Singapore, Hong Kong defer start of air travel bubble; review set for end-December

THE launch of the much-anticipated air travel bubble (ATB) between Singapore and Hong Kong has been deferred yet again to a date to be fixed, amid rising coronavirus infections in the territory.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) announced the postponement in a press statement on Tuesday, days before officials from the two cities were supposed to meet and review when the bilateral quarantine-free travel arrangement will kick off.

"Singapore and Hong Kong have further reviewed the Covid-19 situation in Hong Kong, and given that local unlinked cases are still high, both parties have decided to defer the commencement of the Singapore-Hong Kong Air Travel Bubble to beyond December 2020. The exact start date of the ATB arrangement will be reviewed in late-December," CAAS said in its statement.

This is the second delay, after the ATB was slated to be launched on Nov 22 but was halted at the eleventh hour when Hong Kong started to see a sudden surge in Covid-19 cases. At that time, Hong Kong and Singapore said the travel arrangement would be reviewed in two weeks' time.

Under the ATB, there would be a two-week pause if the seven-day moving average of the daily number of unlinked coronavirus cases is more than five in either city. If the moving average on the last day of the suspension period is five or lower, the ATB would resume.

READ MORE: Last-minute pause in air travel bubble will inspire trust and confidence

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