PUBLISHED ONMarch 07, 2026 7:28 AMUPDATEDMarch 12, 2026 9:52 AMBYSean LerThe first of two repatriation flights organised by Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) for Singaporeans stranded in Middle East has begun its journey home.
Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight SQ8001 departed from Muscat International Airport in Oman at about 2.45pm on Saturday (March 7) with 152 Singaporeans and their dependants.
It is expected to land at Changi Airport Terminal 3 at about 9.20pm.
Data from flight tracking platform FlightAware indicates that the aircraft, an Airbus A350, had departed Singapore for Muscat at about 5.42am earlier on Saturday morning and landed safely at around noon.
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On Friday morning, two groups of Singaporeans in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates embarked on five hour bus rides to Muscat.
They were sent off by the Singapore embassy in Abu Dhabi and consulate-general in Dubai, and were accompanied by officials from the embassy/consulate-general.
In a Facebook post on Friday, the ministry said Singapore's ambassador to the United Arab Emirates Kamal R Vaswani and consul-general in Dubai Raziff Aljunied spoke briefly to the Singaporeans in Abu Dhabi and Dubai prior to their departure.
"Many of them have gone through a challenging week trying to secure a flight home. We are glad that they will now be able to head home and wish them a safe flight and smooth journey ahead."
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Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Gan Siow Huang urged Singaporeans who remain in the Middle East region to shelter in place, and to heed the advice of local authorities.
Those who have yet to e-register with MFA should also do so, as this would allow the ministry to provide them with useful information, she added.
Further updates will be provided on the social media pages of MFA's foreign missions.
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