9-5-2024 (SINGAPORE) Singapore’s budget carrier Scoot found itself in the eye of a storm as more than 30 of its flights were cancelled over a recent five-day period, a disruption the airline attributed to operational reasons. The low-cost arm of Singapore Airlines (SIA) faced a wave of cancellations from May 2 to 6, with 33 Scoot flights grounded, according to data from Changi Airport’s website. Among the affected routes were flights to and from Bangkok in Thailand, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, and Manila in the Philippines.
The turbulence coincided with heavy rain on May 4, which delayed 27 flights departing from Changi Airport. That day alone witnessed the cancellation of 12 Scoot flights, both arrivals and departures, based on checks conducted by The Straits Times. However, the airline appeared to regain some altitude in the following days, with only a handful of flights being re-timed on May 7 and 8, and no cancellations reported.
Scoot acknowledged the changes to its flight schedules, apologising for the disruptions and citing “operational reasons” as the culprit. “We are working to re-accommodate affected customers onto alternative flights where appropriate and will also continue to provide them assistance where possible,” the airline stated, adding that full refunds would be offered to those who choose not to continue with their travel plans.
Earlier, in a Facebook post on May 3 that was later removed, Scoot had attributed the re-timing of several flights scheduled for May 3 to 5, May 10 to 12, and May 17 to 19 to “operational reasons,” promising to progressively inform affected passengers of the revised flight times via email and text messages.
While the airline refrained from elaborating on the specific operational challenges behind the scheduling upheaval, aviation analysts pointed to a labour crunch and engine and aircraft issues as potential contributing factors.
Six past and present Scoot cabin crew and pilots, shed light on the personnel challenges faced by the airline. A cabin crew member with around two years of service reported that some colleagues had recently left the airline for various reasons, including opportunities with other carriers or a complete career change.
A former cabin crew member, who departed the airline in April after two years, revealed that standby crew were being called upon almost 100 per cent of the time, indicating a high demand for personnel to cover for absences. Meanwhile, another current cabin crew member with more than two years of experience expressed concerns about inadequate rest periods between flights, potentially leading to an increase in sick leave applications..
Mayur Patel, head of Asia at aviation data consultancy OAG, acknowledged that the manpower shortage has been a significant challenge affecting the global aviation industry. He described the large number of Scoot flight cancellations during this period as unusual and cited issues with Pratt & Whitney jet engines as another possible factor.
Scoot had previously disclosed that inspections for a potential rare manufacturing flaw with the engines, which could lead to the cracking of some engine parts, would affect four of the engines powering its Airbus A320neo fleet, potentially forcing the airline to adjust its flights. The airline later revealed that three of its A320neos had been grounded due to the manufacturing flaws, up from two previously.
Patel added that many airlines are revising their flight schedules due to cancellations arising from these engine checks and repairs.
Greg Waldron, the Singapore-based Asia managing editor of aviation publication FlightGlobal, noted that flight cancellations could stem from a variety of factors, including weather, technical problems with aircraft, and air traffic control issues. He further highlighted the labour crunch as a significant challenge for the sector, as it lost many trained workers – pilots, flight attendants, and ground and maintenance crew – during the pandemic.
The manpower shortage has led other airlines to cancel flights in recent months as well. Over the Christmas and New Year season in December 2023 and January 2024, Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific cancelled more than 80 flights due to a pilot shortage. More recently, Indian airline Vistara – co-owned by Indian conglomerate Tata Group and SIA – cancelled around 10 per cent of its flights in April because of crew unavailability.
The disruptions have left passengers frustrated and inconvenienced. Tax director Girish Naik, 52, was scheduled to depart from Singapore for Ipoh in Malaysia on April 28 at 6.45 am, but was informed of his Scoot flight cancellation only around 5 am when he reached Changi Airport. Although he was offered a seat on the next flight scheduled to leave about five hours later, Naik was annoyed at the loss of “valuable vacation time,” having awoken in the early hours of the morning to catch his original flight.
