Scoot is launching a new long-haul service to the UK before the end of the year with a route that connects Singapore (SIN) and London Gatwick (LGW) via Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (BKK).

The Singapore Airlines low-cost subsidiary intends to begin the service on Dec. 16 using Boeing 787-8 aircraft, with six return flights planned over the Christmas vacation period.

OAG Schedules Analyser data shows that the route will then be put on hold during January and February, before returning from March 22, 2022, with three flights per week. Scoot said frequencies could be increased depending on demand.

“The progressive relaxation of international borders presents new opportunities for airlines and travelers alike,” Scoot CEO Campbell Wilson said. “With the ability to now travel quarantine-free between the United Kingdom and Thailand, Scoot is excited to introduce the only low-cost option between Bangkok and London.”

The launch of the service will provide Gatwick with its only nonstop link to Bangkok and restore connectivity to Singapore.

Figures provided by Sabre Market Intelligence show that Bangkok was the largest unserved market in Asia from the UK’s second-busiest airport during 2019. About 70,000 two-way passengers traveled between Gatwick and the Thai capital during the year—all of them flying indirect, mainly via Dubai (DXB) and Doha (DOH).

Meanwhile, Singapore was served nonstop by Norwegian between September 2017 and March 2019 but has remained unserved since then. The Scandinavian LCC operated the LGW-SIN route four times per week using 787-9s.

Sabre data shows that Norwegian’s entry to the market stimulated demand between the destinations, with O&D traffic increasing from 65,000 two-way passengers in 2017 to 135,000 in 2018, before falling to 43,000 in 2019.

With the addition of London, Scoot will serve over 30 destinations in December 2021 as it progressively builds back to its pre-COVID coverage of 68 cities. The LCC currently operates daily flights between Singapore and Bangkok.

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