| NEWS ARCHIVES |
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| Big growth in Singapore-Malaysia air traffic in 2009 |
| 11 Mar 2010 |
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Despite the downturn last year, air traffic between Singapore and Malaysia grew by 41 per cent.
Giving an update on the aviation industry in parliament today, Second Minister for Transport Lim Hwee Hua says this was the result of bilateral liberalisation of air traffic rights.
Mrs Lim revealed that traffic on the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur sector rebounded to a 34% growth in 2009 from 2008.
Previously, air traffic in this sector had been declining for almost a decade.
She added the Singapore-Kuching and Singapore-Kota Kinabalu sectors also experienced phenomenal growth, doubling in 2009.
"Apart from bilateral air services negotiations, we have also been actively pursuing liberalisation at the multilateral level. Within the region, two Multilateral Agreements (MA) liberalising freighter and passenger air services among ASEAN Member States have recently come into force. A third MA, which will expand on the earlier arrangement to fully liberalise passenger air services within ASEAN, is expected to be signed this year. For the first time, ASEAN is also in negotiations with a dialogue partner, China, to establish a liberal air services regime."
Mrs Lim says the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore will also launch the Aviation Partnership Programme and the Aviation Innovation Programme in April this year.
It's an initiative to raise productivity, promote innovation and enhance competitiveness in the aviation industry.
A budget of $100 million will be set aside for the ADF over the next five years.
And should the Programmes be over-subscribed, the Ministry will consider committing more funds for the ADF. |