Oct 05, 2016: International Enterprise (IE) Singapore has partnered with Singapore’s low cost carrier, Scoot to increase air connectivity with India and Japan, with Scoot’s launch of its scheduled commercial flights to Jaipur and Hokkaido. Increased connectivity strengthens Singapore’s position as a key global node, facilitating multi-way trade, business and people flows, especially within Asia. This drives economic value for Singapore in the form of increased trade, business spending and tourism. The two new routes aim to deepen Singapore’s position as a gateway to Asia.
The launch of three-weekly flights between Singapore and Jaipur marked the first international connection for Jaipur beyond the Middle East while Scoot’s three-weekly flights to Hokkaido is the Japanese prefecture’s second direct connection to Southeast Asia. Both routes will further enhance economic linkages between Singapore, India, Japan and the rest of Asia, and enable Singapore to be an effective transit point fostering greater cross-border collaboration.
Chua Taik Him, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, IE Singapore, said, “Connectivity forms the backbone for a global city like Singapore and is an enabler to drive more trade, business, people, as well as financial, data and service flows. We have been working closely with other Singapore agencies, foreign governments and Singapore companies like Scoot on efforts to establish greater connectivity, including new flight routes.”
As part of Scoot’s long-term plan to expand its global network, IE Singapore worked with Scoot strategically to expand into new destinations such as Jaipur and Hokkaido. For Jaipur, IE Singapore engaged both state and central governments as well as the airport authorities for the final approval of Scoot’s landing rights in Jaipur. It also initiated joint marketing efforts of Rajasthan and Singapore as twin destinations, tapping the new connectivity to create more tourist arrivals and business networks between Singapore, Rajasthan, Asia and Oceania.
Lee Lik Hsin, Chief Executive Officer, Scoot and Tigerair, said, “Hokkaido has long been a favourite with Singaporeans for winter holidays, but there is so much else to see and do there. The vibrant Pink City of Jaipur on the other hand promises a taste of the exotic, with its magnificent architecture bearing testimony to the rich history and culture of the state of Rajasthan in India. We are confident that the Scoot travel proposition, combining great value airfares with superior product offerings and a stringent focus on safety, will be particularly attractive to the increasingly affluent Indian consumer.”