Singapore to work with China on resuming more direct flights: Chee Hong Tat

Singapore will work with China to increase direct flights between the two countries, as part of efforts to grow business and people-to-people ties, Acting Minister for Transport Chee Hong Tat said on Saturday. Speaking at a dinner event in Beijing marking Singapore’s National Day, Chee noted that a 15-day visa-free policy for Singaporeans entering China has resumed, while the accelerated resumption of all direct flights between the two countries was announced during Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to Singapore on Aug 10 and 11. “The Ministry of Transport will certainly want to facilitate and encourage more direct flights between our two countries,” said Chee, who is on a week-long trip to China. “We will work with our Chinese counterparts to try and see how we can move forward, and to have more direct flights to benefit our businesses and our people,” he told the audience at the event organised by the Singapore Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China. Singapore Airlines resumed direct flights to China in December 2022 and said earlier in August that it plans to increase the frequency of flights to key destinations including Beijing and Shanghai from March 2024. Airlines reportedly increased their monthly flights between Singapore and China from 160 in January to about 1,200 in June 2023.<br/>