Hong Kong and Singapore will allow quarantine-free travel between each other as part of an agreement that aims to reinstate links between the two financial hubs.

Travellers under the new agreement, known as Air Travel Bubble (ATB), will have to undergo Covid-19 testing in place of the current quarantine requirements, according to a statement released by the Hong Kong government.

A launch date for the travel bubble has not been set yet, but will be announced “in the coming weeks”.

“This is a milestone in our efforts to resume normalcy while fighting against the long-drawn battle of Covid-19. Hong Kong and Singapore enjoy long-time close and cordial co-operation on many fronts. I have every confidence that the ATB arrangement can come to fruition very soon to facilitate resumption of air travel between our two economies,” said Edward Yau, Hong Kong’s Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development.

Travellers will be required to travel on flights that “only serve ATB travellers”.  Transit passengers or other non-ATB travellers will not be allowed on board these flights, according to the Hong Kong government.

“Both our cities have low incidence of Covid-19 cases and have put in place robust mechanisms to manage and control Covid-19,” said Singapore’s Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung.

“This has given us the confidence to mutually and progressively open our borders to each other. It is significant that our two regional aviation hubs have decided to collaborate to establish an Air Travel Bubble. It is a safe, careful but significant step forward to revive air travel, and provide a model for future collaboration with other parts of the world,” he added.