The world is steadily emerging from the pandemic, and the Northern Hemisphere has arguably been leading the charge.

South-East Asia on the other hand has been lagging behind. The region’s countries have resisted joining the world’s ‘new normal’, instead relying on strict ‘zero-covid’ strategies that kept foreigners out, citizens in hotel quarantine, and crews cooped up in hotels. Until now.

In recent weeks and months, we have seen several major announcements from these countries that at last, they are willing to re-join the rest of the world – and that’s good news for the industry.

Here’s a rundown of the biggest changes happening right now.

Singapore

The News

From April 1, fully vaccinated foreigners (from anywhere) are once again be able enter the city-state without quarantine.

The existing ‘Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL)’ scheme has been scrapped. For operators this means that passenger flights flying into the Lion City will no longer need approval to operate under strict VTL protocols.

Passenger Rules

For fully vaccinated passengers, click here.

For non-vaccinated passengers, click here. *Special approval is required, and in most cases non-vaccinated foreigners will not be allowed. Seven days of self-quarantine also applies.

Crew Rules

There are new rules for crew – one set for vaccinated crew (no restrictions on movement), and another set for unvaccinated crew (you have to stay in one of three approved hotels, and you’re confined to your room!).

But watch out for one important stipulation: if any crew are unvaccinated, ALL of you have to follow the unvaccinated set of rules.

Check new CAAS Circular 18/2022 Rev 2 for full details.

Malaysia

The News

It’s also good. From April 1, the country completely reopened to fully vaccinated passengers with no quarantine. Foreigners also no longer need to seek approval before travelling.

Passenger Rules

They’re complicated. And depend on vaccination status (they also take into account whether you have received a booster dose).

You can find that information here, but here’s a picture, because pictures are always better:

Crew Rules

Crew can only enter Malaysia through WMSA/Subang, WMKK/Kuala Lumpur or WMKL/Langkawi airports.

In all cases they require a PCR test that is less than 72 hours old at time of arrival. Subang seems to be the best option, with no quarantine or maximum stay. In Kuala Lumpur crew can only stay for 24 hours and must isolate in the hotel, while in Langkawi crew can stay for 72 hours and don’t have to isolate if they follow the same rules as tourists.

Indonesia

What’s the news?

They’ve dropped quarantine for both passengers and crew throughout the entire country. This follows a successful trial on the holiday island of Bali.

Passenger Rules

They’ll need a PCR test taken within 48 hours before departure for Indonesia. Keep in mind this can be a tight turn around for busy labs – the global standard seems to be 72 hours.

Crew Rules

You’ll need a certificate or card proving you are fully vaccinated, along with a PCR test. The rules are a little easier for crew – you have 72 hours to get that done before you leave for Indonesia. There will also be a travel declaration to fill out, but you’ll be free to leave the hotel and enjoy your layover.

Vietnam

What’s the news?

Borders are now open to all foreigners, with no quarantine, as long as they hold a valid visa. Watch out for this gotcha though: the only visas available on arrival are currently for business travellers (not tourists). Everyone else will need to apply beforehand online. There’s a long list of countries that this applies to (including the US, Canada and UK) which you can access here. There are also visa exemptions available for select countries, see the image below.

Passenger Rules

They’ll need to get tested first, and there’s two options. A PCR test that is less than 72 hours old, or a rapid antigen test that is less than 24 hours old – both at time of departure for Vietnam. There’s an opt clause too, if they can’t provide proof of a test they can still travel but will need to get tested within 24 hours of touching down.

Crew Rules

Local agents advise that all the same requirements apply to crew as for passengers (including a valid visa or exemption) – that is if you want to enter the country.

Japan

What’s the news?

Ok, so not really South-East-Asia but we thought we’d include it anyway – given that Japan lifted its entry ban on foreigners from over a hundred countries on April 8 (including the US and UK). One big gotcha though – tourists will still have to wait. Pax will need to be entering for business, study or some other essential reason.

Passenger Rules

Depending on their vaccination status, where they are travelling from, and whether they are identified as a close contact of a positive case, they may be subject to up to 7 full days of quarantine and/or self-isolation on arrival.

