Scoot selects Athens as first route in Europe; head to head against intense Gulf competition

Singapore Airlines' (SIA) medium/long haul low cost subsidiary Scoot has confirmed Athens as its first European destination. Scoot plans to commence four weekly flights between Singapore and Athens in Jun-2017, using 329-seat Boeing 787-8s.

Scoot will need to rely heavily on connections beyond Singapore, particularly to Australia, to make the route viable. Australia has a large Greek diaspora. Scoot will not face any LCC competition from Australia or Southeast Asia to Greece but will need to overcome aggressive competition from Gulf carriers - something that full service Singapore Airlines has struggled with. But Scoot's entry pricing is very aggressive.

High load factors will be required to offset low yields but Scoot could struggle to maintain high load factors on a year-round basis, given the seasonality of the Athens market. Scoot could face similar challenges in the other European markets that it is preparing to launch in 2017.