Authorities to offer further S$84 million to aviation sector amid COVID-19 pandemic

SINGAPORE: The Authorities will present a further S$84 million to the aviation sector to cushion the blow of the COVID-19 pandemic on employees and companies, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) mentioned on Tuesday (Dec 29). 

That is on prime of the S$112 million Aviation Sector Help Bundle, introduced in February, and the S$187 million Enhanced Aviation Help Bundle, introduced in August.

The CAAS mentioned the aviation sector “stays hardest hit” by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the variety of passenger visitors actions at Changi Airport in November seeing a 98 per cent year-on-year decline.

“Given ongoing border restrictions and the resurgence of COVID-19 in lots of nations over winter, air journey won’t get well quickly. It’s subsequently important that we preserve our assist for the sector to assist aviation corporations and employees tide by means of the disaster,” mentioned the CAAS.

The authority added that aviation corporations have put in place measures to allow air journey whereas minimising public well being dangers, and that these measures require further infrastructure, gear and manpower.

These prices can’t be recouped from passengers throughout this era, it mentioned. 

READ: SIA Group passenger carriage down 97.7% in November as air journey demand stays ‘weak’

“To assist mitigate a few of these prices, the Authorities will present funding to assist the event, adoption and deployment of revolutionary applied sciences and measures to guard our airport employees and air crew from contracting COVID-19,” added CAAS in its media launch. 

“These embody plane and baggage sanitisation programs.” 

The Authorities will proceed to offer rebates for charges and prices, and the CAAS will waive charges for Singapore-based airways for his or her Certificates of Airworthiness. Licence charges for offering scheduled air companies may also be waived.

The waiver will apply to charges payable between Apr 1 this yr and Mar 31 subsequent yr. 

It might additionally give a 50 per cent rebate for licence charges payable for floor dealing with and catering companies at Changi and Seletar airports throughout that interval, it added.

Such measures would price about S$39 million in whole, mentioned CAAS.

SUPPORTING WORKERS 

Noting many employees within the sector have taken wage cuts as a result of a discount in working hours, whereas others have been positioned on no-pay go away, the CAAS mentioned the Authorities would supply further assist for aviation employees. 

Pilots, air visitors controllers and plane upkeep engineers who must pay for his or her licence charges and medical analysis charges would get a full rebate for charges payable between Apr 1, 2020 and Mar 31, 2021, it mentioned. 

READ: Singapore will be air cargo hub for COVID-19 vaccines: Changi Airport, CAAS

“We are going to work with SkillsFuture Singapore, Workforce Singapore, NTUC LearningHub and the NTUC Aerospace and Aviation Cluster to assist at-risk and under-employed aviation employees to boost their employability and purchase abilities to maneuver to different jobs throughout the sector,” mentioned the CAAS.

Further assist can be supplied for brand new programmes to be developed for such employees, and extra particulars can be introduced subsequent month, it added. 

“Pilots want years to get their licence and certification. To make sure that we have now a ample variety of pilots for the eventual restoration, we may also work with SkillsFuture Singapore to offer funding assist to Singapore-based airways to re-train their pilots and hold their abilities present,” mentioned CAAS. 

In a year-end Fb video by the Ministry of Transport (MOT), Senior Minister of State for Transport Chee Hong Tat mentioned the authorities are serving to native pilots convert their licences to permit them to fly different varieties of plane sooner or later. 

“There are additionally Singaporean pilots working for international airways (who) maintain international pilot licences, who acquired retrenched and returned to Singapore. We reviewed our guidelines to allow them to use for a Singapore pilot licence in order that they will work for a neighborhood airline sooner or later,” mentioned Mr Chee. 

These measures to assist employees quantity to about S$20 million, mentioned the CAAS. 

MORE SUPPORT FOR PRODUCTIVITY EFFORTS

The CAAS mentioned it can be crucial that corporations spend money on tasks to “enhance productiveness and construct capabilities” to handle the instant affect of COVID-19.

This can assist the sector handle longer-term manpower constraints and be prepared for the restoration.

“To encourage corporations to proceed with their innovation and productiveness efforts, we are going to inject a further S$25 million into the Aviation Growth Fund (ADF),” it mentioned.

READ: Singapore Airways trials new app to confirm COVID-19 check outcomes, vaccination standing

This would supply an “enhanced stage” of funding assist of as much as 90 per cent to corporations till the tip of March 2022 for corporations’ initiatives.

“Such productiveness efforts will enhance the attractiveness of the sector to Singaporeans, assist the employability of older employees, and scale back the sector’s reliance on international workforce within the longer-term,” mentioned the CAAS.

“By way of these measures, we are going to strengthen the resilience of our corporations and employees within the aviation sector because the sector continues to climate the COVID-19 pandemic.

In his ministry’s year-end video, which additionally marked Changi Airport’s 39th anniversary, Minister for Transport Ong Ye Kung mentioned it was clear that bringing air journey again safely and reviving Singapore’s aviation hub was the “most vital process”. 

“Collectively, we are going to tide by means of this arduous journey and take our place within the skies once more,” he mentioned. 

BOOKMARK THIS: Our complete protection of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments

Obtain our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the newest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram