Singapore Airlines (SIA) welcomes today’s announcements by the New South Wales (NSW) Premier and Prime Minister of Australia on the plans to reopen the NSW international border to double-vaccinated Australian citizens and permanent residents from 1 November 2021.
To support the return of more Australians and the reunification of family and friends, Singapore Airlines will open sales on its flights between Singapore and Sydney for eligible customers from 16 October 2021, 3 pm (AEDT).
Over the course of the past 18 months, Singapore Airlines has continued to operate to Australia, maintaining flights that allowed key trade channels to remain open and connected, and essential travel to be undertaken.
From 1 November, all of Singapore Airlines’ 17 weekly flights between Singapore and Sydney will be available for passenger sales for those that meet the eligibility criteria.
Because of the international arrival caps, only one flight a day has been carrying travellers into Sydney, with the remaining flights operating as cargo-only. See Annexe A for the full flight schedule.
Singapore Airlines Regional Vice President South-West Pacific, Mr Louis Arul, welcomed the news and looked forward to receiving further details on how returning they will facilitate travellers.
“Today’s announcement is a welcome sign that Australia is beginning its journey to reconnect with the world, as per the National Plan,” Mr Arul said.
“This paves the way for many Australians to return home, but we need more detail on how to facilitate unvaccinated passengers within the revised international arrival caps that will come into effect from 1 November 2021.
“We look forward to receiving clarification from the Commonwealth and NSW governments on these key issues and remain committed to working closely with all levels of Government to operationalize the plans to support the safe and sustainable re-opening of Australia’s borders.”
Bookings on the Singapore-Sydney and Sydney-Singapore route will be available from 3 pm AEDT via various sales channels for eligible customers on flights tagged as “For Eligible Passengers Only” (FEPO).
Eligibility to travel on these services is determined by the Australian Government and must at least meet the following criteria:
- Be an Australian citizen or permanent resident, and
- Have received two doses of a TGA approved or recognised vaccine, and
- Have a vaccine certificate that meets the Australian Government’s authenticity and verification requirements.
The Commonwealth will provide details regarding the verification standards for overseas issued vaccination certificates in the coming weeks and we encourage customers to review these standards to ensure their certificates meet the requirements.
We encourage customers to confirm their eligibility to travel to Australia uncapped on these flights via https://covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au/travel-vaccinated-australians.
Singapore Airlines will continue to seek guidance and clarification from the relevant authorities for unvaccinated passengers holding existing bookings into Sydney from 1 November onwards and will assist with re-booking once clarity on capped flight operations is provided.
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