Very heavy traffic at Singapore land checkpoints upcoming school holiday, Eid
The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said travellers should anticipate longer waiting times to clear immigration at the Singapore's Tuas and Woodlands checkpoints.
'ICA advises travellers to check the traffic situation at the land checkpoints before embarking on their journey,' the agency said in a statement on Friday.
ICA also recommended that those needing to travel during the peak period consider using cross-border bus services to avoid congestion.
'We seek travellers' understanding to cooperate with ICA officers, observe traffic rules and maintain lane discipline,' it said.
The agency noted that during the Vesak Day long weekend from May 8 to 13, more than three million travellers crossed both land checkpoints.
Traveller volume peaked on May 9, with over 546,000 travellers clearing immigration at the land checkpoints in a single day.
Car travellers departing during peak periods had to wait up to three hours for immigration clearance, ICA said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malay Mail
18 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Malaysia Airlines' premium pivot pays off with RM766m profit in 2023
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 1 — Malaysia Airlines' move into the premium market, along with fleet upgrades and new strategic partnerships, has been key to its turnaround after years of financial turbulence. According to Free Malaysia Today, Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) group managing director Captain Izham Ismail said the airline's major shift came in 2019 when it realised it had been targeting the wrong customer segment. 'We were competing with low-cost carriers, battling in endless price (fare) wars when we have a higher cost base,' he was quoted as saying. This then led to a fundamental repositioning of the national carrier, where it stepped back from low-cost competition to focus on being a premium airline. Malaysia Airlines also dropped its point-to-point route model in favour of a network-flow strategy, using Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) as a central hub to connect long-haul passengers, such as those flying between Europe and Australia. 'By October and November 2019, we already saw the hockey stick (turnaround),' Izham said. The pivot showed results: MAG posted a profit of RM766 million in 2023, marking a return to the black after restructuring efforts that began post-pandemic. Operating profits had already re-emerged by 2022. A major obstacle in the airline's recovery was its ageing fleet, with aircraft averaging 14 years old — well above the global norm of 11. By late 2024, the group had to ground several planes, slashing capacity by 18 per cent. This resulted in 6,300 cancelled flights and nearly a million affected passengers. In response, MAG committed to a comprehensive fleet renewal. Deliveries of Airbus A330neos and Boeing 737-8s are underway, with Boeing 737-10s scheduled to arrive in phases from 2028 onwards. So far, four of the 20 ordered Airbus A330neos have arrived, while 12 of the initial 25 Boeing 737-8s are in service. Another 30 aircraft are expected to be delivered under a second phase beginning in 2029. Malaysia Airlines recognised that as a mid-sized airline it needed to work with others to expand its global footprint and to date, it has entered into code-sharing agreements with over 20 airlines, giving it access to nearly 900 destinations worldwide. 'A moderate-size airline, which doesn't have too many metals (airplanes). What's the best proposition? It is partners,' said Izham. The airline is also leaning into Malaysia's unique offerings — such as its culture, hospitality and food — to distinguish itself in the premium segment. One such initiative is the Bonus Side Trip (BST), which lets international passengers transiting through KLIA explore a second Malaysian city at no additional cost. 'BST reflects our commitment to championing Malaysia as a preferred destination in Asia,' he said. 'By strengthening the connection between international arrivals and local tourism economies, the programme drives inclusive growth and supports businesses and communities across the country.' MAG's turnaround has earned international plaudits, with Brand Finance ranking the national carrier the world's fastest-growing airline brand, with brand value surging 209 per cent to US$607 million in its 2025 Airlines 50 report. It also secured top 10 rankings across several categories at the 2025 Skytrax World Airline Awards: 6th for World's Best Airport Services 8th for World's Best Cabin Crew 7th for Best Airline Staff in Asia 9th for Best Airlines in Asia 10th for Best Economy Class Seats 'This is not an overnight change, but a strategy to future-proof the airline for the next five, 10 or 15 years,' said Izham.
