Hong Kong and Singapore will start the long-awaited air travel bubble that will replace quarantine with Covid-19 testing from November 22.
According to the Bloomberg report, there will be several flights a week on Singapore Airlines Ltd. and Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. from that date, rising to daily from December 7. A maximum of 200 people will be permitted on each flight and details of the arrangement will be reviewed after one month.
At a news briefing on Wednesday, Singapore Minister for Transport Ong Ye Kung said that this was the first travel bubble of its type and may be used as a template for other countries, if successful. The travel bubble will help ensure a brighter future for the city-state’s Changi Airport and Singapore Airlines, he said.
“This policy is not easy to come by,” said Edward Yau Tang-wah, Hong Kong’s commerce and economic development secretary. “Whether the bubble can work and sustain [itself] well will depend on cooperation from all sides, including the participation of residents and their efforts in maintaining social distancing.”
The coronavirus pandemic has virtually shut down air travel and squeezed tourism-dependent economies. Airlines, among the hardest-hit industries, were forced to ground the majority of flights and seek government help to stay afloat.
Goh Choon Phong, CEO of Singapore Airlines (SIA), hailed the bubble arrangement, saying: “It paves the way for us to open up in a safe and calibrated way with the necessary testing protocols in place, and provides a promising model for other bilateral arrangements around the world.”
Travellers from both cities must take designated bubble flights and fulfil certain conditions and requirements, including undergoing up to three Covid-19 tests at various stages of the journey.At the start of the scheme, there will be one flight a day into each city carrying 200 passengers, with Cathay Pacific and Singapore operating alternating flights after the launch day. From December 7, the number of flights into each city will be increased to two daily. - South China Morning Post, Bloomberg Source: https://www.daily-bangladesh.com
Categories: Asia,
Aviation,
Travel
