Coronavirus: passengers’ hopes dashed as Hong Kong-Singapore air travel bubble put on hold after Covid-19 surge
- First flights under quarantine-free travel bubble between Hong Kong and Singapore were due to take off on Sunday but have been postponed for two weeks
- Hong Kong commerce minister Edward Yau Tang-wah non-committal about establishing a new launch date
Travel plans ruined and trips left unfulfilled. The disappointment was palpable for the first passengers getting ready to fly between Hong Kong and Singapore under a quarantine-free air travel bubble after the scheme was put on hold for two weeks.
Commerce minister Edward Yau Tang-wah was non-committal about establishing a new launch date, which would depend on the infection picture improving.
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Hong Kong-Singapore travel bubble postponed for two weeks
Desalyn Bowyer, 40, and her fiancé Phil Mitchell, 44, were scheduled to fly out of Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific flight 759 at 10am on Sunday, the planned launch day of the bubble.
Mitchell has not left Hong Kong since January, and Bowyer since March, and both were excited about a change of scene.
“We’re devastated in every way possible,” said Bowyer, whose flight costs would be refunded as the rescheduling did not match her future travel plans. The couple paid HK$4,300 (US$555) a piece for tickets, a similar amount for Covid-19 tests and a further HK$4,800 for a hotel.