For Japan’s horribly complex entry rules in their official format, click here.

Crew Rules

The crew rules remain a bit of a mystery. We’ve had some reports from crew saying they were unable to apply for any of the visas available to passengers (business, study, etc).

We haven’t seen any published rule changes here from how it worked before – crew can enter on a ‘shore pass’ arranged through their handler, but must self-isolate in the hotel for 7 days or until departure.

Opsgroup members have reported the following: “The guidance we received from our company is that crew members must stay in their rooms but can leave the hotel for exercise and to obtain food to bring back to eat in the room. No dining out, no shopping for anything other than food to eat in your room. We enter on a shore pass. For quarantine, we fill out two forms that ask about where we have been in the world and if we are feeling healthy, where we are staying, and if we have transportation (another quarantine requirement is that we don’t use public transportation). We also sign a pledge that we are going to follow the rules. They then give us a quarantine card to go with our shore pass. When we arrive for our return trip, we initial a paper saying that we followed the rules.”

If you’re considering a trip to Japan, try contacting a local handler (iajops@interavia.co.jp and fltops@aeroworks.jp are decent options) and check if there’s any update to these rules – especially those for crew (and please let us know what you find out!)

A note on Thailand.

Borders have been open to foreigners for a while now via three main entry schemes:

• Test and Go (a quarantine free option)
• Sandbox (restricted movement)
• Alternative Quarantine Scheme (quarantine reduced to five days from April 1).

The main news is that in all cases the requirement for passengers to get tested before arriving has been scrapped from April 1. Crew can make use of the same schemes and enter under the same conditions as pax.

For more info on passenger entry rules, check out the official page here, as well as the handy checklist document put together by local handling agent Asia Flight Services (eff Apr 6).

Still closed for business.

Not all of South East Asia is open to foreigners yet, watch out for these ones:

Myanmar – International passenger flights are still not allowed to land. Visas are not currently being issued for foreigners.

Brunei – Entry is still severely restricted. Any foreigner needs approval first and non-essential travel is off limits.

Laos – Special permission is still required for foreigners, and tourism is a no-go.

Unsure? Ask the team.

Entry rules change quickly and can be frustratingly confusing to get your head around. If there is a specific country you are looking for info on, try the #questions channel in Slack, or reach out to us at team@ops.group and we’ll do our best to help you find the answers you’re looking for.

Foreign operators doing charter flights to Malaysia now need to obtain a “Foreign Air Operator Certificate” (FAOC) to be able to get a landing permit, and this needs to be requested 90 days in advance!

This new requirement was introduced earlier this year with AIC 3/2019, but authorities have only recently started implementing it.

Private flights are not affected. The process for these remains the same as before – apply a week in advance, either direct to the authorities at airtransport@dca.gov.my, or through a third party agent (recommended!). Local agents have said that Air Ambulance / Medevac flights do not need to obtain an FAOC either.

But for charter flights, the new requirement looks like a real pain. Here’s how it works… (thank you Julie at ASA Group for helping with this info!)

1. Application needs to be sent 90 DAYS prior to the intended first trip into/out of Malaysia. The following documents need to be submitted:
– Completed FAOC Matrix form (see links below).
– Carriers liability insurance.
– If aircraft is leased, approval of civil aviation authorities of the State of the Operator of the lessee, with identification of the operator that exercises operational control on the aircraft.
– Document authorizing the specific traffic rights, issued by appropriate department or resulting from a bilateral air transport agreement (and any other document the CAAM considers necessary to ensure that the intended operations will be conducted safely).
– Letter of appointment on behalf of the operator to say that their chosen handling agent in Malaysia (i.e. ASA Group) can apply on the operator’s behalf.

The FAOC will be valid for one year.

