GEORGE TOWN: The governments of Malaysia and Singapore have reached an agreement to expand the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) by air to serve the Penang-Singapore route starting March 16.
Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong said this VTL initiative would allow fully vaccinated travellers between Penang and Singapore and vice-versa with participating airlines under the VTL without being required to quarantine upon arrival.
"The VTL initiative has played an important role in strengthening flight connectivity between Malaysia and Singapore while contributing to economic and commercial recoveries between the two neighbours, particularly in the tourism sector, which had been impacted heavily by the Covid-19 pandemic.
"The VTL, which was first initiated between Changi and Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on Nov 29 last year, has served 82,906 arriving passengers from Singapore as of Feb 28, this year.
"The latest Penang-Singapore VTL will commence with four flights per day equally shared between participating airlines operating in Malaysia and Singapore," he said today.
Wee said the sale of VTL air tickets would begin as soon as possible.
Further information on pre-departure and entry conditions to Malaysia can be accessed at www.imi.gov.my.
Details on requirement for VTL to Singapore can be reached at https://safetravel.ica.gov.sg.
State Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Yeoh Soon Hin during a visit to the Penang International Airport (PIA) in Bayan Lepas earlier this week, said that the airport had put in place all the necessary preparations for the launch of the Penang-Singapore VTL.
He had said that the Malaysia Airports Sdn Bhd had conducted the necessary spatial planning in PIA to ensure the smooth facilitation of the Penang-Singapore flights.
In December last year, the New Straits Times reported that the Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) had submitted an application for the Penang-Singapore VTL.
MAG group chief executive officer Captain Izham Ismail had said the application to travel between Penang and Singapore was submitted several months earlier, following the success of the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore VTL in late November last year.
At the time, Penang had urged the federal government to consider including the PIA in the VTL between Malaysia and Singapore, stressing that the move would benefit the country's manufacturing landscape.