Singapore's Changi Airport sets up new transit holding areas

This is to ensure the health and safety of passengers and staff, Changi Airport Group (CAG) told The Straits Times, after Singapore Airlines (SIA) confirmed that it has received approval to start operating transit flights.

In an update on its website on Thursday morning, SIA said that travellers will be able to transit through Changi Airport from selected cities in Australia and New Zealand, to any destination in SIA's group network operated by SIA, SilkAir or Scoot, from Thursday.

The transit flights are only for outbound journeys from Australian cities Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, as well as New Zealand cities Auckland and Christchurch.

Passengers will not be able to transit from other places in SIA's group network through Singapore into these cities, the national carrier added.

Customers should ensure that they meet the entry requirements for their final destination.

Transfers to and from flights operated by other airlines are currently not permitted.

CAG told The Straits Times that upon arrival, passengers flying through Changi will be guided to the transit terminals, which will be open only for transit passengers and authorised airport staff.

Prior to the announcements, foreign passengers were only allowed to transit through Singapore only if they were on repatriation flights arranged by their governments.

Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said in May that Changi Airport now handles only around 100 arrival and 700 departure passengers a day.

Changi Airport handled more than 170,000 passengers a day last May, while daily flights have fallen from 7,400 before the virus outbreak to just 80.