Hong Kong and Singapore have agreed to launch an air travel bubble beginning May 26. This initiative aims to revive cross-border air travel, allowing travelers between these destinations to bypass mandatory quarantine requirements, provided they meet specific conditions for traveling within the bubble.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the air route connecting Hong Kong and Singapore was one of the busiest in the Asia-Pacific region. The strong trade, investment, finance, tourism, and personal ties between the two locations contributed to this bustling flow. Moving forward, it is crucial for passengers departing from Hong Kong to be vaccinated at least two weeks before traveling. Moreover, travelers in both directions must test negative for the virus within three days of departure and again upon arrival. They must also utilize designated flights catering solely to other travel-bubble passengers.
To ensure a cautious approach, only one flight will operate daily in each direction for the initial two weeks, with a maximum capacity of 200 passengers. Travelers must provide proof of no recent travel history outside of Singapore or Hong Kong during the 14 days leading up to their departure. Additionally, any prior mandatory quarantine periods resulting from other visits will not count towards this timeframe.
This careful planning comes in response to the global spread of mutated COVID-19 strains, as well as the risk of individuals having an incubation period exceeding 14 days. Travelers from both regions are required to download the corresponding contact-tracing app prior to departure, using Singapore’s TraceTogether and Hong Kong’s LeaveHomeSafe mobile applications for this purpose.
It is essential for travelers to be aware that the travel bubble may be suspended for a minimum of two weeks if the seven-day moving average of unlinked community cases in either city exceeds five. For further details regarding the travel bubble, you can visit the official website here.
This article was originally published on October 16, 2020, and has been updated as of April 27, 2021.
