Undertaking a major branding exercise, Singapore Airlines will fly its budget carriers under the single brand name 'Scoot'.
The move, expected to be completed "between mid and end 2017", would see the Singaporean major doing away with the brand name 'Tigerair' -- used for its medium haul budget operations.
Together, Tigerair and Scoot operates 50 flights into India per week.
Scoot's India chief Bharath Mahadevan today said the decision to have a single brand is expected to provide more leverage in India.
"Next year, Tigerair brand would go away and Scoot would be operating into eight destinations. Then, India would become the second-biggest market for Scoot after China," he told PTI.
Approaching regulators, airports and customers as a single brand is much more beneficial for the brand, he explained.
Scoot, which started operations in India this year, flies to Chennai, Jaipur and Amritsar. Tigerair, which has been operating since 2007, has services to Bengaluru, Kochi, Hyderabad, Trichy and Lucknow.
"The basic idea is we wanted a single brand so that customer is very clear. Now, customer is slightly confused on what is Tigerair, what is Scoot and what is the difference between them. The idea is to position a single brand in front of the customers saying Scoot is the low-cost arm of Singapore Airlines," Mahadevan noted.
Budget Aviation Holdings Pte Ltd, which owns and manages the Singapore Airlines Group's budget carriers Scoot and Tigerair, plans to pursue a single brand and operating licence next year.
"The integration is expected to be realised between mid and end 2017, given the full spectrum of commercial, operational and regulatory considerations," Singapore Airlines said in a release earlier today.
"This will encompass flight scheduling and connections as well as touchpoint integration for guests, including a common website, contact centre and check-in counters."
Budget Aviation Holdings was established as a common holding company for the two carriers in May.
"The integration has already led to commercial and operational synergies between Scoot and Tigerair that are providing growth opportunities for both airlines.
"... Following a review, we have determined that the logical next step is to pursue a common operating licence and common brand identity to enable a more seamless travel experience for customers," Singapore Airlines CEO and Budget Aviation Holdings Chairman Goh Choon Phong said.
Together, Scoot and Tigerair offer a network of 59 destinations over 16 countries across the Asia-Pacific. While Scoot operates all-787 Dreamliner fleet for medium-to-long- haul destinations, Tigerair flies short-to-medium-haul flights with its Airbus A320-family aircraft.
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