Singapore and Japan to work together to boost air connectivity

Han Kok Juan (left), director-general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, and Toshiyuki Onuma, assistant vice-minister for international aviation at Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. - CAAS

SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): Singapore and Japan will enhance air connectivity as part of an arrangement inked on Friday(Dec 23) that may mean more flights for travellers to look forward to.

Both countries have committed to a comprehensive framework arrangement covering key areas such as aviation sustainability and safety, air traffic management and airport innovation and technology.

Announcing the signing of a memorandum of cooperation (MOC) on Friday with its Japanese counterpart, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said Japan is a popular destination for Singapore travellers.

CAAS and the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) said: “Prior to the pandemic in 2019, passenger movements between Singapore and Japan reached a historic high of 3.4 million. Over 200 weekly passenger services between Singapore and seven Japanese cities contributed to Japan’s stronghold as Singapore’s seventh-largest market.”

With air travel recovering, five of the seven air links between the two countries have been re-established, with monthly passenger traffic reaching almost 50 per cent of the level before the Covid-19 pandemic.

The MOC is the first of its kind inked between Japan and a South-East Asian nation, CAAS and JCAB said.

Japan and Singapore will collaborate and share expertise in areas such as airport and airline developments, consumer protection and greater cooperation between the airlines of both countries.

Both countries will also exchange knowledge on the skills needed to create new jobs in sustainable aviation. They are also looking into developing a green lane to encourage the gradual uptake of flights powered by sustainable fuels.

Japan and Singapore will also share knowledge on innovative technologies at airports as part of efforts to meet service, manpower and sustainability goals.

Han Kok Juan, director-general of CAAS, said: “(The arrangement) is testament to our strong economic and people-to-people ties and shared interest to expand air links between ourselves and beyond.

“(It) will also allow us to leverage complementary strengths in our respective public and private sectors to seize new opportunities in sustainability, technology and innovation.”

Toshiyuki Onuma, assistant vice-minister for international aviation at Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, said the arrangement will accelerate both countries’ efforts towards fulfilling the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s goal of net-zero carbon emissions in the aviation industry by 2050.