2. Once the FAOC is issued, then you have to get your handling agent to apply for each landing/overflight permit for you via the Aerofile system. Here’s what they’ll need from you to make that happen:
– Airline/Operator Code in IATA (2 characters) & ICAO (3-4 characters) format.
– Home county of registration.
– Copy of FAOC.
– Copy of your own AOC issued in your country of registry.
– Main office address and contact for the operator.
– Copy of insurance coverage.
– Appointment letter from operator stating that the handling agent can apply on their behalf

All subsequent individual applications for landing permit requests after successful application in the AeroFile system will require a copy of the Gendec (and for bigger aircraft with 20 seats or more, you’ll also need to provide a copy of the Charter Agreement).

For these landing permit requests through the Aerofile system, your handler will need a minimum of three days notice. They should request slots at the same time as requesting the landing permit.

To clarify – an FAOC is only required for landing permits for charter flights. Overflight permits will need to be applied for via the Aerofile system, but do not need an FAOC.

Handy links:

Aerofile system – https://www.mavcom.my/en/industry/aerofile-registration/ 

FAOC forms – http://www.dca.gov.my/sectors-divisions/flight-operations/forms/foreign-air-operator-certificate-faoc/

AIC 3/2019 – https://ops.group/dashboard/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/WM-eAIC-2019-03-en-MS.pdf

Update Apr 6: The Malaysian authorities have now lifted the airspace closure north of Seletar again, and in return Singapore will abandon plans for ILS at the airport – and will now draw up plans for GPS approaches instead. The new agreement brings an end to days of disruption, with operators having to take off and circle overhead to 6000ft before being cleared enroute; it will also allow Malaysian airline Firefly to commence planned flights to Singapore, which had been postponed since Dec 2018 due to the dispute.

The new ILS approach on RWY 21 at WSSL/Seletar airport was due to take effect on 3rd Jan 2019, but Malaysia effectively killed it.

They claimed that the ILS approach –most of which lies within Malaysia’s airspace to the north of the airport– would impose height restrictions around the Pasir Gudang industrial area, and would stunt growth in the area.

Malaysia decided to create a no-fly-zone across an entire chunk of airspace just across the border from Singapore, up to 6000ft. This ultimately would have made RWY 21 ILS approaches at WSSL/Seletar impossible.

Singapore and Malaysia’s foreign ministers have met multiple times this year to discuss the issue, eventually resulting in Malaysia agreeing to cancel the restricted airspace they imposed, and in return Singapore agreeing to abandon the ILS procedures.

Discussions are set to continue regarding a wider ongoing dispute over airspace sovereignty, with Malaysia saying it wants to take back airspace delegated to Singapore under an agreement in 1974.

In other news: The night curfew at Seletar is now in effect. AIP SUP 86/2018 confirms that with effect from 1st Jan 2019, the airport will be closed to all flights (except medevac and emergency diverts) nightly from 22-07 local time.

In Short: Operations at WMKK/Kuala Lumpur International Airport have been suspended from 0900L-1030L every day this week (27-31 August). This is to make way for the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) to conduct rehearsals for an aerial flypast that will be part of Malaysia’s National Day parade.

As we outlined in our daily brief, WMKK/Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) is being shutdown this week for 90 minutes everyday, between 9am and 10:30am to allow fly-over “rehearsals” for the National Day parade.

We think this is excessive.

The shutdown of a major international gateway airport (the 23rd busiest airport in the world) for 7 and half hours in one week will impact over 498 flight operations and thousands of passengers.

The NOTAM says it all.

A2434/18 - ALL ARR AND DEP SUSPENDED DUE TO NATIONAL DAY 2018 REHEASALS AND 
ACTUAL FLYING DISPLAYS. 0100-0230, 27 AUG 01:00 2018 UNTIL
31 AUG 02:30 2018. CREATED: 13 AUG 07:13 2018

The central planning committee of the National Day event said:

“The air space closure is necessary to ensure the smoothness of the 2018 National day flypast practice sessions, but more importantly, the safety of aircraft flying in and out of KLIA.”

We are all about safety here. But to shutdown such a big chunk of airspace and totally suspended flying operations at 9am at such a big airport for a whole week seems particularly extreme.  This is not a small isolated airport, this is a large 3 runway complex with A380’s coming and going.

This isn’t the first time such a move has happened here. In September 2016, the airport was closed for several hours a day to conduct an “aerial survey”.