The Star
19 hours ago
- The Star
HK actor Raymond Lam and family kick off their summer vacation in Singapore
Chinese model Carina Zhang and Hong Kong actor Raymond Lam brought their daughter Luna to Singapore on holiday. Photos: Luna Lam/Xiaohongshu Hong Kong actor Raymond Lam was recently in Singapore to kick off his family's summer vacation. The 45-year-old is married to Chinese model Carina Zhang, 34, and they have a daughter, Luna, who turns five in September. Zhang posted photos of their stay here on Luna's account on Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu, with the caption: 'Transformed into a mermaid in SG'. 'Singapore was the first stop of my summer vacation,' Zhang wrote in Chinese on behalf of her daugher. 'I've become obsessed with The Little Mermaid lately, so my dad booked a hotel where I could watch the fish from my room, and my mum bought me a mermaid costume, making my little wish come true.' Zhang also posted photos of Lam and Luna at Universal Studios Singapore and the three of them at Merlion Park. According to Zhang, Sydney, Australia, is the second stop of the family's summer vacation. Lam also met up with Singaporean actor Ben Yeo, his co-star in the Singapore-Hong Kong TV series Yummy Yummy (2005), during his four-day stay in Singapore. Yeo, 46, told Chinese-language evening daily Shin Min Daily News in a July 26 report that he took Lam to his restaurant, Charcoal Fish Head Steamboat, where they spent time catching up. Lam was previously in Singapore in November 2024, when he was one of the judges at the finals of Mediacorp's talent competition Star Search . When he was in town this time, Lam was spotted by several local fans, who uploaded videos and photos of him on social media. In one clip posted on Instagram and TikTok on July 24, the star of Hong Kong action crime thriller Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In (2024) was seen at Changi Airport's arrival hall and then boarding a car with his family. A fan posted a photo of herself with Lam on Xiaohongshu on July 25. She replied to a netizen that she had bumped into him in Haji Lane on July 24. 'I was so lucky to run into him,' she wrote in Chinese. 'He was very nice and even helped me take a selfie with my camera. I was so happy.' – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
The Star
a day ago
- The Star
No entry: ICA to bar high-risk, undesirable travellers from boarding Singapore-bound ships, flights
SINGAPORE: High-risk or undesirable travellers who pose a health, security, or immigration threat to Singapore will soon be denied the chance to board air or sea transport to travel here. The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) will be able to issue no-boarding directives (NBDs) to transport operators to prevent such travellers from boarding ships and flights bound for Singapore. ICA plans to roll out the NBDs to prevent arrivals at air checkpoints from 2026 and at sea checkpoints from 2028. Transport operators who fail to comply with an NBD can be fined up to S$10,000. The move comes in the wake of the Immigration (Amendment) Act that came into force on Dec 31, 2024. An initial plan, first reported in 2023, to weed out such passengers travelling into Singapore through land checkpoints faced roadblocks, as the proposal would have required bus operators to collect and submit passenger information in advance. Bus operators with routes across the Causeway had told The Straits Times in 2023 that the plan to submit in advance passenger information to ICA could be difficult to implement and might affect business. On July 31, ICA said that while collecting passenger and crew information in advance has been the norm for airline and ship operators, such information is generally not readily available at land checkpoints. ST understands the authorities are still looking into ways to implement similar measures at land checkpoints. Meanwhile, enhancements to Singapore's border security, including through new profiling and detection capabilities, have allowed ICA to identify more high-risk travellers before their arrival to Singapore. This has translated into a 43 per cent increase in the number of foreigners refused entry into the Republic in the first half of 2025, compared with the same period in 2024. People who can be denied entry include those who had been previously barred from entering Singapore after being convicted of certain crimes. On July 31, Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam attended the official opening of the ICA services centre (ISC) in Crawford Street. The centre, which came into service in April, is adjacent to the previous ICA building. Shanmugam, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security, said ICA's transformation comes at a time of increasing traveller volumes across the nation's borders. He pointed out that traveller volumes through Singapore's checkpoints increased to 230 million passengers in 2024, compared with the 197 million who passed through the Republic's borders in 2015. Shanmugam said traveller volume is expected to increase further with the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System that is expected to be operational in December 2026; the Changi Airport Terminal 5 slated to open by the mid-2030s; and the expansion of Woodlands Checkpoint over the next 10 to 15 years. He said: 'But the limitation is that ICA's manpower cannot grow indefinitely, so we have been drawing more on technology to cope with this demand and to really navigate the more complex security environment.' To that end, ICA said it has achieved its vision to transform checkpoint clearance operations by becoming among the first border agencies in the world to implement passport-less immigration clearance. This was part of ICA's New Clearance Concept that was first announced in 2019, to provide faster and more secure immigration clearance. All travellers to and from Singapore can now clear immigration in an automated, passport-less process. This involves a facial or iris biometric scan at air and sea checkpoints, or clearance using a QR-code for those travelling through land checkpoints. As of June 30, ICA said some 93 million travellers have cleared immigration without needing to present their passports. Shanmugam said the implementation of QR-code clearance has been a game-changer for those travelling through Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints, with clearance time being reduced by up to 30 per cent from before. ICA is also planning to roll out its automated passenger clearance system (APCS) at the Tuas Checkpoint for those travelling in cars, motorcycles and cargo vehicles by end-2026, without the need to use counters manned by officers. ICA said the automated process will allow them to operate more efficiently. The APCS will be implemented at Woodlands Checkpoint at a later time. The authority said around 95 per cent of its services have gone digital, and more than 95 per cent of the public are submitting their applications online. Superintendent Kalaivanan Pannerchilvam, deputy director of customer operations at ICA, said: 'A key feature of the ISC is the self-collection kiosks, where eligible customers can collect their passports and identity cards via these kiosks, anytime within the date of appointment.' Those using the kiosks will need to input their personal identification information, and complete iris verification before collecting their documents. Customers can collect both their passports and identity cards on the same day in one transaction at the kiosk. The self-collection kiosks are part of the ISC's Integrated Smart Document Management system, which was launched in July. The retrieval and delivery of documents, which was previously managed by ICA officers, are now done by robots. - The Straits Times/ANN
