SINGAPORE: The Singapore government operated repatriation flights from Muscat, Oman, on March 7 and 8 as a way to evacuate citizens affected by the escalating Middle East conflict.
With this, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs stated that about a quarter of Singaporeans who have re-registered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) have asked for help to return home since the conflict started. Flights from Muscat catered to Singaporeans who were currently in Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), both countries having about 60% of e-registered Singaporeans.
Due to high demand, the MFA arranged a second flight and added that Singaporeans in the UAE will be transported to Muscat via coach.
“Our consular team and embassies have been working very hard on the ground to explore the arrangements,” Ms Gan Siow Huang stated. She also added that this was part of how the government navigated “challenging and difficult security situations” while coordinating with local authorities and airlines to secure departure options.
More details
According to initial data, the passengers will be picked up the day before the flight from two locations: the Singapore Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Millennium Airport Hotel in Dubai. Tickets were priced at S$600 (US$470) per seat, and the cabin class will be assigned at random.
Moreover, there was no meal differentiation between cabin classes, and only meat or non-meat options were available. The luggage limit was capped at 30 kg per passenger, and requests for oversized or excess baggage were not to be accommodated. Frequent flyer privileges, such as earning miles or using points to offset costs, were also not applied, and pets were not allowed on board.
The MFA declared: “As the flight is strictly meant for Singaporeans and dependents, we are unable to accommodate travellers who are non-citizens, for example, friends.”
Other flights
The MFA will be launching assisted overlap trips via bus to Riyadh for Singaporeans stranded in Bahrain and Qatar, where the airport remains open and commercial flights are available.
“We will be reaching out to Singaporeans who have recently indicated to us that they would like assistance to return to Singapore,” Ms Gan remarked. She also urged Singaporeans in the Middle East region to seek shelter, follow the advice of local authorities, and encouraged those who have yet to e-register with MFA, as this will allow the ministry to reach out to them with useful information.
