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SINGAPORE: Seeking more green lane deals and negotiating air transport bubbles with countries whose COVID-19 infection rates are low were some of the plans outlined by Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung on Tuesday (October 6) to “revive” Changi Air Hub.
Mr. Ong delivered a ministerial statement in Parliament on the government’s strategies for the aviation sector, which has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Taking “proactive steps” to reactivate the Changi Air Hub is a “top national priority,” Ong said.
However, he noted that it was necessary to “manage expectations.”
“I need to manage expectations here. For members who are expecting that I am about to announce the resumption of air travel and even possible vacation destinations in December, I am sorry to disappoint you,” he said.
“The key is to make sure we are safe and manage the risks. We have been through enough, including a painful circuit breaker, to get to the stable situation we have today. And we must not give that up.”
READ: COVID-19: Rigorous testing could help revive travel, but challenges remain, experts say
Mr. Ong added that COVID-19 testing capacity is no longer a “major constraint”, with Singapore “on track” to increase testing capacity to 40,000 tests per day in November. Currently, about 27,000 people in Singapore are tested daily, he said.
Changi Airport has already established a facility to screen up to 10,000 passengers a day. In the coming months, there are plans to establish a dedicated COVID-19 testing laboratory at the airport to support aviation recovery, Ong said.
“Testing is therefore the key to unlocking air travel. With COVID-19 for a while, the emerging international practice is to get tested before we travel, it’s no different from going through security, getting our suitcases, before boarding a plane, “said Mr. Ong.
MORE GREEN LANES FOR BUSINESS TRAVELERS
Singapore will continue to seek reciprocal greenway agreements with partner countries or regions, Mr. Ong said.
These are restricted to a small group of business travelers and essential officials, who will be subjected to COVID-19 testing prior to departure and on arrival to ensure they are not carrying the virus.
These travelers will also have “controlled itineraries” to minimize any residual risk of community spread, the minister said.
Singapore currently has such agreements with Brunei, China, Japan, Malaysia and South Korea.
READ: Singapore and Japan launch ‘green lane’ for business and official travel on September 18
Singapore will also continue to facilitate passenger transfers at Changi Airport, Ong said.
“As an air hub, about a quarter of our passenger volume in Changi are transfers, which means that passengers are not going through immigration and are using Changi Airport as a link to reach their final destinations,” he explained.
“Weekly, we are serving around 2,500 transshipment passengers, and we expect the number to increase steadily. But this is still a small fraction of what we used to serve. We have put in place strong safeguards and no Singaporeans have become ill as a result of these transfers “.
Since June, some 27,000 passengers have moved safely through Singapore, added Mr. Ong, in response to a question from Ang Mo Kio GRC Member of Parliament (MP) Gan Thiam Poh.
UNILATERAL REOPENINGS ARE A “PERMANENT INVITATION”
Singapore must also be prepared to lift border restrictions on countries and regions with “comprehensive public health surveillance systems” and incidence rates comparable to Singapore, Ong said.
“We already know who they are. And at the same time, we should also lift our travel advisory for Singapore residents traveling to these countries and regions,” he added.
“From the point of view of the risk of infection, the risk of a traveler from these places carrying the virus when arriving at Changi airport is no greater than that of a Singaporean resident coming from Jurong or Sembawang, because we have the same incidence. rate, same risk profile. But as a precaution, we will test these travelers for COVID-19, to make sure they are virus-free. “
READ: New Zealand aware of Singapore’s intention to establish travel, notice to residents remains unchanged
The governments of these countries can then decide if and when they want to open their borders to travelers from Singapore, Ong said.
Last month, Singapore was unilaterally opened to travelers from Brunei and New Zealand. Since then, a reciprocal green lane with Brunei has been established.
Singapore also lifted border restrictions for some travelers from Vietnam and Australia, excluding the state of Victoria.
READ: COVID-19: Singapore to lift border restrictions for some visitors from Australia, Vietnam
“We do not expect large numbers in the short term, because these countries currently discourage or restrict travel for their residents,” he added.
“But despite this, such unilateral opening is still significant, because it is like a standing invitation. Although the other countries are not ready to lift their restrictions now, Singapore may be the most important when they are eventually.”
AIR TRAVEL BUBBLES A POSSIBILITY
Singapore will also negotiate air transport bubbles with safe countries and regions, Ong said.
These air travel bubbles are for general travelers and have no “controlled itinerary” requirements. These are different from reciprocal green lanes, which are for official and essential business travel.
“While we should establish (air travel bubbles) only with safe countries and regions, we can further manage risks by setting a quota on the number of travelers per day and making sure everyone is compliant with COVID-19 testing protocols,” Ong said.
“We also require travelers to apply for an air transport pass before their trips, to allow us to plan their arrivals and reduce the number, reduce the fee, if the epidemic situation changes.”
Mr. Ong pointed out how Hong Kong has announced its intention to establish such air transport bubbles with various countries, including Singapore. Singapore hopes to start discussions with Hong Kong and other partners soon, the minister said.
Passengers queue at a check-in counter at Singapore’s Changi Airport on June 8, 2020 (File Photo: AFP / Roslan Rahman)
The Transport Ministry will also explore other “practical schemes” as it seeks to open borders, Mr. Ong said.
“This is especially important for travelers from countries that are economically important to us, but with higher infection rates,” the minister said.
“In particular, we recognize that the requirement of having to provide a full 14 days (home stay notice) at a hotel will deter most travelers from wanting to come to Singapore. Therefore, we need to facilitate visits. without a restriction, “added Ong.
“For example, we can replace the 14-day (stay-at-home notice) in a hotel with new requirements, such as a more stringent and repeated testing protocol … we can separate them from the rest of the community … you can follow closely their movements while they are here. “
The global aviation sector has been severely crippled by the COVID-19 pandemic with strict border restrictions limiting travel, leading to a drop in revenue and an increase in layoffs from airlines and related businesses.
Singapore Airlines (SIA) Group reported the first annual net loss in its 48-year history in May and has said it will cut about 4,300 jobs, affecting about 2,400 employees.
One of the initiatives that SIA had recently considered was “a flight to nowhere” as a way to generate income, Mr. Ong noted.
While it has since become a “moot point” because SIA decided to scrap the plan, Mr. Ong said the Transport Ministry would have done everything possible to support the airline “in whatever way SIA had decided.”
“But what I am not going to contemplate is imposing an environmental tax on them right now, as Associate Professor Jamus Lim indicated in his question, because that will exacerbate the crisis for SIA,” the minister said.
READ: Singapore Airlines Group to cut around 4,300 positions as COVID-19 hits aviation industry
Comparing the airport to the “lung of Singapore”, Mr. Ong highlighted its importance to Singapore’s economic growth.
“Just as a lung absorbs oxygen and vitalizes every part of the human body, the airport connects Singapore to the outside world and energizes all sectors of our economy,” said Ong.
“So when a company makes a significant investment in Singapore, a key reason for it to do so is our superior air connectivity, because that means that customers, suppliers, partners, key executives, can travel in and out of Singapore easily. They can. They come from anywhere in the world, they come to Singapore and then they connect to another part of the world. Our status as a hub, as an air hub, makes it possible. “
And just as Singapore opened behind the circuit breaker, it will do the same for international borders, Ong said.
“It will be the same with our international borders, open step by step, carefully, safely, constantly,” he said.
“What is at stake is not just hundreds of thousands of jobs, but our status as an air hub, Singapore’s relevance to the world, our economic survival and, in turn, the ability to determine our own future.”
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