DigitalCFO Newsroom | 4 March 2022
The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) will take further steps to extend the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) to reclaim and rebuild Singapore’s position as a premier air hub. The CAAS will extend the VTL to more cities in Malaysia, Indonesia, and India to facilitate travel and densify the Singapore air hub’s connectivity with these key markets. We will also launch VTLs from two new countries: Greece and Vietnam.
Densifying Singapore air hub’s connectivity
To further facilitate business and people-to-people flows and bring greater convenience and choice for travellers, we will deepen our air links with Malaysia, Indonesia and India. From 16 March 2022, the VTL for Malaysia will extend beyond Kuala Lumpur to include Penang, starting with four daily flights each way between Singapore and Penang. Similarly, from 16 March 2022, the VTL for Indonesia will extend beyond Jakarta to include Bali-Denpasar, starting with two daily flights from Bali-Denpasar to Singapore. The VTL for India will also extend beyond Chennai, Delhi, and Mumbai to include all Indian cities. Airlines that plan to operate from these points under the VTL may submit their plans for designated flights to CAAS for approval.
The CAAS will also launch new VTLs for Greece and Vietnam. With the addition of Greece, we will have established two-way quarantine-free travel with all countries in Europe that have direct flights to Singapore. From 15 March 2022, Vietnam plans to reopen its borders for international tourism. With the launch of the VTL from Vietnam, we will restore two-way quarantine-free travel with Vietnam, which was a popular destination for many Singaporeans pre-COVID.
Travellers from Greece and Vietnam may enter Singapore under the VTL on or after 16 March 2022. Vaccinated Travel Pass (VTP) applications for these countries will open on 13 March 2022 at 1000 hours (Singapore time). Short-term visitors and work permit holders eligible to travel on the VTL[1] must apply for a VTP to enter Singapore under the VTL. Fully vaccinated Singapore Citizens, Permanent Residents, all other long-term pass holders and In-Principle Approval (IPA) holders, and children aged 12 years and below in the calendar year do not need to apply for a VTP to enter Singapore under the VTL.
Providing greater flexibility for travellers from Europe
To enable greater flexibility for travellers visiting or coming from Europe to plan their journeys, the CAAS will also broaden the travel history requirement for the VTL to include the entire European Economic Area (EEA). The EEA, which consists of the 27 European Union member states, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway, allows the free movement of persons between these countries.
The broadening of travel history requirement will apply to travellers entering Singapore on or after 16 March 2022. With this, travellers who have been in any country in the EEA (including any transit stops) within the last seven consecutive days prior to departure to Singapore, may count his/her stay in the EEA country towards fulfilling the seven-day VTL travel history requirement.
Update on the VTL
The VTL has allowed Singapore to reopen our borders safely while managing public health risks. Under the VTL, fully vaccinated travellers from VTL countries/regions may enter Singapore without quarantine and just need to undergo COVID-19 testing. Since 8 September 2021, Singapore has established VTLs with 30 countries/regions. As at 3 March 2022, 2359 hours, the CAAS has issued 348,518 VTPs to travellers from these countries/regions for entry into Singapore between 8 September 2021 and 16 March 2022. 456,215 VTL travellers have entered Singapore. These VTL travellers comprise a) 132,099 short-term visitors; b) 119,289 long-term pass holders and IPA holders; c) 167,380 Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents; and d) 37,447 children aged 12 years and below.
