Published on Thursday, November 12, 2020

Surge in bookings as Hong Kong-Singapore travel bubble start date confirmed

The highly anticipated Hong Kong-Singapore travel bubble will kick off on 22 November.


The air travel bubble will replace mandatory quarantine with Covid-19 testing and flights will initially operate several times a week on Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific.


They will increase to daily flights by 7 December.


There is a maximum quota of 200 passengers a day, rising to 400 on 7 December.


The announcement led to a big surge in travel searches and bookings on the route, with some of the first flights already full.


Within a few hours of the announcement, travel searches for both destinations spiked 300%.


Since the air travel bubble was first mooted, airfares between the cities have risen by about 35%.


IATA welcomed the move as a step in the right direction and a potential model for other busy cross-border air routes.


"We look forward to seeing Hong Kong and Singapore expand this arrangement with other destinations, and for other governments to adopt a similar approach," said Conrad Clifford, IATA's Regional Vice President for Asia Pacific.


 


Written by Ray Montgomery, Asia Editor

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