A recent Scoot flight from Ipoh was graced by the presence of Singapore’s President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who was applauded by passengers.
He responded to the warm welcome with a wave, reported Malaysia’s Sin Chew Daily.
Source: Sin Chew Daily
Mr Tharman returned to Singapore on a Scoot flight from Sultan Azlan Shah Airport in Ipoh which took off at 5.25pm on Tuesday (26 Aug).
Before boarding, passengers noticed an official car parked on the tarmac and began speculating who the important guest might be.
Their questions were answered when Mr Tharman emerged as the last passenger to board the plane.
As Mr Tharman was seated in the first row, he was quickly noticed, and passengers eagerly whipped out their phones to capture the moment.
Source: Sin Chew Daily
When he heard applause from Singaporean passengers in the back, he graciously responded with a wave.
He reportedly also travelled to Ipoh on Scoot on Monday (25 Aug) afternoon and was immediately recognised by passengers waiting to board.
The President and his wife Jane Ittogi were on a two-day working visit to Ipoh, where they were warmly received by Sultan of Perak Nazrin Shah and Tuanku Zara Salim.
Source: Tharman Shanmugaratnam on Facebook
The couple enjoyed breakfast at the Old Town White Coffee Experience Centre and explored Ipoh’s historic landmarks, including Concubine Lane, the Ho Yan Hor Museum and the Kong Fu Kopitiam.
Mr Tharman was also accompanied by a delegation from the National University of Singapore (NUS), of which he is Chancellor. NUS and Universiti Malaya (UM) then celebrated more than six decades of collaboration with a series of commemorative events.
Mr Tharman is not the only Singapore politician to have been spotted on Scoot.
In October last year, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong was also seen boarding a Scoot flight and sitting in Economy Class.
He appeared surprised when the passengers greeted him with enthusiastic cheers and applause, and responded by smiling widely and waving to them.
He later posted on social media that he “felt like home” once he boarded the plane and thanked the passengers for the warm welcome.
Also read: PM Wong receives cheers when he boards Scoot flight, says it ‘felt like home’
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Featured image adapted from Sin Chew Daily.