SINGAPORE (June 20): Scoot, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Singapore Airlines (SIA), today announced its inaugural flight to Athens, Greece, this morning.

Apart from being the sole carrier to fly non-stop between Singapore and Athens, the maiden long-haul flight also marks Scoot’s first to a European destination.

Landing took place at the Athens International Airport (AIA) at about 1.45pm Singapore time, which was met with an “enthusiastic reception” with a water cannon salute at AIA and a Greek Moussaka Party, Scoot said in a press release on Tuesday.

The new 11.5-hour flight route will be operated on Scoot’s new Boeing 787 Dreamliner named Mous-Scoot-Ka — which is named after the Greek baked dish, Moussaka — to commemorate the new milestone.

It takes off from Singapore every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

“Scoot is currently the only airline and low-cost carrier offering direct flight between Southeast Asia and Greece via a direct flight between Singapore and Athens,” CEO of Scoot, Lee Lik Hsin said.

“With our debut into long-haul operations, Scoot is planning to launch five more new destinations in the next year, including one long-haul destination and four new short to mid-haul routes. This will open up new travel options for Asian travellers, as well as European ones now, with the start of our Singapore — Athens service,” he added.

“The introduction of Athens marks the beginning of a new chapter for Scoot. We have much more in store for our guests and are looking forward to unveiling these plans in the months to come.”

Shares of SIA closed 2 Singaporean cents lower at S$9.97 on Tuesday.