Singapore, Hong Kong To Allow Travellers to Transit Through Airports From June

Hong Kong and Singapore will lift bans on transit passengers from the beginning of June as part of the Covid-19 restrictions that affected the economies of both countries and ravaged the aviation sectors.

Hong Kong Airport to Resume Limited Transit Services From June 1

Hong Kong Airport is all set to reopen international transit from June 1, albeit in a calibrated manner, according to Chief Executive Carrie Lam, who said, that the coronavirus pandemic has eased and the city-state will be resuming its daily activities and economy step by step.

Hong Kong suspended its transit services on March 24 and the city also implemented a ban on visitors as well. It must be noted that the Hong Kong Airport is currently the fourth-largest airport by passenger count and transit services play a significant role in airport traffic.

To put things into perspective, Hong Kong's largest airline, Cathay Pacific a 99.6% drop in passenger numbers as it carried only 13,729 passengers in April, compared to over 4.3 million in April 2019. The airline also operated a skeleton schedule to just 14 destinations.

Singapore To Lift Transit Bans From June 2

The Singapore government has said that the passenger transit will resume from June 2. It should be noted that Singapore acts as a major transit hub between Asia and Europe. Of late, only passengers on repatriation flights can only transit through Singapore organised by their governments.

Singapore's transit ban was enforced on March 24, followed by the spike in the coronavirus infection. Moreover, the Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong, also enacted a ban on short-stay visitors to combat the deadly respiratory infections.

The Singapore Civil Aviation Authority also asserted that opening the Changi Airport to transit passengers in designation facilities will be a significant step in re-opening the city but warned that everyone will have to follow to the safety guidelines and maintain social-distancing norms.

Airport staff in Singapore will also have to wear personal protective equipment when interacting with passengers, while existing precautionary measures, such as safe distancing and temperature checks for passengers and staff, will remain in place.

"Instead of browsing the duty-free shops or kicking back in the airline lounge, transit passengers will "remain in designated facilities in the transit area and not mix with other passengers whilst at Changi Airport," said the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore in announcing the relaxed restrictions.