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Quarantine-free travel between Singapore and Malaysia is set to resume from Nov. 29, in the form of a Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) for flights between Changi Airport and Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said that there will be six daily designated services between Changi Airport and Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), "for a start".

The services will be operated by the following airlines:

• AirAsia
• Jetstar Asia
• Malaysia Airlines
• Malindo Air
• Scoot
• Singapore Airlines

SIA VTL flights open for booking on Nov. 19

Meanwhile, Singapore Airlines (SIA) said that its VTL flights would be open for booking from Nov. 19, 10am, though they would only be indicated as VTL flights on its website "progressively".

SIA also said that its customers flying between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur from Nov. 29 would be "proactively re-booked onto new VTL flights subject to availability", if the flights were booked directly with SIA.

Re-booked travellers will be notified of their new flight details via email, SIA said.

Those not meeting VTL requirements would need to request to rebook a non-VTL flight, however.

Requirements to enter Singapore under VTL

CAAS also announced the requirements for entry to Singapore under the VTL for Malaysia, which it said "are the same as those for existing VTLs".

Travellers must meet the following criteria:

• Travel history in the last 14 days prior to departure to Singapore can only include VTL countries, or countries/regions considered "Category 1" under the Singapore Ministry of Health (MOH)'s classification.
• Undergo pre-departure and on-arrival Covid-19 tests. This excludes children 2 and below in the calendar year.
• Be fully vaccinated and present digital proof of vaccination recognised by the Singapore authorities, or issued in any VTL country. This excludes children 12 and below who are accompanied by a VTL traveller.
• Travel on designated VTL flights.
• For short-term visitors and long-term pass holders only, have a Vaccinated Travel Pass (VTP). Short-term visitors are also required to separately obtain a visa, and are advised to do so after receiving VTP approval and before departing for Singapore. They must also purchase travel insurance with S$30,000 minimum coverage for Covid-19 related treatment and costs.

Apply for Vaccinated Travel Pass from Nov. 22.

CAAS said that applications for the Vaccinated Travel Pass (VTP) for travellers from Malaysia will open on Nov. 22 2021, at 10am, Singapore time.

Joint VTL "an important step" in reopening borders

"Pre-COVID, Malaysia was amongst the top three markets for annual passenger arrivals at Changi Airport. The Singapore-Kuala Lumpur link was also the busiest international air route in the world, with about 40 flights daily and an average of 7,000 arrivals per day at Changi Airport," said CAAS.

"The joint VTL is an important step in reopening the borders between two close neighbours, facilitate business and allow many families to reunite," it added.

Top image via Scoot on Facebook

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