Scoot-Tigerair merger moves one step closer with a new Singapore Airlines Group LCC holding company

Singapore Airlines (SIA) has moved one step closer to merging short haul LCC Tigerair and medium/long haul LCC Scoot by creating a new holding company for its two budget airline subsidiaries. Scoot and Tigerair will remain separate airlines for now, with their own operator certificates, but will have a new joint management team led by the Tigerair CEO, Lee Lik Hsin.

The establishment of Budget Aviation Holdings facilitates further integration and will unlock more synergies, particularly on the cost side, as overlapping functions are eliminated. The outlook for Tigerair and Scoot, both of which are now profitable, further brightens as the two integrate but there are still challenges to overcome - including potential overcapacity.

A merger is likely to eventuate but is difficult to implement at this juncture. The anticipated rebranding of Tigerair Australia by Virgin Australia and Tigerair Taiwan by China Airlines should make it easier for the SIA Group to transition to a single LCC brand, with Scoot the likely surviving brand.