Centre plans to set up a Greenfield Airport at Puri

Radhika Bansal

23 Nov 2021

Union Minister for Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya M Scindia said the Centre plans to set up a Greenfield airport at Puri and Phase-II expansion of Jharsuguda Airport apart from making two more small airports operational in Odisha.

Scindia said this while attending the Udan Utsav celebrations at the Veer Surendra Sai Airport in Odisha’s Jharsuguda.

The Greenfield Airport at Puri and the Phase II expansion of Veer Surendra Sai Airport in Jharsuguda will commence following responses from the state government, the minister said.

Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Jyotiraditya Scindia spoke at the event.

A greenfield airport is an aviation facility with greenfield project characteristics. The designation reflects certain environmental qualities and commissioning, planning and construction processes that are generally carried out from scratch. While a greenfield in nature is defined as a wide expanse of natural land (meadow, prairie, grassland), here greenfield denotes that a project lacks any constraints imposed upon it by prior work or existing infrastructure.

Such projects can be highly coveted by engineers as no time must be allotted for the demolition of unneeded buildings, etc. constructed in developed areas for the development of the particular place.

India's greenfield airport project schedule is among the world's most robust. India's annual civil aviation sector growth rate currently sits at 9% but is expected to reach the double digits for the coming years. Over the next two decades, the number of airports is expected to increase from 133 to 500. Of these, 367 are slated to be greenfield airports.

Jharduguda Airport, Odisha (Image Courtesy - Kalinga TV)

He said that Prime Minister Modi has "democratised the Indian Air Space". The common people could now get an opportunity to travel by air, which was once a dream for them, Scindia said.

He said that the development of Jharsuguda airport, which was inaugurated on this day by the Prime Minister on November 22, 2018, is a perfect example of cooperative federalism and a great success story of the Udan scheme.

He pointed out that of INR 225 crore invested for the development of Jharsuguda airport, the state government has contributed INR 75 crore while the remaining INR 150 crore came from the Centre.

"The number of flyers across the country during the pandemic saw a decline of 62% while Jharsuguda during the same period witnessed a mere drop of 5%. This shows the potential of the district and the region at large.We have set a target to increase this number by 220 in the next five years which will include helipads and water aerodromes. The number of airlines, routes have also increased significantly over the years due to the advent of the Udan scheme."Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union Minister of Civil Aviation

Scindia thanked the Odisha government and said that this project is a classic example of development through federal cooperation. While highlighting the importance of Jharsuguda airport, Scindia said that while all airports around the country were witnessing a steep decline in the number of flyers during the COVID-19 pandemic time, Jharsuguda airport was among those few, which remained resilient.

On the success of the Udan scheme over the years, he said that the country had only 72 airports since independence while after 2014, the number of airports now stood at 136.

Speaking of the glory of the rich land of Jharsuguda and terming this western Odisha town as the `Power House of Odisha’ and India at large, Scindia said that the place, which is home to many brave freedom fighters, natural and cultural resources, was aptly chosen to celebrate the Udan Utsav.

He also announced a Special Joy Ride, an air ride, being planned for the elderly and children during the Udan Utsav celebrations which will also commemorate the ongoing Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.

The Union Minister said that plans are afoot to increase flight frequency from Jharsuguda. Currently, Spice Jet and Alliance Air are operating flights to Kolkata, Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, Bhubaneswar and Raipur. It sees an average footfall of 28,000 fliers every month.

Nearly 180 acres of land is required for the phase-II development of Jharsuguda airport. Since Jharsuguda is a key agricultural belt, the Krishi Udan scheme can be used to assist farmers to transport agricultural products he added.

Scindia added that his Ministry is also expecting a report from the state government to resolve the issues of permission and licensing for Jeypore and Utkela airports in Odisha.

The minister also flagged off a new air route between Shilong and Dimapur under RCS Scheme which started from Meghalaya airport.

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Rolls Royce's all-electric "Spirit of Innovation" smashes all records

Prashant-prabhakar

23 Nov 2021

Rolls-Royce’s all-electric ‘Spirit of Innovation’  took to the skies for the very first time in September 2021.

Propelled by a powerful 400kW (500+hp) electric powertrain, coupled with the most power-dense battery pack ever assembled for an aircraft, this is the company's yet another contribution towards the industry's ambitious aims of net-zero emissions shortly.

