Misuse of Airport Boarding Passes

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what is the number of cases of misuse of airport boarding passes in the last five years; (b) what are the main reasons for the misuse; (c) what actions have the Ministry taken against these offenders; and (d) what is the Ministry's plan to reduce such misuse cases.

The transit areas of Changi Airport are gazetted as Protected Places under the Protected Areas and Protected Places Act. It is an offence for persons to misuse their boarding pass to enter the transit areas with no intention of proceeding with their journey. Persons who are found guilty of misusing their boarding pass are liable for a fine of $1,000, or imprisonment for two years, or both.

From 2015 to 2017, the Police detected an average of 44 cases of boarding pass misuse each year. Most of the offenders gained entry into the transit areas to purchase goods from the duty-free shops, send off friends and relatives, or try to meet celebrities.

The Police have worked with the airport community to put up signs to explicitly warn travellers that it is an offence to misuse boarding passes. These signs are displayed at airlines' check-in counters, departure entrances and immigration counters. The Police are exploring with the airlines to print the warnings on the boarding passes and to publish the warnings on the airlines' website. The Police also publicise cases of boarding pass misuse to educate the public.