PILGRIMAGE TO MECCA BY AIR (Improvement of flight system)

Tuan Haji Mohd. Ariff Bin Suradi asked the Minister for Communications, in view of the increased number of persons going on pilgrimage to Mecca by special chartered flights, if he will consider improving the system for departure and arrival of such flights.

Dr Ang Kok Peng (for the Minister for Communications): Mr Speaker, Sir, prior to 1971, there were very few special pilgrimage flights. Most pilgrims went and returned by ship. With the advent of cheap charter flights, special pilgrimage flights have increased. There were 12 such flights from Singapore in 1971, and 13 in 1972. During 1971, there were 1,103 passengers by special pilgrimage flights arriving and 827 departing. For 1972, there were 939 of such arriving passengers and 492 departing.

The total number of passengers by special pilgrimage flights arriving and departing is only about 2 per cent of the total number of passengers passing through the Singapore Airport on a single day. For a normal day in 1972, about 9,000 passengers would be passing through the Singapore Airport.

For pilgrimage flights, Singapore Airlines has made special provisions to begin checking in passengers as early as three to four hours before each flight, compared to some one to two hours for other flights. Other departure and arrival procedures at the Singapore International Airport have also been improved for all incoming and outgoing flights, including pilgrimage charter flights.

There is some congestion at the Airport terminal building before the departure or arrival of a special pilgrimage flight. But this is caused by the many well-wishers of the pilgrims. These well-wishers begin to assemble at the terminal building from as early as five to six hours before the departure or arrival of a special pilgrimage flight. The present terminal building was not designed to cater for such large crowds of well-wishers over such long periods of time. However, when the present plans for expansion of the Airport are completed, the Airport terminal buildings should be well able to cope with such capacity crowds.

Tuan Haji Mohd. Ariff Bin Suradi (Kampong Kembangan): (In Malay): Sir, can the Minister of State for Communications tell us whether the present plans for expansion have been carried out? If so, when can the expansion be expected to be completed?

Dr Ang Kok Peng: Expansion work is expected to be completed sometime in 1976.