Rolls Royce has now shared, that its all-electric "Spirit of innovation" has set 3 new world records. All of the feats took place at the UK Ministry of Defence’s Boscombe Down testing site in Wiltshire, United Kingdom.

Rolls Royce

The aircraft clocked a top speed of 555.9 km/h (345.4 mph) over 3 km on November 16, surpassing the current record by 213.04 km/h (132 mph) and thus cementing its place as the world’s fastest all-electric vehicle.

If that wasn't enough, she also managed to fly 532.1km/h (331 mph) over 15 km- a 92.8km/h (182mph) quicker than the previously held record.

Furthermore, it also set the record for the fastest climb rate - reaching 3,000 m by 60 seconds, with a figure of 202 seconds.

The powertrain, powered by 3 electric motors, is touted to provide a 90% energy efficient flight with only 10% of the energy being lost as sound and heat. In comparison, Formula1 cars are only 50% efficient.

Staking the claim for the all-electric world-speed record is a fantastic achievement for the ACCEL team and Rolls-Royce. I would like to thank our partners and especially Electroflight for their collaboration in achieving this pioneering breakthroughRolls-Royce CEO Warren East shared in a company statement.

Rolls Royce CEO Warren East

Reportedly, Rolls Royce has sent its data to the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), which would verify all the records set by the all-electric aircraft.

COVER: Electrek

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Airbus launches "Mission+" - first Electronic Flight Assistant, developed in collaboration with NAVBLUE

Prashant-prabhakar

23 Nov 2021

The Dubai Airshow, touted to be the biggest exhibition in aviation since 2019, ended off on a high note.

The spectacular show saw the event ending with the two aerospace giants, Airbus and Boeing going toe to toe with each other and with Airbus grabbing a whopping 408 orders while the latter managing to acquire only 98-including the 72-order for the 737 MAX.

Airbus also took the opportunity to unveil "Mission+", the first Electronic Flight Assistant, developed in collaboration with NAVBLUE, Airbus’ Flight Operations subsidiary.

Electronic Flight Bag | Representative | TPN Go

Although Electronic Flight Bags have been in use for a long time, what Mission+ does is adopt a mission-centric approach and integrate flight management data and documentation, cockpit check-list, navigation charts and airport maps, real-time weather conditions, aircraft performance data all into one modular digital solution.Earlier, these data were available to pilots but only via multiple sources.

For us pilots, the user experience offered here compares with moving from an old mobile phone and paper diary to the latest generation smartphonesaid Airbus Pilot Captain Olivier Aspe.

Mission+ is an upgrade from the currently used EFBs and paper on-board cockpits. What sets it apart is that it would compile information from different sources and integrate them into one digital platform-making it the first product in the market to do so.

For pilots, this translates to quick, easy and seamless navigation.

Mission+ showcases a flexible platform with optional modules which can be tailored by airline-specific requirements.

Feedback and recommendations from various airlines around the world were taken into account before developing this product.

NAVBLUE is an Airbus Services company wholly owned by Airbus, dedicated to Flight Operations & Air Traffic Management solutions. It provides products and services in support of both civil and military operations, on the ground and onboard any aircraft.

COVER: AIRBUS

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We need to move Pilot training to India - Jyotiraditya Scindia

Radhika Bansal

24 Nov 2021

Recently Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Jyotiraditya Scindia said "At present, we need 9,500 pilots…over 40% of pilots go abroad for training.…again there is forex outgo. The training cost of a pilot is around INR 1.5 - INR 2 Crore We've to move flying/pilot training here."

Hoping to make India a global flying training hub, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has announced setting up eight new academies across five airports — Belagavi and Kalaburagi in Karnataka, Jalgaon in Maharashtra, Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh, and Lilabari in Assam in July 2020.

India requires an estimated 1,000 pilots annually to meet its traffic growth, as the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted air travel and reduced manpower requirement. Indian pilot training institutes face several challenges, such as sub-optimal fleet size, high rent, old fleet, a lack of an adequate number of trainers, weather-related issues, etc.

