NokScoot taps brakes on growth plan

NokScoot is scaling down its fleet expansion plan as it adopts a more cautious approach to future growth. The medium-to-long-haul low-cost carrier plans to add two Boeing 777-200 jets by next October, instead of the seven aircraft it contemplated earlier this year for a single acquisition. NokScoot CE Piya Yodmani said that the airline's fleet enlargement is still on track but that just two aircraft will be acquired at a time to lessen capital tie-up and pressure to use additional capacity. In August this year, the Thai-registered joint venture of Thailand's Nok Air and Singapore's Scoot solicited interest from 30 parties, including airlines and lessors, to supply seven Boeing 777-200s to the fleet, currently comprising three aircraft of the same type, over the next two years. Those additional wide-body jets were meant to support an expedited plan, primarily geared towards tapping the Thailand-China traffic that constitutes almost all of NokScoot's turnover. But the Thai government's crackdown on "zero dollar" inbound tour scams has significantly slowed arrivals from China over the past four months, prompting tourism-related operators focused on the Chinese market to reassess their business strategy.<br/>