Singapore Airlines not to accept bookings for VTL flights till Jan 20

Southeast Asian carrier Singapore Airlines on Wednesday said it will not accept bookings for all its flights under Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) mechanism till January 20 next year.

The development, which comes in the wake of the Singapore government's directive to suspend new ticket sales on designated VTL flights for entry into Singapore during this time, will, however, not affect the existing bookings, SIA said in a statement.

VTL flights allowed quarantine free travel to the island-state for the fully vaccinated travellers.

SIA had commenced passenger flight services from eight Indian cities, including daily VTL services from Chennai, Delhi, and Mumbai from November 29, providing eligible customers with quarantine-free entry into Singapore.

Its low-cost subsidiary Scoot also started operating non-VTL services from Amritsar, Hyderabad, and Tiruchirappalli.

With effect from 2359 hours (Singapore Time) on December 22, Singapore Airlines will stop accepting new bookings for all Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) flights into Singapore that are scheduled between December and January 20, 2022 (both dates inclusive), Singapore Airlines said in the statement.

SIA customers with a confirmed booking on a VTL flight are not affected by this directive and may proceed with their travel, the airline said.

It also said that there is no change to existing VTL or test requirements, and travellers with existing bookings may enter Singapore quarantine free as long as they meet all VTL requirements.