(Image Courtesy - Flying Magazine)

Before 2019, the growth of the sector ensured that these pilots found job opportunities. For instance, between July 2018 and March 2019, numbers from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) show that aircraft in use by scheduled operators rose from 620 to 691. With an estimated 8-12 pilots needed to operate a narrow-body aircraft, and 18-20 needed for a wide-body, that puts the number of new jobs at around 800, since most of these additions are narrow-body aircraft.

Under the Narendra Modi government’s Atmanirbhar Bharat plan, these Flying Training Organisations (FTOs) are being set up to prevent aspiring commercial pilots from having to receive training abroad. 

Bids were awarded in May 2021 to aviation firms Asia-Pacific, Jetserve, Redbird, Samvardhane and Skynex.

“These are Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects where land is leased out to the winning FTOs at throwaway prices for 25 years. The entire year’s rent payable to AAI (Airports Authority of India) is around half the fee of just one cadet.The concept of airport royalty or revenue share to AAI has been abolished. There can’t be a bigger statement of intent by the government."Amber Dubey, Former Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation

The Modi government wants to ensure that these academies will be at par with top FTOs from across the world in terms of fleet, infrastructure and instructors.

“The exodus of cadets will be reversed under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan at any cost,” Dubey said, adding that India will take three years to become a flying training hub.

Why pilots go overseas

According to a written reply by then Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri in the monsoon Rajya Sabha session in 2020, India currently has 9,073 pilots employed by airlines. Another 9,488 will be required in five years.

India, though, issues commercial pilot licenses (CPL) only to 700-800 candidates annually, of which about 30% of pilots have trained abroad, according to the reply in Rajya Sabha.

Their reasons for going abroad depending on time, money and an abundance of human resources.

As of August 2020, India had 32 FTOs approved by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which trained around 500-550 pilots annually, as enumerated above.

But training in India can take up to three years to finish what international schools teach in 8-12 months. An absence of a streamlined regulatory process also hinders potential growth.

“In countries like the US and Canada, CPL exams are conducted on demand. The cooling-off period is just 24 hours. In India, it’s three months,” Harsh Vardhan Pratap Singh, managing director of the training institute, Falcon Aviation, told ThePrint. The cooling-off period is the time mandated between attempts to clear the CPL exam.

Captain Jati Dhillon, chief executive of training school Insight Flyer, echoed Singh. He also noted the lack of a proper schedule, with even exams for pilots delayed. “Tata Consultancy Services conducts exams for the Indian Railways … why can’t they do the same for aviation?” he said.

Dubey blamed the delay in exams on Covid-19. “We are looking for policy options to allow online interviews instead of physical ones, given the situation,” he said.

(Image Courtesy - Flight Safety Foundation)

But that is not all. Procuring a license is also a time-consuming process. “The DGCA has put in place too many rules and regulations such that it can take up to three months to get a license in India,” Dhillon added.

He also argued that flying school aircraft get grounded very often and the directorate of airworthiness — under the DGCA, to measure an aircraft’s suitability to fly safely — takes an “undue” amount of time to clear it for take-off.

A shortage of engineers only makes this process longer. “There are just four certified engineers in the country for a Piper PA-34 Seneca (training aircraft),” he said.

RedBird Aviation currently has 10 aircraft based in Maharashtra’s Baramati while 10 more have been ordered and delivery is underway. Falcon Aviation has eight functional aircraft in Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh) and Rewa (Madhya Pradesh), and five are under maintenance which will join the fleet by year-end.

The government-run Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Udaan Akademi (IGRUA) in UP’s Raebareli has 18 aircraft.

Human resources issue

India’s slow process also stems from a shortage of human resources. According to the DGCA Civil Aviation Requirements, a flying school needs a Chief Flying Instructor (CFI) and a deputy CFI to remain operational.

RedBird Aviation has four CFIs and two DCFIs; Falcon Aviation has just one DCFI and one flight instructor with authorisation privileges, and IGRUA has one CFI and two DCFIs.

“Human resources are freely available abroad. They have mastered the act of managing qualified manpower in engineers, CFIs, examiners, etc,” Singh said. 

But this, Dubey said, is an artificial shortage caused by previous policies. “Many qualified flight instructors who have thousands of flying hours were languishing as Assistant Flying Instructors and Flying Instructors. They can now apply and get DCFI/CFI ratings subject to clearing the requisite proficiency tests at DGCA,” he added.

