Singapore confirms 2 RSAF repatriation flights for citizens and dependants from Saudi Arabia

A day after the completion of two back-to-back repatriation flights from Muscat in Oman, the Singapore Government on Monday (March 9) confirmed two more repatriation flights for Singaporeans and their dependants from Saudi Arabia. 

In a joint statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and Ministry of Defence said a Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport will be deployed for the assisted departure of Singaporeans from Riyadh in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. 

It added that the deployment is 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. 

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A fourth repatriation flight, also from Saudi Arabia, is being planned for Thursday (March 12). 

In a separate post on MFA's social media, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Gan Siow Huang said that mounting repatriation flights requires careful planning and coordination, adding that security conditions on the ground "can change very quickly".

She added that the Government will continue to do its best to bring Singaporeans home. 

MFA will be reaching out to Singaporeans who have registered their interest for assisted departure from Saudi Arabia with more details. 

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Plans for a third repatriation flight from Saudi Arabia were first reported on Saturday, when the ministry sent messages to Singaporeans there. 

Singaporeans and their dependants who are interested to take the repatriation flight were asked to indicate their interest via an online form, which is no longer available. 

Unlike the first two repatriation flights, one detail stood out when preliminary flight details were made available — that no meals will be provided onboard the flight. 

The RSAF's A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport is capable of performing both air-to-air refuelling and airlift roles simultaneously. 

Its airlift capabilities include being able to carry 37,000kg of cargo or 266 persons. 

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editor@asiaone.com