The travel minister of Singapore said last week that the city-state will likely not be able to meet the requirements for the launch of “air-travel-bubble” flights between Hong Kong and Singapore due to a rising number of Covid-19 cases in Singapore.
Singapore Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said at an online press conference that the city-state’s multi-ministry task force will “very likely” be unable to meet the conditions required to start the flights.
“The issue now is the situation in Singapore, when cases are going up,” Ong said. Hong Kong’s reported cases have been minimal.
Singapore’s two casinos, Resorts World Sentosa and Marina Bay Sands, needs a significant amount of leisure travelers from Hong Kong to secure profits, according to analysts. Ong said that the city-state’s authorities would monitor the local Covid-19 situation and “critically review” the start date of the intended air travel bubble with Hong Kong.
Singapore and Hong Kong had agreed to start on the air travel bubble between the two places on May 26. It is the second attempt at starting the service, after a plan to start last November was called off after Hong Kong saw a surge in Covid-19 cases.
