A long-awaited quarantine-free travel “bubble” between Australia and Singapore is finally set to take off on November 8 after the Asian country moved to ease restrictions between the two countries.
Last night (October 26), the Singapore government unilaterally announced the establishment of a Vaccination Travel Lane (VTL) with Australia, canceling all quarantine requirements between the two countries, and only requiring passengers to undergo negative tests before and after arriving in Singapore.
The Singapore government’s move comes as the Australian government today (October 27) formally lifted entry and exit restrictions for fully vaccinated travelers from November 1.
The news was warmly welcomed by the Singapore Tourism Board and major airlines, and paves the way for a revival of tourism in both countries.
“We are very excited about resuming travel between Australia and Singapore,” said Oliver Chong, Executive Director Oceania, Singapore Tourism Board.
“We know Australians are avid travelers and can’t wait to travel overseas, so we hope this will encourage them to make plans to visit Singapore as soon as possible.
“Australia has been a close and long-standing trade and tourism partner of Singapore.
“We believe this vaccination pathway will be warmly welcomed by all as we continue to move towards a safe and orderly reopening of our borders.”
Under the new arrangement, dedicated “VTL” flights will operate between the two countries, with both Singapore Airlines and low-cost carrier Scoot rapidly adding quarantine-free services.
From Monday 8 November, Singapore Airlines will designate two daily flights from Melbourne (SQ218 and SQ228) and Sydney (SQ212 and SQ222) to Singapore as a VTL service.
Scoot will operate a daily VTL service from Melbourne (TR19) and a four-times-weekly VTL service from Sydney (TR13).
“Singapore Airlines (SIA) welcomes the addition of Australia to Singapore’s Vaccination Line (VTL) arrangement from 8 November 2021,” said Louis Arul, Regional Vice President, Southwest Pacific, Singapore Airlines.
“Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, SIA has remained in touch with Australia, supporting the movement of vital cargo and providing pathways for Australians to return home and undertake essential travel.
“After NSW and Victoria announced they would open their borders to eligible travellers, from 1 November 2021, the addition of Australia as Singapore’s VTL comes at an opportune time for customers to plan Christmas reunions with family and loved ones Eve, or even a well-deserved holiday in Singapore.
“The Australia-Singapore VTL flight will enable quarantine-free travel to Singapore and provide a seamless connection for passengers returning to Australia via the 20 VTL services operated by the Singapore Airlines network.
“The flight schedule for SIA VTL flights will be published on our website. These flights are open for booking but will gradually be shown as VTL flights on our website.
“Singapore Airlines looks forward to welcoming our customers on board our flights, who will continue to enjoy our world-class products and services. We have also implemented a suite of digital initiatives to provide a more comfortable and seamless travel experience.
“SIA customers can also travel with peace of mind that we have industry-leading health and safety measures in place to ensure their well-being.
“As we continue to support all levels of government in planning Australia’s reopening in a safe, sustainable and scalable manner, we will continue to have the flexibility to deploy capacity to market based on demand.”
Qantas is also expected to add VTL flights in the coming weeks, while other Australian states also plan to offer services when entry quarantine restrictions are eased.
/cloudfront-us-east-2.images.arcpublishing.com/reuters/MF7VLBV5FFIWJJ36PFNYCY57RM.jpg "Singapore expands quarantine-free travel, eyes COVID-19 ‘new normal’")