Training cost in India

Flying schools cost a lot of money. But academies in the US, Canada and the Philippines —  three popular destinations among aspiring Indian pilots — have programmes that cost less than what it would in some Indian schools.

Training at RedBird Aviation and IGRUA costs INR 42 lakh and INR 45 lakh, respectively. Falcon Aviation charges INR 29.9 lakh, inclusive of accommodation and simulator training. 

(Image Courtesy - Aviation World)

“We use legacy aircraft which helps bring the costs down. This is DGCA approved,” Singh said, adding that nearly 80% of the training fleet abroad consists of legacy aircraft.

The cost of training to get a CPL varies between Rs.30-50 lakhs, depending on how long it takes to clear all the exams, practical and written. On top of that, pilots have to spend a minimum of Rs.15-20 lakhs to get a “type-rating”, which certifies their ability to fly a certain aircraft, like an Airbus 320, or a Boeing 787.

Fligh schools in India

India generally issues commercial pilot licenses (CPL) to 700-800 candidates annually, of which about 30% of pilots train abroad. Reasons for going abroad depending on time, money and availability of human resources. Under the Narendra Modi government’s Atmanirbhar Bharat plan, numerous more Flying Training Organisations (FTOs) are being set up over the existing capacity to prevent aspiring commercial pilots from having to receive training abroad.

List of all DGCA approved pilot training academies in India

S.No.NameLocationNo. of AircraftTypeRating1.Asia Pacific Flight TrainingHyderabad4Private8.3/102.Academy of Carver AviationBaramati7Private6.5/103.Alchemist AviationJamshedpur5Private6.7/104.Ambitions Flying ClubAligarh4Private6.2/105.Ahmedabad Aviation & AeronauticsAhmedabad3Private7.3/106.Bihar Flying InstitutePatna4Government5.8/107.Banasthali Vidyapith Gliding Flying ClubTonk3Private6.8/108.Blue Ray AviationOsmanabad5Private6.4/109.Cheetak AviationAligarh3Private6.8/1010.Chimes Aviation AcademySagar14Private8.6/1011.Flytech Aviation AcademyHyderabad5Private6.3/1012.Falcon Aviation AcademyFaizabad12Private7.1/1013.Government Aviation Training InstituteBhubaneshwar4Government6.5/1014.Garg AviationKanpur9Private6.7/1015.Global Konnect AviationPant Nagar5Private6.8/1016.Government Flying Training SchoolBengaluru5Government6.4/1017.Gujrat Flying ClubVadodara3Private5.9/1018.Haryana Institute of Civil AviationKarnal7Government7.2/1019.Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Udan AcademyRaebareilly18Government9.2/1020.Madhya Pradesh Flying ClubIndore8Private6.6/1021.Nagpur Flying ClubNagpur4Government5.2/1022.National Flying Training InstituteGondia14Private9.6/1023.Orient Flights Aviation AcademyMysore9Private8.2/1024.Patiala Aviation ClubPatiala8Government7.2/1025.Pioneer Flying AcademyAligarh5Private6.4/1026.Rajiv Gandhi AcademyTrivandrum5Government8.1/1027.Redbird Flight TrainingBaramati10Private8.9/1028.Sha-Shib Flying AcademyGuna3Private6.7/1029.SVKM NMIMS Academy of AviationShirpur3Private7.6/1030.Saraswati Aviation AcademySultanpur3Private6.1/1031.Telangana State Aviation AcademyHyderabad7Government7.5/1032.Bombay Flying ClubMumbai8Private7.8/1033.Wings AviationHyderabad9Private8.1/10

Indian pilots moving abroad in search of jobs

The scarcity of jobs in the Indian aviation sector is forcing pilots to move overseas in search of jobs. While there are jobs available abroad for Indian pilots, working conditions may not be suitable for forcing them to elsewhere or come back to India.

According to a report in the Statesman newspaper, Indian pilots often reach out to airlines in the Middle East or South-East Asia as countries there have several domestic and international airlines that readily hire Indian pilots. Lion Air, Silk Air, Scoot, Etihad Airways, and Qatar Airways are a few top airlines that offer jobs to Indian pilots.

The newspaper quotes Captain Vikram Yadav, a former official of the Indian Commercial Pilots Association, as saying, “Job security is just one of the primary reasons why pilots go abroad.”

