• More than 90 per cent of front-line aviation and maritime workers have received their first Covid-19 vaccine jab
• Over nine in 10 pilots and cabin crew members at Singapore Airlines, Scoot and SilkAir have signed up to be inoculated
• Nearly two in 10 land transport workers have received the first dose of the vaccine

SINGAPORE — More than 90 per cent of the 43,000 front-line workers in the aviation and maritime sectors received their first Covid-19 vaccine shot as of Wednesday (Feb 10). 

They include pilots, cabin crew and airport employees who come into contact with travellers and their belongings.

In the land transport sector, 14,000 workers from the bus and train operators have received the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. This is 17.5 per cent of the 80,000 land transport workers who will be offered vaccines.

The vaccine is given in two doses 21 days apart.

The Ministry of Transport (MOT) released these figures on Thursday morning, as flag carrier Singapore Airlines (SIA) and its budget arm Scoot dispatched their first flights with full sets of vaccinated crew. The SIA flight was bound for Indonesia’s capital Jakarta and the Scoot flight took off for the Thai capital Bangkok.

SilkAir, SIA’s regional carrier, was also set to send off its first flight with a full complement of vaccinated crew to Phnom Penh in Cambodia later in the day. 

The authorities prioritised vaccinations for front-line transport workers whose interactions with the wider public put them at greater risk of catching Covid-19. 

The vaccination exercise for the aviation and maritime sectors began on Jan 18.

In the last two months, several people from the aviation community have contracted the virus, including at least three SIA cabin crew members.

STEWARDESS INTERACTED WITH CLEANERS IN DUBAI

The latest case involved an SIA flight stewardess who tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday. Four passengers on the same flight were also found to have contracted the disease.

The Ministry of Health said that the 41-year-old Singaporean stewardess left Singapore on a flight to the United Arab Emirates on Jan 30 and returned on Feb 1. She did not leave the aircraft.

Addressing the media at Changi Airport on Thursday after speaking to vaccinated SIA crew, Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said that the stewardess was serving in the business class cabin of the aircraft where there were no passengers. 

TODAY understands that flights require a minimum number of cabin crew members, so that they can attend to all aircraft exits in an emergency evacuation.

During the stopover at Dubai airport, the stewardess came into contact with some cleaners, Mr Ong said. 

She travelled as a passenger on the flight back to Singapore and sat with other crew members at the back of the plane in a dedicated area with its own toilet. The other crew members who were with her did not contract Covid-19, Mr Ong said.

The stewardess received her first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Feb 2. 

BORDER IS S’PORE’S ‘BIGGEST VULNERABILITY’

Mr Ong again emphasised the importance of vaccinating front-line aviation workers, describing Singapore’s borders as its “biggest vulnerability” since the Covid-19 crisis is under control in the Republic with few cases reported in the community.

“If the border staff who come into contact with the outside world are all vaccinated, I think it really strengthens (the fight against Covid-19). We would have really taken a very big step in securing our border and keeping Singapore even safer.” 

Mr Ong added that vaccination of SIA crew would also restore confidence in flying.

Noting that aviation and maritime workers began getting their second dose of the vaccine on Monday, Mr Ong said he is confident that more than 90 per cent of the 43,000 front-line workers in both sectors would receive both doses by the end of this month.

Mr Goh Choon Phong, SIA’s chief executive officer, told reporters at the same event that 85 per cent of the group's pilots and cabin crew have received at least one dose of the vaccine as of Wednesday. More than 90 per cent of its pilots and cabin crew had signed up for it.

When asked if those who decided against receiving the vaccine would receive fewer flight assignments, he said that they would continue to be deployed as normal. 

“At the end of the day, I think it is fair to say that it won’t be 100 per cent (vaccination rate)... These are still our people.”

Mr Goh said that among those who have opted not to get inoculated, some were concerned about the effects of the vaccine on pregnancies, while others had allergies or medical conditions that preclude them from vaccination. 

PANDEMIC’S IMPACT

Commenting on the pandemic’s impact on SIA, Mr Goh said that the national carrier was, at one point, running at just 4 per cent of its usual capacity. 

It faced a “very difficult situation”, given that it still had to keep its operations going by maintaining its planes and ensuring that staff members stay well-trained.

SIA has, however, ensured its survival by making sure that it has enough liquidity, Mr Goh said. 

“It is fair to say that we are probably the airline with the best liquidity to support our operations and recovery going forward." 

SIA last week posted a S$142 million net loss between October and December last year, as passenger numbers slumped by 97.6 per cent owing to the pandemic, though its cargo business held up better given a tight freight market.

The latest figures were a marked improvement from the S$2.34 billion loss recorded from July to September last year.

WAS AIR TRAVEL BUBBLE PREMATURE?

Mr Ong was also asked if Singapore made a premature move in mooting an air travel bubble with Hong Kong, which has been delayed indefinitely from its original start of Nov 22 last year on account of a rise in Covid-19 cases in Hong Kong.

In response, Mr Ong said he was “not shy to be accused of being premature in doing things”.

“We are an air hub, a small country. It is important to us," he said.

"And so let’s try new methods. And I think if you expect one country, one air hub to try new things that others have not, I would rather it be us than for Singapore to be the one who is a laggard.”

He did not comment on when the travel bubble would resume, but said that such efforts are “worthwhile” despite things not going according to plan at times. 

He added that Singapore would “keep on trying” to start such arrangements.