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SINGAPORE: The government will provide an additional S $ 84 million to the aviation sector to cushion the blow of the COVID-19 pandemic on workers and businesses, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said on Tuesday (December 29) .
This is in addition to the Aviation Sector Assistance Package of S $ 112 million, announced in February, and the Enhanced Aviation Support Package of S $ 187 million, announced in August.
The CAAS said the aviation sector “continues to be the hardest hit” by the COVID-19 pandemic, and that the number of passenger traffic movements at Changi Airport in November saw a 98 percent decline year-on-year.
“Given ongoing border restrictions and the resurgence of COVID-19 in many countries during the winter, air travel will not pick up anytime soon. Therefore, it is critical that we continue our support of the sector to help businesses and workers in the aviation to overcome the crisis, “he said. the CAAS.
The authority added that aviation companies have implemented measures to allow air travel and minimize risks to public health, and that these measures require additional infrastructure, equipment and manpower.
These costs cannot be recovered from passengers during this period, he said.
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“To help mitigate some of these costs, the Government will provide funding to support the development, adoption and deployment of innovative technologies and measures to protect our airport workers and aircrew from contracting COVID-19,” added CAAS in its statement from press.
“These include aircraft and baggage disinfection systems.”
The Government will continue to offer refunds for fees and charges, and the CAAS will waive Singapore-based airlines from fees for their Certificates of Airworthiness. License fees for the provision of scheduled air services will also be exempted.
The exemption will apply to fees payable between April 1 of this year and March 31 of next year.
It would also grant a 50 percent discount to license fees payable for ground handling and catering services at the Changi and Seletar airports during that period, it added.
Such measures would cost about S $ 39 million in total, CAAS said.
SUPPORT WORKERS
Noting that many workers in the sector have suffered pay cuts due to a reduction in working hours, while others have been placed on leave without pay, the CAAS said the government would provide additional support to aviation workers.
Pilots, air traffic controllers, and aircraft maintenance engineers who have to pay their license fees and medical evaluation fees would get a full refund for fees payable between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021, said.
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“We will work with SkillsFuture Singapore, Workforce Singapore, NTUC LearningHub and NTUC Aerospace and Aviation Cluster to help at-risk and underemployed aviation workers improve their employability and gain skills to move to other jobs within the industry,” said the CAAS.
Additional support will be provided to develop new programs for such workers, with more details to be announced next month, he added.
“It takes pilots years to get licensed and certified. To ensure we have a sufficient number of pilots for eventual recovery, we will also work with SkillsFuture Singapore to provide financial support to Singapore-based airlines to retrain their pilots. and keep their skills up to date, ”said CAAS.
These measures to help workers amount to some S $ 20 million.
MORE SUPPORT TO PRODUCTIVITY EFFORTS
The CAAS said it is important for companies to invest in projects to “improve productivity and develop capabilities” to manage the immediate impact of COVID-19.
This will help the industry manage long-term workforce constraints and prepare for recovery.
“To encourage companies to continue their innovation and productivity efforts, we will inject an additional S $ 25 million into the Aviation Development Fund (ADF),” he said.
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This would provide an “enhanced level” of financial support of up to 90 percent to businesses through the end of March 2022 for business initiatives.
“Such productivity efforts will enhance the attractiveness of the sector for Singaporeans, support the employability of older workers and reduce the sector’s dependence on the foreign workforce in the long term,” said CAAS.
“Through these measures, we will strengthen the resilience of our companies and workers in the aviation sector as the sector continues to weather the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This is critical to reviving our air hub and ensuring that we are well positioned for the recovery of air travel.”
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