(Image Courtesy - Fly Gosh)

He told the publication that as pilots are facing job shortages in India, they are attracted to the aviation job markets of other countries. To work as a pilot abroad, Indian pilots need a license from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

With India having a good domestic aviation safety record, foreign airlines are inclined to hire Indian pilots.

After obtaining a commercial pilot license (CPL), pilots need to accumulate flying hours to keep their license intact so many pilots end up taking jobs at every available airline or country. Aviation is a risky and costly business. There was a time when Indian airlines hired foreign pilots due to a lack of domestic pilots and there have been times when foreign airlines hire Indian pilots due to a shortage of pilots in their own countries.

What the government needs to do

The Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown has played a pivotal role in preventing Indians who aspire to be pilots from going abroad.

“A lot of training institutes abroad have shut down because of Covid. A lot of Indian students have lost their money after schools declared bankruptcy,” said Redbird Aviation president Karan Mann. 

While many in the industry believe that the government should stay out of the eight new FTOs in India, Captain Kunjal Bhatt, CFI at IGRUA believes otherwise. “It depends on the management and how it runs the show,” she told ThePrint. 

(Image Courtesy - CNN Travel)

Dubey said the quantity and quality of the fleet, infrastructure and instructors must improve, as does the monitoring by and responsiveness of the government, AAI and DGCA. “We need 5-6 large chains of flying schools with 30-50 aircraft each than the dozens of small fragmented ones that are anyway not sustainable,” he said.

Several airlines like IndiGo and AirAsia now offer cadet training programs, where they select students from flying schools at the beginning of their training and offer them a package that can cost up to INR 1 crore. Those who are selected have their training and type-rating taken care of and are also assured a job at the end. Industry experts say that this is becoming a popular option for the deep-pocketed.

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No elevated car ramp at Noida International Airport

Radhika Bansal

22 Nov 2021

When Noida International Airport (NIA) opens in 2024, you won't have to drive up an elevated ramp to reach the departure level, as you do at Delhi's IGIA.

You will, however, have to walk for a short distance. The entrance to the NIA terminal building will be via a canopy-covered walkway that will take you from where the car drops you off to the forecourt, which is at the same level but about 300 metres away.

With a view of the terminal in front of you, take the escalators or elevators to the first-floor departure level.

The ‘missing’ ramp is part of the design philosophy for this airport that developer Zurich AG promises will be a fusion of local culture and Swiss efficiency.

The forecourt with a step design inspired by the Varanasi ghats. (Image Courtesy - Saurabh Sinha - Twitter)

“We are building a terminal that is clearly at home in UP, rooted in the tradition of the region and where passengers immediately feel welcome,” NIA CEO Christoph Schnellmann told TOI.

The forecourt, for instance, has steps that are inspired by the iconic ghats of Varanasi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone for the airport in Jewar on Thursday (Nov 25).

The airport design, like many of its other aspects, including the selection of the concessionaire, was finalised during the lockdown.

Ashwini Thorat, the NIA VP who heads planning and design for this greenfield airport, took architects selected through a competition on a virtual tour of UP’s key architectural mascots — the ghats of Varanasi, temples, the Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri and Havelis — as well as its rivers.

The security hold and pre-boarding area whose roof design is the flowing form of water. The roof’s ‘soffit’ underside can be used for illumination. (Image Courtesy - Saurabh Sinha - Twitter)

“We had to strike the right balance between providing efficient global infrastructure and giving a very, very local experience, reflecting Indian warmth and hospitality,” she said.

The result is NIA features like the sprawling forecourt in front of the terminal and a courtyard in the post-security check-pre-boarding area that draws from the concept of a temple’s or a haveli’s ‘aangan’.

Red granite stone will be used for the sandstone feel with aluminium meshes on the walls – modern versions of the ‘jaali’.

The roof’s design is the flowing form of water at the confluence of Ganga and Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati at Prayagraj. The roof will also be a “canvas for illumination.”

The airport will have internal green spaces, something Singapore’s Changi excels at, for “biophilia” — the soothing instinct to connect with nature.

“NIA will be the only airport where people in the security hold area can go to the open area of the courtyard before boarding their flight when weather permits,” said Thorat, who led Zurich Airport International’s greenfield design phase for Bangalore airport.

