Hong Kong, Singapore set new date for travel bubble

Bloomberg

A quarantine-free air travel bubble between Hong Kong and Singapore is finally slated to get off the ground with a start date of May 26, following setbacks that led to the plan initially being shelved last November.
Largely shut off from the rest of the world during the pandemic, the two sides have been in talks for months to revive the travel corridor. In statements and briefings, they laid out details and requirements for would-be travellers, with Hong Kong saying people must have had two vaccine doses at least 14 days before flying. There’s no such requirement from Singapore.
Cathay Pacific Airlines Ltd and Singapore Airlines Ltd will operate the flights, with the first Cathay trip slated to leave Hong Kong at 9:10 am on May 26. Singapore Air’s departure that day is 8:40 am They will start daily flights in the bubble from June 9 or 10. The agreement limits each flight to 200 travelers. The carriers’ shares rose more than 2%.
The travel bubble could lift traffic for both airlines by up to 3%, according to Bloomberg Intelligence transportation analyst James Teo, who called it a “small but significant step forward.”
Preparations for the travel corridor between the two major financial hubs have stuttered ever since it was shelved in November after coronavirus cases picked up in Hong Kong.
A recent plan to announce its revival was canceled last week by Singapore, people familiar with the matter said at the time.