Singapore and Hong Kong on Monday decided to restart the Bubble Flights that were previously canceled before they even began on May 26, 2021.
There will initially be one bubble flight daily from Hong Kong and Singapore that will be raised to two from June 26. There is a maximum of 200 passengers allowed per flight.
You can access the Singapore Airlines page for bubble here and Cathay Pacific’s here.
Anyone who has been in Singapore or Hong Kong for the previous 14 days is allowed on these Bubble Flights, and those departing from Hong Kong need to be fully vaccinated if they are HK SAR residents. The vaccination requirement does not apply to those departing from Singapore.
Passengers in Singapore and Hong Kong need to take a PCR-RT test within 72 hours of the scheduled departure and another one when arriving in Singapore and Hong Kong at the airport.
Passengers arriving in Hong Kong must wait for their test results at the airport, while in Singapore, passengers can take a cab to their accommodation to wait for the outcome.
There is an online declaration requirement by Singapore and Hong Kong for those traveling between the cities, and visitors from Hong Kong to Singapore need to apply for an Air Travel Pass.
Bubble Flight Schedule
Singapore Airlines
Cathay Pacific
Here’s the problem:
Suspension/ Resumption
The ATB will be suspended for at least 14 days if the seven-day moving average of the daily number of unlinkedlocal COVID-19 cases (excluding dormitory resident cases in Singapore) is more than five in either Singapore or Hong Kong. The suspension will take effect after two days (including the day on which the criteria was met)for a two-week period.
The ATB can resume on the next day when the following two criteria have been met:
(I) the seven-day moving average of the daily number of unlinked local COVID-19 cases in Hong Kong and Singapore does not exceed five on the last day of the 14-day suspension period or any subsequent day;and
(ii) after criterion (i) is met, subsequently there are three consecutive days where the daily number of unlinked local COVID-19 cases does not exceed three in Hong Kong and Singapore, and the seven-day moving average of the daily number of unlinked local COVID-19 cases on the last day of the three consecutive days does not exceed five in both places.
The previous bubble burst before the flight even began due to number of community spread related to dance clubs for ladies (not a joke)
Here’s the announcement from CAAS:
Singapore and Hong Kong Agree To Launch Air Travel Bubble (ATB) Flights
Enhancements made to the ATB agreement to better safeguard public health and provide greater stability
1. Singapore and Hong Kong have agreed to set 26 May 2021 as the launch date of the Singapore – Hong Kong Air Travel Bubble (ATB). Both parties will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation from now till 26 May 2021, and will proceed with the launch if the situation continues to be steady and remain under control in both cities.
2. The ATB will be launched under more stringent arrangements to better safeguard public health and provide greater stability. Travellers on the ATB must have remained in either Singapore or Hong Kong in the last 14 days prior to departure, and the 14 days period must exclude any time spent in quarantine or Stay-Home Notice (SHN) arising from their last return to Singapore or Hong Kong from overseas. In addition, they must now download and install Hong Kong’s LeaveHomeSafe (LHS) app on their mobile devices prior to leaving Singapore for Hong Kong. If the ATB has to be suspended when the seven-day moving average of the unlinked community cases in either Singapore or Hong Kong increases to above 5, it can only resume when the COVID situation has stabilised.
3. Other than the above, the requirements for travellers from Singapore under the ATB remain the same as those announced in November 2020. There will be no restrictions on the purpose of travel and no requirements for a controlled itinerary or sponsorship. These requirements include undergoing COVID-19 pre-departure and on-arrival Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests in lieu of quarantine or SHN, and travel on designated ATB flights. The full details of the ATB requirements are in the Annex.
4. Interested travellers are reminded that they must travel only on designated ATB flights. Currently, these ATB flights are operated by Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific. Travellers are advised to check with the airlines on the flights which have been designated as ATB flights.
5. All travellers must also adhere to the prevailing border control measures and public health requirements of both cities. For the latest updates, travellers may visit Singapore’s Safe Travel website at https://safetravel.ica.gov.sg and Hong Kong’s website at http://www.tourism.gov.hk/travelbubble.
Here’s a PDF from CAAS explaining the procedures:
Email from Singapore Airlines:
Here’s what happened previously with the Singapore – Hong Kong “Bubble”:
Singapore – Hong Kong Air Travel Bubble Starts On November 22, 2020
Conclusion
Let’s hope that this new bubble doesn’t burst before the flights start in a month. The situation likely now is better due to the vaccination efforts in both Singapore and Hong Kong.
There are still requirements for PCR-RT tests when leaving and arriving in both cities (four tests per round-trip), and you need to wait for the results at the Hong Kong airport before released to the city.
Let’s hope that this facilitates the reopening of both cities to visitors from other countries.