The airport land has around 11,000 trees. NIA said it has geo-tagged every tree and collected details of each.

“The underside of the roof is a stretched glass fibre fabric system (soffit) that will be very helpful in protecting people from the harsh summer sun. It also allows us to project coloured light onto it, allowing NIA to celebrate special days by illumination the way the Empire State Building in New York does.The decision not to have an elevated road in front of the terminal allows the terminal building to have a position of prominence. The front will not be overwhelmed by cars."Andrew Thomas, Partner, Grimshaw Architects, London and Project Director, NIA Design Team

“We identified the native trees and the foreign ones that shouldn’t ideally be in this environment. Then we studied how many need to be preserved, how many can be transplanted and how many can be cut. The native species — neem and Kadamba, the tree associated with Krishna — will be preserved for posterity,” said Thorat.

The approach to the airport will not be a manicured lawn, it will be the landscape in its real form.

“Placeless-ness is an expression of modern air travel (referring to how most airports look alike). We need to have an airport say where it is. I have designed airports across continents. I can say in all sincerity I have never worked in a place where the inspiration is as rich, diverse and powerful as it is in India and UP,” said Thomas who has led the designs of several airports, including new terminals at Heathrow, John F Kennedy Airport, the new Istanbul Airport, and Pulkovo Airport in St Petersburg.

The environment within the forecourt is not dominated by cars. There are some great Indian airports with great over-sailing roofs (but) there you are surrounded by cars,” he added.

How users react to the walk to the terminal remains to be seen. VIP curbs will be closed and public transport modes have been prioritised in terms of access to the airport.

NIA has a provision for switching over to a drive-to-front-of-terminal model, of saying IGIA, depending on passengers’ feedback.

(With Inputs from The Times of India)

Cover Image - Saurabh Sinha - Twitter

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Flights between Singapore and India to resume on November 29 under VTL

Radhika Bansal

22 Nov 2021

Singapore has reached an agreement with the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation on the resumption of scheduled commercial passenger flights between the two countries, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said on November 21.

Singapore's vaccinated travel lane (VTL) with India will start on November 29, with six designated flights daily from Chennai, Delhi, and Mumbai, it said. Applications for vaccinated travel passes (VTP) for short-term visitors and long-term pass holders from India will start on Monday, November 22.

Airlines can also operate non-VTL flights between India and Singapore, although passengers on non-VTL flights will be subject to the prevailing public health requirements, CAAS said.

Changi Airport, Singapore (Image Courtesy - Vulcan Post)

"CAAS understands that travellers are looking forward to the launch of the VTL and would like to assure travellers that there is no need to rush to apply for the VTP," Channel News Asia reported, citing the authority.

Applications for travellers from Finland, India and Sweden will open the same day at 6 PM Singapore time (GMT+8), it said. "Travellers from these countries will not be able to apply for a VTP earlier (than the stated time)," CAAS said.

The authority said that VTP applications will open for those intending to enter Singapore from November 29 to January 21, 2022. However, it "strongly encouraged" those who intend to enter Singapore after December 1 to apply after November 24.

"All short-term visitors and long-term pass holders who meet the requirements of the VTL will receive a VTP," it said. To facilitate the application process, VTP applicants should have their passport and digital proof of vaccination on hand.

(Image Courtesy - Airline Ratings)

They should also know the address of the place they intend to self-isolate while waiting for the results of their on-arrival COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, CAAS said.

Travellers who require a visa for travel to Singapore should apply for their visa separately and only after their VTP is approved, it said.

"They must also purchase travel insurance, with a minimum coverage of Singapore dollars 30,000 for COVID-19-related medical treatment and hospitalisation costs, before travelling to Singapore. In Singapore, these visitors must also use the TraceTogether app to facilitate contact tracing," the authority said.

External affairs minister S Jaishankar, who was in Singapore last week, tweeted on November 17 that he had discussed enhancing travel arrangements between the two countries at a meeting with Singapore’s transport minister S Iswaran.

Singapore started the VTL mechanism on September 8 with two countries – Brunei and Germany. It now has VTL arrangements with 13 countries, including Australia, the UK and the US. VTLs for India, Finland, Indonesia, Malaysia and Sweden will become operational from November 29, and similar arrangements for Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will begin from December 6.

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