SIA can be the world's first vaccinated international airline

SINGAPORE Airlines can be the first vaccinated international airline of the world, as an exercise gets under way in the Republic to inoculate some 37,000 aviation and maritime front-line workers against the novel coronavirus.

Minister for Transport Ong Ye Kung told reporters on Monday at a vaccination centre for aviation front-liners that the exercise is a very important step towards reviving Singapore's air hub, which has been sent into deep freeze by the pandemic since last March.

When a substantial number of workers in the aviation and maritime sectors is inoculated - likely to be in less than two months - those who come through Singapore will know that the city-state is safe and its people are united and cohesive. "This adds a lot to our international branding," Mr Ong said.

Singapore Airlines can be the first vaccinated international airline of the world, he added.

The vaccination centres for aviation and maritime workers located respectively at Changi Airport Terminal 4 and Raffles City Convention Centre each have a daily capacity for 2,000 and 1,000 people for now.

However, the capacity can be ramped up to 8,000 vaccinations per day for these two major vaccination centres. There are enough doses for the front-line workers in the two sectors, and the capacity would allow the majority of them to be vaccinated in less than two months.

Priority will be given to the 20,000 front-line workers who may come into contact with travellers from high-risk countries, as well as their belongings, said the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) in a statement.

Air crew and airport workers who have completed their full course of vaccination will undergo fewer testing requirements, CAAS added.

Among those who were inoculated on Monday were Mr Ong, SIA chief executive Goh Choon Phong, and ground-handler and inflight caterer Sats CEO Alex Hungate. Some 7,000 aviation workers are scheduled to be vaccinated this week.

As for the air travel bubble with Hong Kong that has been suspended since last November, Mr Ong said he would rather not set any target for when it can kick off. He said the agreement has already been in place, so it can be activated anytime.

He also said that Singapore continues to explore such quarantine-free travel arrangements with other places.

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