SINGAPORE, Dec. 21 -- About 41,800 foreigners were denied entry at Singapore's checkpoints between January and November 2025, a steep rise that has prompted authorities to enlist airlines in stopping ineligible travellers before they even board flights to the Republic.

Figures cited by The Straits Times show the total for the first 11 months of 2025 was nearly 26 per cent higher than the whole of 2024, and 46 per cent more than in 2023.

From January 2026, Singapore will roll out a no-boarding directive (NBD) with carriers including Singapore Airlines, Scoot, Emirates, Turkish Airlines and AirAsia. More airlines are expected to join from March.

Under the system, airlines will receive boarding instructions after passenger details are scr...