This time, we understand, there was limited to no industry consultation with the onus being on the airlines and operators to notify affected customers.

Malaysia’s Transport Minister simple asked that “I hope all airlines will notify their passengers about this and reschedule their flights.” 

He finished by saying “this was inevitable as we are celebrating our Independence Day”.

We say no– shutting down a major airport for nearly 7 hours to practise some flying displays is not “inevitable“.

What do you think? Do you know more, please let us know!

 

If you need to get into KL during these times, WMSA/SULTAN ABDUL AZIZ SHAH INTL is a good alternative.

Extra Reading:

• Travel Advisory: KLIA2 Airspace Closure On 27-31 August 2018 – Air Asia
• Airspace Closure at KLIA! – Malindo Air
• Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) airspace will be closed for the Merdeka Flypast rehearsals – Malaysia Airlines

Iceland ATC strike – end in sight 22JUN Operators on both sides of the Atlantic have been frustrated over the last 6 weeks with continual sporadic ATC Industrial action. And end may be in sight, but in the meantime keep a close eye on BIRK, BIKF and BIRD Notams. Read the article.

FPL changes: Israel 22JUN Current Flight Planning procedures for flights across Europe from Israel will change in light of a new agreement signed between Israel and Eurocontrol. Read the article.

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LFZZ/France ATC Strike Number 9 gets underway today until 24JUN at 0400Z, usual disruption and restrictions apply. Avoid France where possible. NOTAM F1171/16 refers.

EGGX/Shanwick is having an 80’s party on the 28th of June at 1600Z. For engineering work, all the new technology is being taken offline for three hours, so no CPDLC, ADS-C or OCL. Instead we have Voice Reports, HF, Manual Clearance Requests (123.95 or 127.65), and so on; just like the good old days. When you hit 30W log on to Gander manually.

UMZZ/Belarus The Minsk FIR has updated its table of cruising levels and altitudes below Transition; view the AIC.

Gambia The UK FCO issued updated travel advice for The Gambia : “Demonstrations took place in April and May 2016 in Banjul. Demonstrations could occur at any time in any part of the country prior to presidential elections planned for 01DEC. You should be vigilant, avoid all demonstrations”

LPZZ/Portugal is joining the International ATC Strike Club and will begin with industrial action, for two hours daily on: June 30th, and July 8th,15th, 22nd and 29th.

KCXO/Houston Regional will be opening a new customs facility mid July. KCXO serves the Metro-Houston area and is 46 miles outside of town. The new CBP facility adds more choice to international operators over the already saturated Houston area airports.

KZZZ/United States The U.S. Navy has scrubbed the planned military GPS interference testing across the U.S. Southwest that was supposed to happen this month.

LWSS/Skopje is implementing Free Route Airspace in the Skopje ACC above FL245, effective 23JUN. FRA is available H24 with DCT limit unlimited. The ATS network above FL245 is withdrawn. Additional info is available in the Republic of Macedonia AIP AMD 58/16. New RAD measures can be found in the increment file and will become part of Annex 4 on AIRAC 1608.

LWZZ/Macedonia Late on 20JUN, tens of thousands of anti-government protesters gathered in central Skopje, Macedonia’s capital, to conduct another demonstration. The protesters gathered outside the Special Prosecution building before then marching to the Ministry of Justice building, where they broke some of its windows and threw red paint at its exterior.

EZZZ/Scandinavia Another Free Route Airspace update is happening in the two Functional Airspace Blocks NEFAB and DK/SE FAB. NEFRA Phase 1 will be implemented as of AIRAC 1607 on 23JUN, to implement H24 cross border Free Route Airspace between DK-SE FAB and NEFAB, except Norway, above FL285. ATS routes will be kept. Norway plans to implement cross-border Free Route Airspace spring 2017.

CYZZ/Canada has introduced “No Drone Zones” around airports that includes fines for offenders caught operating drones in the restricted areas. They are also drafting new legislation to strengthen rules regarding drone operations.

LEMD/Madrid may have industrial action on 28JUN, the Apron controllers are making noises about a strike. Not confirmed.

