The airline launched in 2012 with Sydney as its inaugural route. It now flies to 17 destinations including four in Australia, with the Gold Coast and Perth in addition to Melbourne and Sydney.

Scoot is flying a Boeing 787 Dreamliner on the new route. The airline is the world's only carrier to have a fleet made up entirely of the new, carbon-fibre aircraft. The airline initially flew using refurbished Singapore Airlines 777 planes, but retired its last 777-200 in September.

In 2013 the airline followed AirAsia X in creating a child-free zone on its planes. The "Scoot in silence" area features more legroom than standard economy and bans children under 12.

The Victorian government welcoming the arrival of the budget airline.

"The arrival of Scoot to Victoria is a real vote of confidence in our visitor economy and a big win for our state," said John Eren, State Minister for Tourism and Major Events. "It gives more visitors from our key Asian markets a chance to travel here for themselves and see we have the best of everything."

Scoot CEO Campbell Wilson said adding Melbourne to its network of routes had long been requested.

To mark the launch of the new service, the airline is offering one-way flights from Melbourne to Singapore from $209.

See also: Airline review: Scoot business class
See also: London to Melbourne on 22 budget airlines