PUBLISHED ONMarch 13, 2026 3:40 AMBYSean LerShafiq ApandiEighty-one Singaporeans and their dependants, including 42 students studying in Jordan, arrived in Singapore just before 6am on Friday (March 13), on the Republic of Singapore Air Force's (RSAF) A330 multi-role tanker transport (MRTT).
This is the second RSAF aircraft deployed to Saudi Arabia to evacuate citizens and their dependants stranded in the Middle East.
The first evacuation flight on Tuesday (March 10) brought home 218 people.
Nur Nadhrah Badriah Mohamad Murtazam, 24, has been studying in Jordan for the past three years and has not returned home for about a year. She is expected to graduate in June.
Speaking to AsiaOne with her family, she said the experience over the past two weeks has been "quite scary".
"I've been experiencing sirens every day and we can see the missiles from our apartment. It's been quite scary because the situation is much more worse than last year," she added.
She recalled hearing sirens daily and that is when the longing to return home grew: "I really wanted to come back because I don't want to hear sirens every day. From the moment I wake up, there are sirens going off.
"Every night there's going to be missiles and we can actually see them very clearly. During that time, most of us really wanted to come back to Singapore, come back to our families."
Her mother, 52-year-old Rozana Khamsen, saw her daughter's updates on her Instagram and grew worried.
"We were so stressed out, very worried. So, I told her: 'You'd better come back now.'"
Though steely in front of camera, Nur Nadhrah's father couldn't hide his emotions when he saw her daughter, holding her tightly.
Explaining his reaction, Rozana said: "My husband said that as long as she's not back in front of us, we cannot be relieved yet, because there's still the journey (from Jordan to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia)."
Nur Nadhrah described the journey as "very smooth".
Solihin Zainal, 19, said he and other first-year students were in a dilemma as to whether to return or continue with their studies.
Jordan was relatively safer as compared to other Middle Eastern countries, he said, until tensions in the region escalated further over the past week.
Besides being grateful for the free flight home, which he said eased financial considerations for most students, he described the evacuation experience as "heart-warming".
"All the crew on board — the enciks, the servicemen — they were the ones who actually attended to us, and they were really friendly and welcoming.
"It was heart-warming for me to see that our Government, and (agencies) that were a part of it — Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Ministry of Defence (Mindef)...you could see that they really care for us, cared for the citizens, especially Singaporean students studying abroad.
"So, overall, we were really grateful for the opportunity to be able to get on board this flight and be back safely to Singapore," he said.
Both MFA and Mindef said in separate statements that available seats, after prioritising and catering for Singaporeans who registered for the flight, were extended to nationals from Australia, Brunei, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.
"This is in the spirit of solidarity, just as how other countries have assisted Singaporeans in returning home in past crises," the ministries added.
Speaking to the media before he headed off to receive the returning Singaporeans, Minister of State for Defence Desmond Choo said: "Wherever (there are) Singaporeans who need help, we will not hesitate to act...We will continue to serve our Singaporeans wherever we can."
Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Assoc Prof Faishal Ibrahim, who joined families, friends and loved ones of the returning students to wait for their arrival, acknowledged that it has been an "anxious and difficult period" for the students and their families.
He noted that it was "not an easy choice" for the students as some have only just begun their studies, while others are in their final year.
Assoc Prof Faishal assured parents and students that the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) will continue to provide assistance to returning students as they navigate the disruptions to their studies.
The acting minister added that Muis' student liaison officers and Singapore's overseas missions will continue to look out for students who remain in the Middle East.
@asiaone Eighty-one Singaporeans and their dependants, including 42 students studying in Jordan, arrived in Singapore just before 6am on March 13 on a Republic of Singapore Air Force A330 multi-role tanker transport, the second RSAF aircraft deployed to Saudi Arabia to evacuate citizens and their dependants stranded in the Middle East. #sgnews #Singapore #AirForce #Homecoming #SaudiArabia #MiddleEast #war ♬ original sound - AsiaOne
Over the past week, the Singapore Government has mounted two repatriation flights operated by Singapore Airlines — on March 7 and March 8, and two evacuation flights flown by the Republic of Singapore Air Force.
A total of 618 Singaporeans and their dependants have returned home safely across the four flights.
[[nid:731230]]
