Singapore-bound passengers in a fix over norms

Singapore-bound passengers in a fix over norms

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Trichy/Chennai:  26.11.2021

Flying to Singapore continues to be a hassle, especially for those with permanent residency who have come to Tamil Nadu during the pandemic, as there are fewer flights from Chennai, Trichy and Madurai.

Singapore Airlines have started Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) flights from Chennai from November 29 so that people who pay Singapore dollars 125 and get an approval can enter Singapore without the seven-day quarantine, if the rapid test on arrival is negative. However, passengers flying from Trichy and Madurai by other flights have to undergo the quarantine which is inconveniencing.

Arul Lazaran of United Travels said people from other cities are requesting to be booked on the flight from Chennai because they can avoid the quarantine which is expensive. As demand is high, the oneway fare to Singapore is ₹19,000 from Chennai for travel in the first week of December on the Singapore Airlines flight.. The fare was ₹5,000 in the pre-Covid days.

However, travellers, especially those from towns like Trichy, which has more diaspora presence, have demanded for more flights between airports in the state and Singapore as vaccinated travel lane flights are available only from metros.

The Trichy international airport which handled around 80,000 passengers for Singapore – in both directions, during this pandemic has not been included in the list. Trichy has handled around 60,000 outbound passengers and around 25,000 inbound travellers during this pandemic period from and to Singapore respectively, the highest when compared to other airports.

As of now, the Air India Express has been operating four flights on a weekly basis between the Trichy-Singapore sector. According to airport sources, Scoot Air is going to resume its weekly five services and IndiGo Air a daily service in this sector shortly.

CM writes to Centre for more flights

Chennai:

Chief minister M K Stalin has urged the Union government to have more flights to Singapore and Malaysia as Tamils with permanent residency are struggling to return after arriving in the state during the pandemic.

In a letter to the civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Stalin has urged the union government “to make a temporary air transport bubble agreement with Singapore and Malaysia at the earliest for providing temporary airline services and resolve the difficulties faced by the Tamil diaspora in Singapore and Malaysia.”

He also said that “they have to travel through Dubai, Doha and Colombo which is causing serious inconvenience and financial burden as they have to pay more air charges and travel long distances due to the detour.” TNN