Largest RSAF aircraft will evacuate S’poreans from Saudi Arabia, can carry 266 people
Singapore is sending a Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) aircraft to Saudi Arabia to evacuate Singaporeans stuck in the Middle East due to the ongoing war.
The flights will take place on Tuesday (10 March) and Thursday (12 March), said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) in a joint statement on Monday (9 March).
Source: @thersaf on Instagram
RSAF activated due to lack of commerical options
The Government has activated the RSAF due to “the lack of feasible commercial options in the region”, the statement said.
In an MFA Facebook post, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Gan Siow Huang said many commercial airlines and airports are not ready to resume operations as the situation on the ground was “fluid”.
Source: Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Facebook
At the same time, Singaporeans in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia were in “urgent need” of assistance to return to Singapore, said MFA and MINDEF.
RSAF says it’s ‘ready’ to evacuate S’poreans from Saudi Arabia
The aircraft being deployed is the A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft, MFA and MINDEF said.
According to MINDEF’s Pioneer website, it is the largest aircraft operated by RSAF, with a wingspan of more than 60m.
Source: The Republic of Singapore Air Force on Facebook
The A330-MRTT can carry up 266 personnel or 37,000 kg of cargo, according to RSAF.
This flexibility allows it to be configured expeditiously for a wide range of airlift missions and also be equipped with medical equipment for aero-medical evacuation missions.
Compared with the KC-135R aerial tankers, the A330-MRTT has better endurance, cargo and passenger capacity, and the ability to provide more fuel to other aircraft.
In a Facebook post, RSAF said it stood ready to support the assisted departure of Singaporeans.
Source: The Republic of Singapore Air Force on Facebook
Passengers won’t need to pay for ‘no-frills service’
MFA and MINDEF said the deployment of MRTTs to Saudi Arabia “serve solely to support the assisted departure operations”.
MINDEF told Channel NewsAsia (CNA) that passengers would not need to pay for the flights, as they are “a no-frills service”.
One meal will be provided.
The flight will use civilian flight routes, with Saudi Arabian airspace open and necessary diplomatic clearances obtained.
MFA will reach out to Singaporeans who have registered their interest with more details.
2 flights from Oman returned from 7-8 March
Since war broke out between the United States, Israel, and Iran on 28 Feb, travellers have been struggling to evacuate from the Middle East due to flight cancellations and airspace closures in the region.
Singapore has already dispatched two repatriation flights to evacuate Singaporeans from Oman, with 152 returning on 7 March and another 167 returning on 8 March.
Citizens of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Republic of Korea have also taken the available seats on these flights, “in the spirit of helping one another during emergencies”, MFA said.
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Featured image adapted from @thersaf on Instagram.