WAZZ/Indonesia FIR Ujung Pandang FIR has a couple of radar outages from 19-27JUN. Reroutes or delays are not likely, but strong potential for lower than optimum Flight Levels.

HECC/Cairo FIR If for some reason you are operating flights to or from Libya, then A: You’re probably not reading this bulletin carefully enough, and B: Be aware that you are required to obtain PPR from  Egypt via AFTN to HECAYNYX, at least 48 hours before the flight, in order to overfly Cairo FIR.

EGAA/Belfast ILS 25 out of service along with other ongoing runway and taxiway closures until 11AUG16. Please check EGAA NOTAM’s for specific closures.

EGLF/Farnborough Temporary restricted airspace will be in effect for the annual Farnborough Airshow 16-17JUL. AIC M 033/2016.

France The French authorities have extended the document checks at their borders, these measures will apply to all airports in France and also to Basel airport. Especially during the period of the European Football Championships, passengers travelling to/ from French airports are asked to ensure they have a valid identity document (passport or identity card) with them whilst travelling. A drivers license is not an acceptable document.

VTBB/Bangkok FIR Monsoon season runs July-September. Big potential for holding and airport closures in the region, taking extra fuel is recommended.

OEZZ/Saudi Arabia FIR is introducing new Navigation Charges on 01JUL. All the maths is here.

LSZA/Lugano will close 10-19OCT due to heavy maintenance work on the main runway. No traffic will be able to operate. The airport operator has said 20OCT should be the reopening day but risk that this may be extended.

WMZZ/Malaysia Following a directive by the Malaysian Immigration Department, all foreign nationals travelling on all domestic flights will be required to produce passports upon passing through Immigration control, effective immediately.

Azerbaijan An online e-visa issuing system, called ASAN Visa, will be established that should streamline the visa application process. Eligible foreign nationals will be able to obtain supporting documents, submit their visa applications and receive an e-visa within three days of submission through the portal. The list of eligible nationals is expected to be available soon on the Foreign Ministry website.

EGPK/Prestwick has ongoing overnight closures due to ATC staffing problems, keep an eye on NOTAMs.

EIDW/Dublin will closed for 15 minutes at 1500Z on 23JUN due to a VIP departure.

NWWW/New Caledonia The South Pacific is not exempt from ATC strikes either; overnight closure of the NWWW airspace means no enroute traffic accepted in the FIR tonight – and sporadically ongoing. Note that the Fire Service also has reduced RFF category at specific times. Check Notams.

SKED/Bogota FIR NOTAM of the month award: Colombia Notam A1947 issued on 17JUN. Be aware of the potential for your Cabin Crew to request a change to the SID from ATC, unbeknownst to you. In full: “CHANGES TO STANDAR (sic) INSTRUMENT DEPARTURE (SID) COULD BE DONE BY RADIOTELEPHONY BETWEEN CABIN CREW AND THE CORRESPONDING ATS DEPARTMENT WHILE COMMUNICATION INTERCHANGE, IN ACCORDANCE WITH AERODROME OPERATIONS REF. AIP ENR 1.10”.

We actually have no idea what they mean. Let us know, and keep an eye out for those sneaky flight attendants.

LEPA/Palma has a bunch of outages, and runway and taxiway closures at present that will create restrictions and delays. Take a close look at your arrival and dep times before operating.

Suriname Immunisation checks for Yellow Fever are being carried out throughout June at all border check points, ports and international airports in Suriname; make sure you have a valid yellow fever certificate if required.

RJZZ/Japan On 22JUN heavy rains caused building damage and fatalities in southwestern Japan. At least six people died, as a result of the rain and mudslides across the island of Kyushu. Emergency personnel evacuated several hundred people due to the threat of further mudslides.

Uzbekistan has increased security due to a major summit, from 23-34JUN which may result in changes to flight departures and lengthy check in and security clearance at airports across the county.

View the full International Bulletin 22JUN2016

Unsafe Airspace – new summary issued 08JUN Today Flight Service Bureau published International Ops Notice 02/16 – “Unsafe Airspace”.

