SIA plans to use smaller aircraft for Singapore-Hong Kong flights bubble
09 November, 2020
Singapore Airlines (SIA) will be deploying its smaller aircraft for the upcoming air travel bubble between Singapore and Hong Kong given expectations for “some degree of conservatism” from the authorities, its executive vice-president of commercial Lee Lik Hsin said on Monday (Nov 9).
Mr Lee was responding to a question raised during a virtual results briefing on if the national carrier could possibly be using the Airbus A380 for the two-way flights bubble.
“We are obviously very keen to make the bubble successful but of course, we do need to look at the various considerations that the Government … will have in approving such a bubble and being experimental, we can expect some degree of conservatism.”
He added: “Therefore the capability to put our biggest passenger aircraft onto that bubble route, I think you can make sure that that won't be the case. We'll be using among our smaller aircraft.”
Last month, Singapore and Hong Kong agreed in-principle to determine a bilateral flights bubble, in a bid to revive air travel between your two aviation hubs in a safe manner amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is a different travel arrangement from reciprocal green lanes or fast lanes that are meant limited to official and essential business travel.
Covering all travel purposes, those moving beneath the air travel bubble will not have to have a controlled itinerary. They'll also not be subjected to quarantine or stay-home notice requirements. Whoever has stayed 2 weeks in either Singapore or Hong Kong will meet the requirements to help make the journey.
The start date of the flights bubble remains unknown, but Singapore’s Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung had said on Oct 15 he hopes the new initiative could kick start in “weeks”.
Also speaking at the virtual results briefing, SIA’s chief executive officer Goh Choon Phong said: “I believe everybody will concur that Singapore is probably being among the most proactive nations on the globe when it comes to looking at methods to open up and reduce travel restrictions in a safe manner for our customers.”
With the flights bubble paving the way for general travel, it will serve as “a very good pilot example of how exactly we can actually start travel in a safe manner for everybody”, he added.
Also noting these travel arrangements are supported by advances in COVID-19 testing regimes, Mr Goh said: “We assume that the continual investment in every these tests schemes, in addition to test approaches, would further ease travel in the years ahead.”
Hit by the pandemic, SIA Group announced last Friday after the market close an archive net lack of S$3.47 billion for the first half of FY2021. It bled S$2.34 billion alone in the second quarter - doubling from the first quarter and marking its biggest ever quarterly loss.
The losses came as the group suffered from a nosedive in passenger numbers because of the pandemic and impairments charges on older aircraft.
It has, however, seen strong cargo demand from areas like pharmaceuticals, perishables, and e-commerce sale days.
SIA has taken “proactive steps” to capitalise upon this demand by detatching seats in some of its passenger aircraft so that you can transport more cargo, said Mr Goh.
“Because of all these (travel) schemes that have been introduced, as well as a strong demand for cargo, we are seeing increasing demand for the flights and for that reason our ability to intensify on our capacity,” said the CEO.
“We project currently our capacity will reach about 16 % of pre-COVID by the finish of year in December,” he added.
“We will continue to be very nimble and flexible to see … how many other opportunities the marketplace may bring or for example, any adverse environment that the market could have later on and modify our capacity in a nimble and flexible manner, up or down,” said Mr Goh.
Source: www.channelnewsasia.com
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