Australia-Singapore ‘Travel Bubble’ By November

At a press conference last week with NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet and Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce, Prime Minister Scott Morrison stated that the federal government was in the “final stages” of finalising a travel bubble agreement with the Singapore government.

According to Prime Minister Scott Morrison, quarantine-free travel between Australia and Singapore is planned for November, who said the two nations might sign an agreement as soon as next week.

Morrison stated that Australia’s travel arrangement with Singapore would be similar to the one it established earlier last week with New Zealand’s South Island.

The Australia-Singapore agreement allows fully vaccinated residents of either nation to visit the other without entering quarantine. At the same time, Morrison stated that the initial focus would be on students and business travellers, with visitors expected to follow in December.

Both Sydney and Melbourne, which will eliminate quarantine procedures on November 1, would.

Singapore has already created ‘vaccinated travel lanes’ with several other countries, including South Korea, Germany, Canada, Denmark, France, and Italy.

“As you know, I was in a position a few months ago to meet with the Prime Minister of Singapore, Prime Minister Lee, in Singapore, to set up a new arrangement that will see our borders open more quickly to Singapore,” Australia’s PM remarked.

However, the viability of the bubble depends on whether other states and territories follow NSW’s lead and eliminate quarantine rules for international travellers. Victoria is planning to do just that beginning next month.

Morrison stated that the travel bubble arrangement would coincide with the itinerary set by Qantas for its flights to and from Singapore.

Far from coincidental, Singapore Airlines also announced that its Airbus A380 would resume daily service to Sydney beginning December 1, complementing a daily Boeing 777-300ER, in what Regional Vice President Louis Arul called as “another exciting step on the road to recovery.”

By Joe Cusmano