SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): A military aircraft will be deployed to Saudi Arabia on March 10 to assist Singaporeans seeking to leave the Middle East amid the ongoing conflict in the region, with a second flight being planned for two days later.
In a joint statement on March 9, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) said a Republic of Singapore Air Force A330 multi-role tanker transport (MRTT) aircraft will support the assisted departure of Singaporeans from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The ministries said the deployment is in response to Singaporeans in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia who need help leaving the region, amid a “lack of feasible commercial flight options”.
The upcoming flights follow two earlier repatriation flights from Oman over the weekend.
“The deployment of the MRTTs to Saudi Arabia serves solely to support the assisted departure operations,” the ministries said.
The US and Israel struck Iran on Feb 28, killing its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and several top leaders, sparking retaliation from Tehran in an ongoing conflict that has spread to nearby countries.
In a video posted on social media, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Industry Gan Siow Huang said “many commercial airports and airlines are not ready to resume operations”, as the situation on the ground “continues to be fluid”. She added that such flights require careful planning and coordination, and security conditions on the ground can change very quickly.
MFA had earlier said that it was planning a repatriation flight from Saudi Arabia between March 10 and 12, and asked Singaporeans to indicate their interest in the flight. The ministry said on March 9 that it would contact those who have registered their interest with more details about the flights.
According to a 2018 MINDEF factsheet, the MRTT can carry up to 37,000kg of cargo, or up to 266 people. It replaced the KC-135R aerial tankers, and is capable of conducting air-to-air refuelling and can be equipped with medical equipment for aero-medical evacuation missions.
Earlier on March 7 and 8, a total of 319 Singaporeans and their dependants returned from Muscat in Oman across two flights operated by Singapore Airlines with Airbus A350-900 aircraft in support of MFA.
Separately, the Singapore Embassy in Abu Dhabi and Consulate-General in Dubai said in a Facebook post on March 9 that they had been informed that Etihad Airways is scheduled to operate flights to Singapore on March 13, 15, 16 and 18. These flights are currently available for booking online.
The post also said Emirates will be mounting flights to Singapore from time to time, including one on March 9.
“Please note that flight schedules remain fluid and subject to change at short notice. Please check the respective websites directly for the most current flight information and booking details,” the missions said.
