No overseas December holidays this year as borders stay mostly shut: Ong Ye Kung

THOSE looking forward to a December vacation abroad will likely be disappointed, Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said on Tuesday, as the aviation sector continues to struggle with a deep crisis brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic.

"I need to manage expectations here. For Members who are hoping to hear announcements on some air-travel resumption and even possible December holiday destinations, I am sorry I will disappoint you," he told Parliament as he delivered his ministerial statement on the recovery of the aviation sector.

This is because borders are still closed in most parts of the world, with some countries such as Germany allowing only business travellers from Singapore, Mr Ong said.

Meanwhile, "only a handful of countries" such as the United States, United Kingdom and Turkey are allowing general travellers from Singapore, he noted.

"We cannot control what other countries want to do with their borders. But we can control ours, to welcome back visitors, bring back jobs, and revive our air hub," Mr Ong said.

How Singapore does this safely can be a useful reference point for other countries, he added.

"There is a recovery and risk trade-off, and we can learn from one another in managing the risks of opening up," Mr Ong said. However, conditions have changed over the past months, he added, and the trade-off is no longer as stark as before.