SINGAPORE: In a joint statement on Monday (March 9), the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said that Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) aircraft will be deployed on March 10 (Tuesday) and 12 (Thursday) to evacuate Singaporeans in the region who wish to come home.
The flights will depart from Saudi Arabia.
“In response to the urgent need of Singaporeans in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia for assisted departure to Singapore, and given the lack of feasible commercial options in the region, the Singapore Government will deploy a Republic of Singapore Air Force A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft for the assisted departure of Singaporeans from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 10 March 2026,” the statement said, adding that the deployment of the aircraft is being done only to support the assisted departure operations.
Additionally, Singaporeans who have registered their interest for assisted departure from Saudi Arabia will be contacted by the MFA to provide them with more details.
Each flight may seat up to 200 people. They will not be asked to pay for their passage, and will be served a single meal, CNA reported.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Gan Siow Huang said in a video message on Monday that the situation on the ground “continues to be fluid,” with commercial airlines and airports yet unready to resume operations, which gave rise to the decision to deploy the RSAF aircraft.
She added that MFA staff in various embassies in the region, as well as in Singapore, have been working very hard to execute this operation “under very trying circumstances.”
Ms Gan further urged Singaporeans in the Middle East to remain safe, as well as to stay connected to respective embassies, given the fluidity of the situation.
On Feb 28, the United States and Israel started bombing Iran, and the conflict quickly spread to other countries in the Middle East. The bombings led to the closure of large portions of airspace in the region, and some airports, including those in Dubai and Kuwait, have sustained damage from the war as well.
The closures have stranded thousands of passengers, including Singaporeans. They, and others living in the region who have decided to come home, have been stuck without transport.
On Thursday (March 5), Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said that repatriation flights from the Middle East were being arranged for Singaporeans. The first two flights left Muscat, Oman, on March 7 and 8. /TISG