New China ADIZ – South China Sea 08JUN There have been several media reports this week that China is preparing to set up a new ADIZ in the South China Sea. Read the article.

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KCLT/Charlotte New SIDS and STARS for aircraft arriving and departing to the Northeast have been added to CLT as of May 31. Also, construction of a new ATC tower has also broken ground, the new tower will be equipped with NextGen systems that include STARS (Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System), ADS-B (Automatic Dependant Surveillance – Broadcast) and AEFS (Advanced Electronic Flight Strip System.

CZZZ/Western Canada has been experiencing fuel shortages due to recent wildfires in the oil patch. Please check with local handlers for any fuel constraints.

KZMA/Miami FIR NASA is planning on launching a Delta IV rocket on 09JUN. Please check KZMA FIR NOTAMS for restrictions.

KZZZ/USA Tropical Storm Colin has passed Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina before moving out over the Atlantic.

CYQY/Sydney, Nova Scotia has added 2 fire trucks and increased staffing levels to provide ARFF CAT 6 or 7, time of day pending. CYQY has issued NOTAM 1A3425/16 covering those hours.

LLZZ/Israel has signed an agreement with Eurocontrol and will allow the country and it’s users to benefit from the services that Eurocontrol provides. This is excellent news for filing out of LLBG and transiting to or over Europe as this will help streamline the process significantly and coordination will only have to be with Eurocontrol for any changes.

RCTP/Taipei has resumed operations on June 3 after operations were suspended due to flash flooding. The airport has also lost power numerous times due to the unstable power supply following days of severe flooding. While the power cuts rendered the terminal’s air conditioning system inoperable, the airport experienced only minor delays.

VNKT/Kathmandu has been experiencing problems with the VHF ATC equipment. Aircraft on approach and Area Control freqs may experience increased squelch and at times leaving ATC without comms.

HSZZ/Sudan has warned it will shoot down any aircraft that infiltrates it’s airspace that has not obtained the proper permission and/or following proper procedures. If you need to transit this airspace please make sure you have all the required documentation.

FHSH/St Helena has reportedly delayed the airport opening indefinitely, due to safety concerns – severe turbulence and windshear were commonplace during testing trials by a B737-800.

China Beijing – The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), which supervises relations across the Taiwan Strait, on Friday issued a yellow travel alert for Beijing after the first H7N9 flu infection case for this year was confirmed in the Chinese capital.

Malaysia Malaysian officials fired several officials on charges connected to a security breach at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (WMKK/KUL). Security officials stated that airport security officials collaborated with human trafficking syndicates to bypass the airport’s passport verification system. The investigation discovered that, since 2010, airport officials purposely disrupted the immigration system at certain times of the day on several occasions. Malaysian officials will publish a report with the full findings.

Angola The World Health Organization (WHO) reported on 27 May 2016 that 301 people have died in Angola’s yellow fever outbreak, which began in December 2015. The number of suspected cases is now 2,536. The outbreak began in Luanda and has since spread to areas throughout the country, particularly along the coast and in the central regions, despite a large-scale vaccination program. Cases linked to the Angolan outbreak have also been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya and China.

Jamaica is now charging a $35 US departure tax for all air passengers.

Uzbekistan British FCO cautions when travelling with medicines; you can be detained on arrival if you’re in possession of certain medicines, including codeine; you should always carry a doctor’s prescription with you.

France – the Air France pilots’ union announced a work stoppage for 11-14 June, coinciding with the first week of the Euro 2016 soccer championship. The strike has been planned in protest over pay disputes, and the union has stated that it may observe further strikes. Further details are likely to emerge, as the situation is developing.

Yemen On 28MAY, approximately 20 gunmen stormed Aden International Airport (OYAA/ADE). A 90-minute gunfight followed the attack, during which one civilian was killed by a stray bullet. Authorities regained control of the situation and detained the gunmen’s suspected leader.

Nepal A nationwide general strike is planned on Thursday 09JUN2016 across the county. Protest can occur at short notice anywhere. Stay cautious and stay away from these areas.

View the full International Bulletin 08JUN2016