The Winter Olympic Games in 2022 are only a few months away. Athletes from all around the globe will flight for medals in this significant international sporting event, which will be hosted in Beijing. Singapore Airlines will fly daily chartered flights from January 21 to March 16 to help athletes and officials travelling to the Chinese capital throughout the region.
In response to CNA's questions, SIA said that the flights are for both Singapore and foreign Olympic officials and athletes. The flight arrangement came after Singapore and China held their annual top-level bilateral meeting on Wednesday. Transport Minister S. Iswaran announced that the airline would undertake chartered flights to promote the Games.
"While air connectivity between our countries remains below 3% of pre-COVID levels, the Beijing Winter Olympics in February 2022 will provide a good opportunity for us to improve people-to-people exchanges because Singapore Airlines will be operating chartered flights through Changi Airport as a connecting hub for the region," Mr Iswaran published a post on Facebook.
"We'll also keep talking about mutual acceptance of COVID-19 health certificates, which is a critical component of safe travel."
Winter Olympics begins in February 2022
Winter Olympics is slated to begin on February 04, 2022. It would rely on chartered and temporary flights to transport athletes and other attendees, with commercial flights serving as a backup, according to Games official Zhang Liang during a press conference on December 10.
Athletes and other attendees will need to fly into Beijing Capital International Airport before entering a closed loop that will keep them isolated from the rest of China for the duration of their trip.
According to Mr Zhang, Chinese and foreign airlines will help organise these short flights from places such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Paris, and Tokyo. "At least 15 inbound flights and 13 outgoing flights can be offered every day during peak periods of arrivals and departures to Beijing," he added.
China has imposed rigorous restrictions on planes into the nation, with some of the world's strictest COVID-19 regulations. CNA has contacted the Ministry of Health and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore for more arrangements on COVID-19 precautions for transit flights.