LONDON – Singapore Airlines’ low-cost subsidiary Scoot will no longer accept bookings to Hong Kong until March 7, becoming the latest airline to be banned from flying to the city for two weeks.
The budget carrier was operating a daily service. Now bookings for flights from Singapore to Hong Kong are unavailable until March 7, Scoot’s website shows.
The route was one of the busiest in the world before the pandemic hit.
The move marks a further blow to one of the latest air links between the Asian financial hubs.
On February 22, HK Express will operate the only flight from Singapore to Hong Kong remaining this month.
Hong Kong has become increasingly isolated as it is trying to overcome its worst COVID outbreak since the pandemic started.
Scoot’s ban came after Hong Kong authorities blocked Singapore Airlines from flying to the city for two weeks from February 16 after too many passengers tested positive for COVID-19 upon arrival.
In February Cathay Pacific operated one flight to and from Singapore and has just one next month, on March 19. Before the pandemic, the airline used to have a busy schedule with up to 252 monthly flights.
Air travel in and out of Hong Kong continues to be challenging. Hong Kong has banned flights from nine countries including the U.K. and U.S. as well as transit travel from everywhere except Taiwan and mainland China.
Furthermore, most people who manage to get into the city face two weeks mandatory hotel quarantine.
