Transport minister suggests daily Singapore-Miri Scoot flights
State Transport Minister Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin wants Singapore budget airline Scoot to increase its Miri scheduled flights to daily in view that the airline has changed its aircraft to a smaller capacity.
The Senadin assemblyman said this is because Miri has been established as the northern gateway to Sarawak, where the oil and gas industry has been established since 1910.
“It is also one of the most popular tourism destinations in the state. It is the second largest city in Sarawak behind Kuching, with a population of about 400,000 people,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Lee also said Shell Malaysia is moving its upstream activities headquarters to Miri which will house 2,000 staff from across Malaysia, thus showing the confidence of the company with Sarawak as the preferred investment destination in Malaysia, especially in the oil and gas sector.
“With Scoot flights connecting Singapore and Miri, any Shell officer from overseas that needs to be in Miri will be able to fly directly via Singapore,” he added.
Lee also proposed for the carrier to consider looking at better slots or timing for its proposed scheduled flights between Singapore and Sibu.
The carrier expects to increase the scheduled flights to five times weekly to Miri and three times weekly to Sibu via its Embraer fleet by May and June this year, respectively.
Earlier, Lee received a delegation from Scoot Pte Ltd led by general manager for Malaysia Yeo Kaije at his office in Petra Jaya here.
During the meeting, Scoot briefed the ministry on its plans for enhancing air connectivity in the state, particularly its direct passenger air service between Singapore and Sarawak.
This initiative encompasses air connectivity to Miri, Kuching and Sibu, facilitated by the airline’s newly acquired Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, with a seating capacity of 112 passengers.
According to Yeo, Scoot is servicing 18 destinations in China and will provide a platform for more Chinese tourists looking for holiday destinations and connections via Singapore.
He also highlighted that Scoot has ordered nine new Embraer E2 jets from the Brazilian manufacturer, and it is the smallest aircraft in Scoot’s fleet with a range of 5.278km or six hours of flight time.
Lee also suggested optimising flight schedules between Singapore and Sibu to enhance connectivity within the SIA network and minimise disruptions for passengers transferring at Changi Airport.