KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysian Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong hopes Malaysia can establish an air traffic bubble with Singapore and other bilateral partners soon.

Dr Wee met with Singapore's High Commissioner to Malaysia Vanu Gopala Menon on Tuesday (Sept 15) and discussed an air traffic bubble, among other issues.

Dr Wee said that the closely-linked business communities in both Singapore and Malaysia urgently need to be able to commute back and forth soon, with stringent standard operating procedures (SOPs) in place.

Singapore and Malaysia's health authorities “will be speaking soon to iron out the agreements on the SOPs and move forward”, he added in a Facebook post on Tuesday night.

These issues need to be addressed in order for Singapore and Malaysia to “continue its people-to-people exchanges as soon as possible” despite the ongoing pandemic, said Dr Wee. "We hope to announce an air traffic bubble soon with Singapore and other bilateral partners."

During the courtesy call by Mr Menon, both sides also updated each other on the ongoing discussions for the Malaysia-Singapore High Speed Rail project, which has a deadline of Dec 31 to sign the bilateral agreement.

 "The successful signing of the Johor Bahru-Woodlands RTS Link agreement on July 30 reflects a mutual commitment," Dr Wee added. 

In a Facebook post on the meeting, the Singapore High Commission in Kuala Lumpur said it was a "good discussion" and that looks forward to continuing working closely with Dr Wee and Malaysia's Ministry of Transport.