Singapore LCC Scoot Mulls Regular Flights to New Chitose

Singapore, Jan. 14 (Jiji Press)--Singaporean low-cost carrier Scoot hopes to launch regular flights linking the country and New Chitose Airport near Sapporo, the capital of the northernmost Japan prefecture of Hokkaido, late this year or early next year, its chief executive officer, Campbell Wilson, said in an interview with Jiji Press on Thursday. Demand for the route will be high, Wilson said, noting that Singaporeans are highly interested in visiting Hokkaido in both summer and winter. Hokkaido has a number of tourist spots and ski areas. If Scoot, an affiliate of Singapore Airlines, actually opens flights to and from New Chitose, they are expected to have a stopover initially, he said, suggesting that the airline is unlikely to offer direct flights on the route at the start. Singapore Airlines offers direct flight services between the Southeast Asian country and New Chitose in December and January. END