The long-awaited travel bubble between Hong Kong and Singapore might burst once again, as the COVID-19 cases continue to surge in Singapore.
On May 14, 2021, Transport Minister of Singapore Ong Ye Kung said that the government was reviewing the start date of Hong Kong-Singapore air travel bubble launch. However, “it is very likely that Singapore will not be able to meet the resumption criteria”.
“We are strongly committed to this air travel bubble between these two international cities, but we also agree that we have to start it safely,” Kung added.
On April 26, 2021, Hong Kong and Singapore agreed on the launch date for the long-awaited air travel bubble. The quarantine-free travel between Asia’s two business and financial hubs were set to begin on May 26, 2021. This was the second attempt to launch the bubble, after the initial attempt on November 22, 2020 which came to no avail.
There may be a third delay of the quarantine-free travel between Singapore and Hong Kong, which is likely to shatter hopes to boost travel and ticket sales for its respective flag carriers, Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines (SIA1) (SINGY), as flights were already planned ahead for the bubble launch.
“We are closely monitoring developments concerning the Hong Kong-Singapore Air Travel Bubble. We will inform our customers as soon as possible in the event of any changes to the Air Travel Bubble flight schedules,” Cathay Pacific spokesperson told AeroTime News on May 14, 2021.