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An air transport bubble (ATB) that was agreed between Hong Kong and Singapore had to be postponed for two weeks due to an increase in Covid-19 cases in Hong Kong.
Scheduled to launch on November 22, the scheme would allow passengers traveling on select airlines to travel without the need to self-quarantine at either end, assuming they meet the criteria set out in the agreement. The air bubble is scheduled to release fifteen days later than planned.
“Given the evolving situation in Hong Kong, Secretary Edward Yau and I discussed further this afternoon and decided that it would be better to postpone the launch of the ATB for two weeks,” said Singapore’s Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung. “We will review the new release date in two weeks and update again.”
India forms more air bubbles
Elsewhere, India has now formed an air bubble with Ethiopia as part of its plan to restart international travel. International flights were suspended for the first time in India on March 23, due to the ongoing global pandemic, with the exception of those intended to repatriate Indians stranded abroad.
India’s new deal with Ethiopia marks the country’s 22nd air bubble deal it has now planned; Others have already been formed with Canada, Germany, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Japan, Maldives, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates and the United Arab Emirates. US.
The country is also reportedly in talks about the formation of additional air bubbles with Saudi Arabia and Nepal.
Hope for vaccines prompts relaxation of travel restrictions
Further afield, a travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand could take effect by the new year, says Alan Joyce, CEO of Qantas. Currently, there is a one-way arrangement between Australasian destinations: Kiwis can travel to New South Wales in Australia without going into hotel quarantine, but must still undergo a mandatory 14-day self-isolation upon returning to New Zealand.
But Joyce believes the news of the vaccines will ease these travel restrictions. “The way we’re going in Australia, New Zealand could open early in the new year in both directions, that’s a huge market for everyone,” he said.
The news of a vaccine has also prompted the relaxation of lockdown measures in France. Following the announcement of plans to draw up a complex vaccination program, French President Emmanuel Macron said the country would see a “slight relaxation of the blockade.”
