Minister hails reopening of borders to Brunei and New Zealand as a small step towards reviving Changi Airport and the economy.
Minister: Reopening borders will help revive aviation and economy
THE unilateral reopening of borders to Brunei and New Zealand is a “small, cautious” step that can resuscitate Changi Airport.
It is also an invitation to the world that Singapore is open for business, said Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung on Friday.
“The aviation sector, Changi Airport and Singapore Airlines do not just concern the sector itself, but are linked to the whole economy,” he said.
“So we need to really start to take steps to open up in a safe manner that can revive Changi Airport and resuscitate the aviation sector.”
The multi-ministry task force battling the Covid-19 outbreak said on Friday that it would relax Singapore’s border controls so that visitors from Brunei or New Zealand who have remained in their country in the last consecutive 14 days prior to their visit to Singapore will not have to serve a stay-home notice when they arrive.
However, they will need to take a Covid-19 test upon their arrival at the airport, and will be allowed to go about their activities in Singapore only after receiving a negative test result.
A total of 50 new coronavirus cases were confirmed as of yesterday afternoon, taking Singapore’s total to 56,266.
Ong said both Brunei and New Zealand had been able to control the Covid-19 outbreak, with infection rates well below 0.1 infections per 100,000 people in their population.
He also said the number of travellers coming from both countries would be manageable.
There are only two flights weekly that can fly a maximum total of 500 passengers from Brunei to Singapore, said Ong.
For New Zealand, there are four flights weekly that can fly a total of about 1,200 passengers.
Ong said their low infection rates and the testing upon arrival combined means “a very, very, low risk that we can manage”.
“I believe we can strike a good balance between keeping Singapore and travellers here safe, as well as reviving the air traffic sector,” he added.
Various aviation sector stakeholders welcomed the news. The Singapore Airlines Group said the recovery of air travel and airfreight was a necessary catalyst for the recovery of global trade and economies severely impacted by Covid-19.
It added that it accounted for more than half of the passengers flying in and out of Changi Airport in the last financial year, and would continue to monitor the demand for international air travel and adjust its capacity accordingly.
Changi Airport Group spokesman Ivan Tan said the announcement was an encouraging start to what the airport hoped would be a gradual resumption of air travel to and from Singapore.
He added that ensuring the health and safety of staff and visitors would remain the airport’s priority.
“We look forward to welcoming tourists and leisure visitors to Singapore again, and promise a smooth and comfortable airport experience for all of them,” he said.
Alex Hungate, president and chief executive of ground handling firm Sats, said it would work with partners to ensure a safe arrangement for employees and travellers.
“In this way, we hope to help restore confidence in air travel while ensuring that the Changi experience remains the best in the world,” he said.