s Gold Coast would be its second destination, having already announced routes to Sydney.

Scoot will begin flying from mid-2012 with a fleet of four Boeing B777-200s bought from parent company Singapore Airlines in a challenge to Australian carriers Qantas and Jetstar.

“Scoot’s all about offering great value, fun and a unique attitude, ‘Scootitude,'” the airline’s chief executive Campbell Wilson said on the Gold Coast as he announced the new destination.

“Direct access to one of the world’s premier air hubs for Queensland and north New South Wales, and to one of the world’s best holiday destinations for Singapore,” added Wilson, who turned up in a wetsuit and carrying a surfboard.

While Scoot is a wholly owned Singapore Airlines subsidiary, it is independently managed and will focus on the medium and long-haul budget segment.

The carrier will offer fares about 40 percent lower than the traditional airlines and will target the young, the adventurous, and those that wish to save money, Wilson said.

It also plans to fly to China and have 14 planes by 2016, with longer-term destinations including India, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.