Airline News in Brief 20 October 2025

Scoot grows SE Asia network: Scoot, the low-cost subsidiary of Singapore Airlines (SIA), announced the launch of new flight services to Labuan Bajo, Medan, Palembang and Semarang. These flights will commence progressively between December 2025 and February 2026, strengthening Scoot’s presence in Indonesia and offering customers more diverse travel experiences. Labuan Bajo, located at the western part of Flores Island in Indonesia, is renowned for its pristine beaches, beautiful coral reefs, as well as vibrant marine life in the Flores Sea. In addition to being the main gateway to Komodo National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, Labuan Bajo is also known for its panoramic views of surrounding islands such as Padar Island and cultural sites like the Wae Rebo Village. From 21 December 2025, Scoot will begin two times weekly flights to Labuan Bajo on the Embraer E190-E2 aircraft. Scoot will begin daily flights to Medan on the Airbus A320 family aircraft from 1 February 2026. From 15 January 2026, Scoot will begin four times weekly flights to Palembang on the Embraer E190-E2 aircraft. Scoot will begin three times weekly flights to Semarang on the Airbus A320 family aircraft from 23 December 2025, increasing to four times weekly from 1 January 2026. Singapore Airlines announces September operating results: In September 2025, the Singapore Airlines (SIA) Group’s passenger traffic grew 3.7% from a year ago, outpacing the 2.5% increase in passenger capacity. As a result, the Group’s passenger load factor (PLF) increased by 1.0 percentage point year-on-year to 87.1%. SIA and Scoot posted monthly PLFs of 86.2% and 90.1% respectively. The two airlines carried a combined total of 3.4 million passengers, 8.0% higher than last year. Typhoon Ragasa had an impact on the cargo business during the month, particularly on routes to and from East Asia. Cargo capacity contracted by 0.8% year-on-year, driven in part by lower freighter aircraft activity due to the typhoon, while overall cargo loads decreased by 3.8%. Consequently, the cargo load factor was 56.2%, 1.8 percentage points lower than last year. At the end of September 2025, the Group’s passenger network1 covered 129 destinations in 37 countries and territories. SIA served 78 destinations, while Scoot served 73 destinations. The cargo network1 comprised 133 destinations in 38 countries and territories. Virgin Atlantic selects Boeing to enable high-speed Wi-Fi: Boeing and Virgin Atlantic have agreed to implement connectivity modifications across Virgin Atlantic’s fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The upgrades will enhance onboard internet service, bringing high-speed, streaming-quality Wi-Fi to passengers. The services agreement was announced at MRO Europe on Oct. 15. “Partnering with Boeing to bring Starlink’s next-generation connectivity to our 787 fleet is another important step in creating a ‘home away from home’ experience for every customer,” said Corneel Koster, Chief Customer and Operating Officer, Virgin Atlantic. “Together, we’re transforming how our customers stay connected in the skies – with low latency, super high speed Wi-Fi, better than what most customers experience on the ground to make flying on Virgin Atlantic even more of a joy.” As part of the modifications, Boeing will install a new antenna fairing designed to accommodate Electronically Steered Phased Array (ESA) antennas. Together with an ESA, the fairing, called the Boeing Aerodynamic Shroud, supports Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and multi-orbit connectivity. Emirates introduces A350 to Oslo: Emirates has launched its Airbus A350 to Oslo bringing its award-winning Premium Economy offering to Scandinavia for the first time. The airline hosted an exclusive celebration at the airport, welcoming invited guests and media for an afternoon that underscored its commitment to delivering exceptional service in the region. The introduction of the A350 service to Oslo marks a new chapter in the airline’s investment to the Norwegian market. Renowned for comfort and service, it features the airline’s newest signature Business Class, Premium Economy, and Economy Class interiors – setting a new standard for passenger excellence across all classes. Since its launch in 2014, Emirates’ daily service between Dubai and Oslo has become preferred choice for both business and leisure travellers connecting Norway to the United Arab Emirates and onward to the airline’s extensive global network. Emirates’ senior executives, including Pierfrancesco Carino, VP Commercial Operations North and West Europe, and Terje Grue, Country Manager Norway attended the event. Also present were Majid Al Matrooshi from the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Norway, Ståle Lien Hansen, Mayor of Ullensaker Municipality, and Dorothy Billett, SVP Terminal Operations at Avinor. Akasa Air strengthens domestic and international connectivity: Akasa Air announced significant operational expansion driven by new routes and increased frequencies across its domestic and international network, effective from the winter schedule starting 27th October 2025. The airline’s expansion, marked by a 12% YoY increase in total departures and a 22% YoY rise in Available Seat Kilometres (ASKm), underscores Akasa Air’s steady and sustainable growth trajectory while reinforcing its commitment to making air travel increasingly affordable and accessible for a greater number of travellers. Praveen Iyer, Co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer, Akasa Air said: “Akasa Air was founded with a vision to democratise air travel in India while contributing meaningfully to the nation’s extraordinary growth story. India continues to strengthen its position as one of the world’s most promising aviation markets. This expansion will play a key role in improving connectivity across the country and beyond, supporting mobility, trade, and tourism, while offering travellers enhanced choice and convenience through seamless and thoughtfully curated connections. Moreover, the emergence of Delhi as Akasa Air’s third operational base reflects the maturity and scalability of our network and operations.” Total departures from Delhi will increase by ~56% as compared to Winter 2024, making the capital Akasa’s third operational base after Bengaluru and Mumbai. The airline will now operate over 165 weekly departures from the city, connecting it with 12 destinations, up from nine previously. Capital A and AirAsia X announce key Thai waiver: Capital A and AirAsia X have resolved a major hurdle relating to a regulatory exemption required from Thailand’s securities regulation, marking one of the final steps toward completing the consolidation of all AirAsia airline businesses under AAX. With this milestone, the two companies are now entering the final phase of completion for the sale of Capital A’s aviation business, which is a key part of its transformation journey from airline operator to a multi-platform travel and digital group. In the Bursa filing AAX noted that a key condition under Thailand’s securities regulations has now been waived, allowing the transaction to move forward smoothly. Instead of seeking a regulatory exemption, AAX and a local Thai partner will jointly undertake the tender offer for Asia Aviation PCL (AAV), the listed company that owns Thai AirAsia. This means: AAX’s 40.71% stake in AAV remains unchanged; The tender offer will be fully funded by the Thai partner, with no additional financial burden to AAX; Thai AirAsia’s operations continue as usual, with no impact to flights or staff Both parties expect to announce all condition precedents met and that the Share Sale and Purchase Agreement will become unconditional by the end of October, followed by the completion of the transaction expected in December. The remaining steps required for completion include capital reduction and distribution, allotment of shares, and listing of shares. This latest development paves the way for Capital A to apply for uplift from PN17 status by the end of December, which will enable Capital A to fully focus on scaling its high-growth businesses under its group, namely ADE (engineering), Teleport (logistics), AirAsia MOVE (travel platform), Abc. (brand licensing and digital IP) as well as Santan (F&B business) and BigPay (fintech venture). 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