Singapore to deploy second RSAF evacuation flight to Saudi Arabia

SINGAPORE: Singapore has confirmed a second military evacuation flight to Saudi Arabia to assist Singaporeans seeking to leave the Middle East amid the ongoing conflict in the region.

A Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft will be deployed to Jeddah on Thursday (Mar 12).

This follows an earlier flight on Mar 10, when an RSAF MRTT aircraft was sent to Riyadh to evacuate Singaporeans. 

“Similar to the earlier deployment on Mar 10, the MRTT that will be deployed to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, serves solely to support the assisted departure operations,” the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a joint press statement.

MFA has contacted Singaporeans who had registered their interest with more details.

The aircraft deployed to Riyadh touched down at Changi Airport early on Wednesday, carrying 218 Singaporeans and their dependents. 

This was the first military aircraft Singapore sent to the Middle East for evacuations since the US and Israel struck Iran, sparking a war that prompted many countries in the region to close their airspace. 

In a Facebook post, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on Wednesday 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.