The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) recently met at a second Singapore-Japan Dialogue on Aviation Collaboration. CAAS and the JCAB are working together to improve air connectivity between Singapore and Japan to meet the high demand for air travel.
The authorities aim to restore routes and increase the number of city links between Singapore and Japan. Prior to pandemic the passenger movements between the two countries reached a historic high of 3.4 million.
But as of this month, the number of weekly flights between the two countries has only recovered to over 65% of pre-pandemic levels, with 122 weekly services operated by six airlines, an increase up from 50% in December 2022.
Compared to the prior seven city links, there are only five active links between the two countries: Singapore and Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, and Sapporo. The sixth city link between Singapore and Okinawa will only be reinstated with non-stop flight services this November.
But besides route restorations, the two authorities also explored the possibilities of connecting Singapore with more Japanese cities, those currently not served at all or are only served by a singular carrier like Hiroshima, Kagoshima, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, and Kobe.
CAAS and JCAB are also focusing on implementing greener aviation initiatives, such as the Aviation Green Lane and the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels. From Japan, the JCAB confirmed its policy considerations for introducing a target of replacing 10% of the fuel consumed by Japanese carriers with SAF by 2030.
On the air traffic management front both authorities will introduce greener measures for all flights between Singapore and Tokyo, following a successful one-month trial in June 2023, whereby the JCAB and CAAS implemented green air traffic management measures for one unspecified daily flight service.
Han Kok Juan, director-general, CAAS, commented: “With the successful conclusion of the green ATM trial and the extension of green ATM measures to all flights between Singapore and Tokyo, Singapore and Japan show that green ATM can complement SAFs as a key feature of an aviation green lane. These measures can be scaled up to cover more flights and serve as a pathfinder for wider adoption by more countries.”
JCAB and CAAS have already made substantial progress in advancing civil aviation collaboration in the last seven months while this meeting will help further strengthen ties between the two nations.