Covid-19 surge delays Hong Kong-Singapore travel bubble 01 Dec 2020 09:31 GMT Covid-19 surge delays Hong Kong-Singapore travel bubble Singapore, Singapore and Hong Kong have delayed the start of their air travel bubble until next year because of a rise in Covid-19 cases in the Chinese territory.
The first air travel bubble flights were originally scheduled to begin on 22 November , but were postponed a week before the launch date because of rising coronavirus cases in Hong Kong. The timing of the travel bubble will be reviewed again in late December.
The delay to the travel bubble, which had been touted as one of the world's first such arrangements, illustrates the challenges to resuming air travel before Covid-19 vaccines become widely available. Under the plan, travellers between Singapore and Hong Kong would be exempt from the usual quarantine or stay-home measures and free of any movement restrictions if they tested negative for Covid-19.
Covid-19 outbreaks in the two cities had appeared to be under control when the arrangements were agreed. But Hong Kong is now facing a fourth wave of coronavirus cases, with the health department announcing 780 cases from 16-29 November, including 694 local cases of which 143 are from unknown sources. The onset of colder weather could also make the virus harder to control.
Singapore's outbreak remains small, with just six local cases in the last week after a two-week stretch with no confirmed community transmission.
Hong Kong's aviation gasoline and kerosine imports hit a three-month high of 72,900 b/d in October, according to official data, although this was 48.9pc lower than year-earlier volumes of 142,700 b/d.
Hong Kong-based airline group Cathay Pacific together with its regional subsidiary Cathay Dragon, which ceased operations on 21 October, carried 38,541 passengers in October, 18.1pc less than in September and 98.6pc down on October 2019. Planned passenger capacity fell month on month for the first time since May, as student travel eased and demand for UK and continental Europe flights fell sharply amid a resurgence of Covid-19 cases.
Asia-Pacific jet fuel refining margins, or the premium of fob Singapore jet fuel swaps to Dubai crude values, rose to around a two-week high of $3.60/bl yesterday but are well below the pre-pandemic average of $12.12/bl in January. By Sarah Giam

This data comes from MediaIntel.Asia's Media Intelligence and Media Monitoring Platform.