Singapore Airlines celebrates first flight for vaccinated travel lane with Korea

Singapore Airlines celebrated the kickoff of the vaccinated travel lane between South Korea and Singapore with Flight 601 during a commemorative ceremony earlier this week.

The event was held Tuesday in front of Gate 23 of Incheon International Airport’s Terminal 1.

The ceremony was attended by Eric Teo, Singaporean ambassador to Korea; Jeon Hyoung-wook, vice president of the operations division at Incheon International Airport Corporation; Xavier Ho, general manager at Singapore Airlines Korea; and Jason Foo, station manager at Singapore Airlines Korea.

Passengers on the inaugural flight received gifts from the airline, including portable power banks and Merli eco bags from the Singapore Tourism Board, along with thank-you notes from the captain.

“Both Singapore & South Korea are each other’s major travel destinations,” Ambassador Teo said in a statement. “The VTL will allow the close exchanges between our two countries to slowly resume safely.

“The realization of VTL flights was a process that began at the beginning of the year and I am heartened that it has come to fruition. Let me take this opportunity to thank the teams from both countries for their hard work and collaboration throughout the year.”

Singapore Airlines currently operates the B787-10 aircraft for six flights per week along the Incheon-Singapore route based on the vaccinated travel lane.

In October, Korea and Singapore announced that they would allow travelers vaccinated against COVID-19 to travel between the two countries without quarantine starting Nov. 15.

By Yim Hyun-su (hyunsu@heraldcorp.com)