Singapore developing blueprint for sustainable air hub, as it revives air travel

BLUEPRINT FOR AIR HUB, ECONOMIC VIABILITY A PRIORITY 

Mr Iswaran added that there is a need to bring all this together in an “over-arching framework for the long term”, in the form of a sustainable air hub blueprint that will chart the pathways for achieving targets. 

The blueprint for the air hub is expected to be ready in early 2023, “given the urgency and the need to act decisively”, he said. 

“(The blueprint) will set medium-term (2030) and longer-term (2050) sustainability goals and identify practical, tangible pathways to achieve them. It will focus on the three key areas of airport, airline, and air traffic management, bringing together the various stakeholders,” added CAAS in its press release. 

It will also lay the foundation for four “critical enablers” that are needed to support and drive sector-wide decarbonisation efforts: Policy and regulation, industry development, infrastructure planning and provision, and jobs and skills. 

In the end, sustainability must entail trade-offs, said Mr Iswaran.

“There would be economic costs, and there are costs at the individual level, the enterprise level, and ultimately at the system level.

“And that is exactly why we start with these kinds of panels and initiatives. Because we want to bring in the public sector-private sector partnership, and importantly, the commercial perspective. Because we need that commercial angle to ensure the viability of many of the ideas, especially those that we’re looking at in the near-term.”

At the national level, we also need to have “a strong commitment”, noted Mr Iswaran. 

“The Singapore Green Plan is a clear statement and articulation of what Singapore stands for in this regard and how we want to move forward,” he added.

“We do need to bring these together to the best of our ability, (and) ensure we’re able to move forward in a sustainable way, but also in a manner that ensures economic viability taking into account the perspectives of all the stakeholders.”