Singapore Airlines will next week trial a Covid digital travel pass
Singapore Airlines will next week trial a Covid digital travel pass AFP / Roslan RAHMAN

The Hong Kong-Singapore travel bubble will finally begin in May, months after it was originally scheduled to begin.

The two cities have announced Monday that they're moving to re-establish overseas travel between the Asian business hubs by May 26, Reuters reported. The bubble was previously slated for November 2020 but was canceled after a surge in COVID-19 cases in the Chinese administrative region.

"I am happy that Hong Kong got the COVID-19 situation under control. It has been a long few months, but the conditions are now ripe again to re-launch the ATB (Air Travel Bubble)," Singapore's Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung told BBC in a statement.

The Hong Kong-Singapore travel bubble is the second major route in the region to allow cross-border flights, following Australia and New Zealand.

The bubble will start with just one flight per day in each city, with a maximum of 200 passengers. All Hong Kong passengers entering Singapore will have to be fully vaccinated 14 days before travel. Travelers from both cities will also need a negative COVID-19 test 72 hours before departure and upon arrival.

"Our goal remains striking a right balance between public health and travel convenience so that the public will feel assured while providing certainty," Hong Kong Commerce and Economic Development Secretary Edward Yau said.

The travel bubble will be suspended if the seven-day moving average of cases in either city hits five.