Singapore to maintain ‘careful and calibrated’ approach towards restoring air connectivity with China: Iswaran

Singapore will continue to maintain a “careful and calibrated” approach towards reopening its borders and restoring air connectivity with China, even as airlines from both sides have applied to operate more flights between the two countries. Transport Minister S. Iswaran told Parliament on Monday that the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) is evaluating these applications, and will progressively approve them. But as with other countries previously, this will be done while considering the prevailing public health assessment, Changi Airport’s capacity and its ability to ensure efficient operations. This approach is being taken despite there being significant scope to restore air connectivity between China and Singapore, with the number of flights and volume of passengers between the two countries currently at less than 10 per cent of pre-Covid-19 levels, Iswaran noted. “All indications are that there will be strong demand… But in the near term, if you ask me, will there be a surge? I think unlikely. But neither will we be at a standstill,” he said. “Our desire is really to do this in a systematic, calibrated manner,” he added, declining to provide a timeline of when passenger volumes between both countries are likely to return to pre-pandemic levels when asked by Ms Ng Ling Ling (Ang Mo Kio GRC). Iswaran said there were 25 weekly flights between China and Singapore as at end-October 2022. There are now 38 weekly flights between China and Singapore, including two recently approved flights to Beijing, which works out to an average of five to six flights per day at Changi Airport.<br/>