Air Travel to Singapore Rises With Return to Normality

Singapore has seen a sharp rise in passenger traffic since reopening borders. The number of flights and arrivals have both increased as the country continues to roll back restrictions.

Since the beginning of April, international travelers have been able to once again visit Singapore with an SG Arrival Card. The online application currently includes a COVID-19 health declaration.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), passenger traffic at Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) rose from 18% of what it had been pre-pandemic to 31% between March and April 18, 2022.

This increase has been attributed to the government’s decision to fully reopen international borders on April 1.

Singapore continues to push to return to a state of normality. From April 26, 2022, it plans to remove most of the remaining COVID-19 restrictions as infection rates continue to fall.

Passengers Return to Singapore

The CAAS reports that the number of passengers passing through Changi Airport has nearly doubled between March and mid-April, thanks to the borders being reopened on April 1.

According to a statement from the CAAS:

“The increase in air passenger traffic was broad-based. Traffic volume increased for all major markets, with particularly strong growth for traffic to and from Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.”

There has also been an increase in the number of passenger flights operating to Singapore, rising from 29% to 38% pre-pandemic levels over the course of a month. Flights from Australia, Malaysia, and Vietnam were among those with the highest increase.

How International Travel to Singapore Has Changed

The pandemic saw Singapore introduce strict COVID-19 travel restrictions. For much of the past 2 years, very few foreign travelers were allowed to enter the country, with the exception of permanent residents.

Towards the end of 2021, Singapore began to open travel lanes with certain countries. There were strict quotas on the number of passengers allowed to arrive each day.

The Southeast Asian city-state fully reopened its borders to international travelers on April 1, 2022. It scrapped the travel lanes with individual countries and removed quotas on the number of arrivals.

Instead, passengers from all over the world are allowed to travel to Singapore, providing they meet the current entry requirements. These include:

• Being fully vaccinated up to the country’s standards
• Testing negative for COVID-19 within the 2 days before traveling

There are some exemptions to these rules.

It plans to further loosen its travel restrictions from April 26, as infections in the country continue to decline.

When Will Singapore Lift Travel Restrictions?

Singapore has already lifted its most restrictive COVID-19 regulations. From April 1, 2022, vaccinated travelers from anywhere in the world can enter the island country.

From April 26, 2022, fully vaccinated passengers will no longer need to take a test before traveling to Singapore.

Anti-COVID rules within the country itself will also be relaxed. There will no longer be limits on group sizes, and employees will be allowed to return to places of work. This comes as Singapore lowers its alert level for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

Some regulations will remain in place, including the mandatory wearing of face masks in public in the following situations:

• Indoors
• On public transport

Many restrictions are expected to remain in place for individuals who have not been fully vaccinated up to Singapore’s standards.

Lawrence Wong, finance minister and co-chair of the government’s coronavirus taskforce said in a statement:

“With these changes, we can now have a well deserved breather, after two very difficult years of fighting the virus. But let’s always remember, we are getting closer to the finish line, but the race is not over and the pandemic is certainly not over.”

Singapore currently has one of the highest rates of COVID-19 vaccination in the world, with over 93% of the population currently inoculated. The fatality rate is also among the lowest globally.