More than 200 Singaporeans and their dependents arrived at Changi Airport on Wednesday morning.
Seeing Singaporean soldiers on the Republic of Singapore Air Force A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh on Tuesday (Mar 10) brought Ms Malathi Keshvani a distinct sense of comfort.
Ms Malathi, her husband and two children were among the 218 Singaporeans and their dependents who arrived at Changi Airport Terminal 2 on the first military evacuation flight from Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.
“The way they spoke to us, the Singapore way of making you feel. When you hear these things, you feel like ‘oh you’re already home’.
“And then the pilot said it is an honour to get you home – I mean, what beats that? And we already felt safe, although we knew we were going to fly through the airspace.
“There was that little bit of (fear) for me, but the moment the pilot said that, I felt like okay, we are safe.”
The evacuation flight departed Riyadh at about 10.30pm on Tuesday.
It was the first of two military flights from Saudi Arabia to evacuate Singaporeans in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia amid the Middle East war.
The second flight is being planned for Thursday, the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said.
In a Facebook post, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said that although Singapore had arranged several commercial flights to bring Singaporeans home, some locations were not accessible through commercial flights. That was why the RSAF A330 MRTT was deployed to Riyadh.
He thanked Saudi Arabia and Singapore’s partners in the region for their support in facilitating and ensuring the safe passage of the evacuation flights.
“To our fellow Singaporeans who remain in the region: please stay vigilant, look out for one another, and ensure you are e-registered with MFA so that we can reach you quickly if needed,” he added.
As the passengers left the baggage area, they were greeted with tears and tight hugs.
Ms Malathi and her family had travelled on a bus from Doha to Riyadh to get on the evacuation flight. She said their family in Singapore kept supporting and checking in on them.
“You don’t think of these things until you go through something so unbelievable,” she said.
“We didn’t know how to get out of Doha safely until the embassy said they were organising this. That gave us the assurance that we would be supported and taken care of.”
Mr Nick Nassier was also on a bus from Doha to Riyadh, with the journey taking about eight hours. His family members were at Changi Airport to welcome him home.
“We can’t be thankful enough, seriously, we can’t be thankful enough. It is so good to be back home again,” he told CNA.
“It was all very well run by the MFA people.”
Speaking to CNA, Mr Senthil Nathan said he was happy to be home and that the flight was better than any other flight he has been on.
“I have to salute them,” he said. “They took care of everything.”
“We are very relieved,” added his daughter Harini. “He was chill about the situation at first but for the past two, three days started to get a bit more worried.”
Ms Samantha Herman flew back to Singapore with her two children and elderly mother, who has Alzheimer’s disease. Her husband stayed behind in Doha.
“It’s a relief to know that mum is back. Our family was so worried, very worried. We tried to keep them updated without making them panic.”
Her younger son, Arman who had his birthday on Monday, was upset that he had to leave his father behind, but the main purpose of the trip was to get his grandmother home.
She said about five to six buses had left the embassy in Doha for the journey to Riyadh.
“The travel was seamless. The crew, or the military staff on board, were fantastic. I think everybody was just relieved when they saw our men and women in uniform.”
The family was met at the airport by family members, including Ms Herman’s sister, Serene, who had balloons for the children and a cake for Arman.
“We are so thankful … To have your loved ones come back to you at this time of need. And (the Singapore government) was very prompt, with the MFA contacting them every day,” she said.
“This is a relief to see them coming off the plane, seeing them back with their families and loved ones,” said Senior Minister of State for Defence Zaqy Mohamad on Wednesday shortly before the first passengers arrived.
He thanked the RSAF team for bringing the Singaporeans and their dependents home.
“When called upon, they showed courage, fully knowing that going into the region meant coming under attack. This is something that I salute them for, their bravery, and this is something they have done without hesitation.
“This is the right thing to do. This is our duty to bring Singaporeans home.”
MINDEF had said the airspace in Saudi Arabia remained open and that the necessary diplomatic clearances had been sought to conduct the repatriation flights.
The deployment of the aircraft is solely to support the assisted departure operations, according to the ministries.
