Scoot, the low-cost arm of the Singapore Airlines Group (SIA), has become the first low-cost carrier (LCC) in the world to be awarded the diamond status in the APEX Health Safety powered by SimpliFlying global audit of airlines. The diamond status is the highest attainable standard for the audit.

The audit, which assesses healthy safety measures adopted in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, was jointly conducted by the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) and aviation strategy firm SimpliFlying.

Scoot was reviewed against a 58-point checklist across 10 stages of the customer journey spanning check-in and other pre-departure processes, inflight measures, as well as post-flight measures.

Airlines that score at 200 points above the baseline Gold standard are awarded diamond status, which signify “hospital-grade standards of health and safety”. To date, 12 other airlines have been awarded diamond status, including Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways.

Campbell Wilson, CEO of Scoot, says that the airline is committed to providing customers with the highest level of confidence when they travel.

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“Scoot is proud to be the world’s first LCC to receive the highest Diamond status, and we’re heartened by this affirmation of our efforts to safeguard the health and safety of our customers and staff,” he says.

In an airline safety rating by Airline Ratings, an international airline safety and product rating review website, Scoot also scored a full seven stars in both safety and Covid-19 compliance.

The safety rating system considers factors such as the airline’s fatality and incident records, audits from aviation governing bodies and leading associations, as well as the airline’s compliance with international Covid-19 standards.

As at 10.39am, shares in SIA are 3 cents or 0.53% higher at $5.76.