Okinawa, Changi Airport sign MOU

SINGAPORE - The Okinawa prefectural government and Changi Airport on Tuesday inked a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at strengthening the aviation network between the two.

The move comes as both parties seek to work closely to promote tourism and trade exchanges between Okinawa and Singapore as well as other countries in the South-east Asia and South Asian regions.

Some initiatives designed to achieve that include working with airlines to create new direct routes between the Japanese prefecture and Singapore and promoting these flights to increase the number of visitors from Singapore and nearby regions to Okinawa.

The MOU was signed by Okinawa governor Hirokazu Nakaima and Changi Airport senior adviser Wong Woon Liong.

“This MOU is aimed at enhancing direct air connectivity between the two cities. Changi Airport is keen to establish a direct link to Okinawa,” said Mr Wong. “With this non-stop flight inauguration, it will decrease flight time to Okinawa and provide greater comfort and convenience to business and leisure travellers.”

Such close links will establish Singapore as the key travel hub to Okinawa in the region, providing access to more than a billion people.

“We expect that Okinawa will be widely known as a new attractive destination in Japan through our ongoing and future promotions in Singapore and many other regions,” said Mr Nakaima.

Trade is also expected to receive a boost as Okinawa hopes to work with international air cargo logistics enterprises to grow distribution channels in Singapore and neighbouring markets for its high-quality exports such as fresh produce and salt and sweet goods.

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