AirAsia to restart regular flights between Singapore and Malaysian cities from 17 August
Budget airline carrier AirAsia will launch daily flights between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore and one weekly flight each between Singapore and Penang, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching and Ipoh. These flights are scheduled to begin in the week of 17 August, subject to further announcements by both the Singapore and Malaysia governments. This will be followed by other international destinations, subject to approval from the authorities.
This comes following the decision by both of the governments to open up cross-border travel for essential business and official purposes between both countries through the Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL) scheme.
The RGL scheme requires eligible travellers to abide by the prevailing COVID-19 prevention and public health measures mutually agreed upon by both countries, which includes undergoing polymerase chain reaction swab tests.
CEO of AirAsia Group, Tan Sri Tony Fernandes said: “Both countries have performed exceptionally well in keeping the spread of COVID-19 in check, especially amongst the local populations. Both the governments and the people of Malaysia and Singapore deserve a pat on the back for their relentless efforts and strict discipline in breaking the COVID-19 chain.
“The RGL might only be the first step but certainly is most important as both countries start to revive the economy. We look forward to the formation of more ‘travel bubbles’ and ‘green lanes’ between countries with low infection rates or active cases, and proven pandemic curbing systems. AirAsia is thoroughly committed to resuming air connectivity and thus reviving economic activities in the region.
“The aviation sector had contributed 4% to the global GDP, supporting over 65 million jobs. The tourism industry, on the other hand, made up 10% of the world GDP and helped create 1 in every 10 jobs around the world. The global pandemic has caused both sectors to come to a grinding halt and it’s pertinent that countries and governments work hand in hand with the industry players to ensure that we are back on our feet again.”
Flights are available for booking on airasia.com and the AirAsia mobile app.
Travellers can expect enhanced safety measures throughout the entire journey, including pre-flight, in-flight, and arrival processes. Travellers are also advised to check and comply with measures implemented by local airport authorities.
AirAsia will also allow guests to upload their COVID-19 test results during check-in using the AirAsia mobile app and website in the near future.
The airline has made Malaysia’s MySejahtera contact tracing app available for download on its website and mobile app, and is currently working with the relevant authorities in Singapore for a similar arrangement for the TraceTogether app.
