Scoot, the low-cost sister of Singapore Airlines, has accepted delivery of its first of nine new 112-seat Embraer E190-E2 twinjets, becoming the first Singaporean commercial operator to introduce an aircraft from the Brazilian manufacturer.

Dubbed Explorer 3.0, Scoot’s first E2, in the carrier’s signature bright yellow and white livery, will be pressed into service in May, initially plying existing routes to Krabi and Hat Yai in Thailand, which are presently served by Scoot’s Airbus A320s.

When Scoot’s second E2 arrives this month, the additional capacity will enable the carrier to launch spring service to Koh Samui, Thailand and Sibu, Malaysia, increasing its total destinations served to 69. Scoot will also use the second E2 to bolster frequencies to Miri and Kuantan in Malaysia.

The E2 is the third aircraft type in Scoot’s fleet. In addition to A320 family aircraft, the Singaporean carrier operates Boeing 787s.

A special E2 handover ceremony at Embraer’s facility in Brazil was attended by senior executives from Scoot, Embraer and Azorra, the Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based aircraft lessor from which Scoot is sourcing the E2s.

“We are honored to be the first Singapore carrier to take delivery of this modern and fuel-efficient aircraft and the E190-E2 jets are crucial to our overall network growth strategy,” says Scoot CEO Leslie Thng in a statement.

“The delivery of the first Embraer E190-E2 reflects our confidence in the demand for air travel and our commitment to connect our customers to more destinations at the same great value. We thank Azorra and Embraer for supporting us in this next chapter as we become the first major operator of the E2 in Southeast Asia.”

A discount carrier, Scoot has largely pursued an ‘a la carte’ model. Passengers can pay extra for a variety of add-ons like extra baggage, legroom, priority boarding, inflight Wi-Fi when available, and even swag.

The airline also offers a buy-on-board meals and beverage program. Its ScootPlus recliner product aboard the 787 twinjets comes with complimentary refreshments and Wi-Fi.

Scoot’s new E2 is configured in a standard 2-2 single-class layout. A Scoot seat map (pdf) for the type shows four rows of extra legroom seats up front; exit row seats are also listed as offering more legroom. All other seats are standard.

From a passenger experience standpoint, Scoot is not presently advertising any bells and whistles aboard the E2, beyond the fact that every passenger can have either a window or an aisle seat in the passenger-pleasing 2-2 layout, and that the windows are “larger than those found on most narrowbody planes”.

The twinjets are, however, “ideally suited for Scoot’s ambitions, complementing the airline’s existing narrowbody fleet with the E2’s exceptional short-runway performance to enhance regional connectivity”, according to Embraer Commercial Aviation CEO Arjan Meijer.

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All images credited to Embraer