Supporting the mission behind the scenes was Major Fong Wei Shen, an operations planner from the Air Defence and Operations Command.
In charting the route between Singapore and Saudi Arabia, safety and time were key considerations.
“Because of the dynamic situation in the Middle East – the situation is constantly evolving – so we want to get there as soon as possible, and also to bring our Singaporeans back to Singapore in the most expeditious way,” he said.
On whether a military plane flying on a civilian route would be misunderstood, MAJ Fong said it was not new for the RSAF to fly such routes.
“There’s no difference in terms of consideration on which commercial route we are using,” he added.
MAJ Fong and his team oversaw and monitored the repatriation mission while in Singapore.
When they saw news of airspace closures or projectiles in an area, they would contact the MRTT team and update the crew.
They had to evaluate the information online and determine if it would affect the flights.
“If it’s applicable to us, we will react immediately. But if the info we get … is inconclusive or there’s no actual fact, then we will keep it within ourselves and not burden the air crew,” said MAJ Fong.
Doing all this under time pressure meant emotions had to take a backseat.
“To be honest, when we are planning and executing the mission, there’s no time to think about all this.
“But after the mission, when we received the (news) article from the public and also from passengers, actually, we felt very honoured to be able to participate in this operation,” he said.
MAJ Fong added: “From my experience, I have participated in numerous operations, be it as a chief planner or as an air crew executing the mission.
“But for this particular mission, the feeling is different. Because this particular mission, we plan it for our Singaporeans … to bring them back home safely.”