Starting from May 10, 11.59pm, all passengers on Singapore Airlines and SilkAir flights must now wear their own face masks for flights.

In addition, they will also have to observe social distancing measures while embarking and disembarking from a flight, as well as queuing for the lavatory, Singapore Airlines stated in an advisory.

Passengers on flights to Singapore will also be subjected to a health assessment before boarding the aircraft, which includes a verbal health declaration and temperature checks.

Meals on SEA flights to be suspended

The measures are part of a new directive issued by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), the airline further stated.

The provision of meals service will also be suspended on flights within Southeast Asia.

Instead, a snack bag with water and refreshments will be provided upon boarding instead.

However, meals will still be provided on all other flights.

SIA added that such a measure will be taken in addition to the existing precautionary measures that SIA and SilkAir have in place to safeguard the wellbeing of our customers and crew.

What are these measures that are already in place?

For measures already put in place, these include the suspension of the hot towel service and the removal of menu cards and reading material, such as magazines, at the back of seats on every flight.

Every SIA and SilkAir aircraft must also be subjected to a "thorough cleaning process" involving the use of "an approved strong disinfectant" for common areas.

Meanwhile, cabin crew and pilots must also have their temperature taken before flights, and are required to masks and goggles, or eye visors, during flights.

Should they be sick, they are required to not report for work.

As for the aircraft, SIA stated that its fleet is equipped with High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters which, "effectively filter more than 99.99 percent of airborne microbes and have a similar performance to those used in hospital operating rooms."

SIA set to incur its first full-year loss

SIA is set to incur its first full-year loss ever in 48 years of existence, largely as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic severely affecting air travel.

This is despite reporting an overall net profit of S$520 million for the first three quarters of its financial year from April 2019 to December 2019.

SIA’s financial year for 2019 and 2020 is from April 2019 till end-March 2020.

The losses in the fourth quarter alone, however, will overwhelm the S$520 million profit made over the first nine months.

Additionally, oil prices have also collapsed globally, with SIA’s losses stemming from its fuel hedging, a process of locking in prices to guard against increases over the long term.

This means that SIA is left paying for fuel that costs more than what it is selling for at the moment.

More details about SIA's financial situation here:

Top image from Singapore Airlines Facebook