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SINGAPORE – Seeing enciks (warrant officers) pushing meal carts and serving food on board a repatriation flight from the Middle East was a “once-in-a-lifetime experience” for Mr Tan Wei Heng.
Mr Tan, 28, arrived in Singapore on the morning of March 11 on the repatriation flight from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, operated by a Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) A330 multi-role tanker transport aircraft.
He had travelled to Doha, Qatar, for work on Feb 28, and was stranded there by
airspace closures
in the region after the US-Israel attack on Iran.
Passengers were told to expect limited cabin service, but one meal was provided. The flight was free for those being repatriated.
Mr Tan, an engineer, had picked a fish and rice meal option – with the other options being chicken and vegetarian – and described it as “SIA standard”.
He was among 218 Singapore citizens and their dependants aboard the flight, which is the largest repatriation flight arranged by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) from the Middle East so far. It touched down at Changi Airport at 6.02am on March 11.
The first repatriation flight from Muscat, Oman, on March 7
carried 152 Singaporeans and their dependants
, while the second one on March 8
brought 167 Singaporeans and their dependants
home. National carrier Singapore Airlines operated these flights.
Speaking to reporters at the arrival hall of Changi Airport Terminal 2 at around 5.30am on March 11, Senior Minister of State for Defence Zaqy Mohamad said he wanted to assure Singaporeans that the Government will support them, with the deployment of repatriation flights to bring them home.
He added it was a “relief” to see Singaporeans and their dependants back with their families and loved ones.
When passengers started streaming into the arrival hall about half an hour after the flight landed, many of their loved ones were waiting earnestly to greet them with warm hugs and tears of joy.
Ms Serene Herman, 51, even showed up with balloons, self-arranged flower bouquets and a birthday cake, to welcome her youngest sister and her nephews.
Her nephew Arman Nurakhmetov, who turned eight on March 9, was treated to a belated surprise birthday celebration at the arrival hall.
The florist wanted to celebrate Arman’s birthday, as he had to spend it on a 10-hour bus ride from Doha arranged by MFA.
Arman Nurakhmetov having his belated birthday celebrated by his family members upon his return to Singapore on March 11.
ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY
Her sister Samantha Herman, 44, was happy and relieved to be home, having been based in Doha for work for the past 20 years.
Adding that she was thankful for how MFA arranged the repatriation flight, the corporate strategist said: “I could really feel the military’s love on board… and everyone was relieved when we saw our men in uniform.”
Others like Mr Satish Menon, 49, who was stationed in Dubai for work, had to arrange his own transport from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to Dammam in Saudi Arabia, and then Riyadh – coordinating visas and border access for his team of four workers of different nationalities.
Initially slated to return home via a commercial flight on March 9, the marine and offshore industry worker received an alert from MFA informing him about the repatriation flight from Riyadh and he signed up immediately.
Describing the process as “quite straightforward”, Mr Menon, a Singapore permanent resident who works for a Singapore-based company, thought it was safer and more straightforward for his team to get on the MFA flight.
He added that the RSAF aircraft “looks exciting” from the outside and it turned out to be akin to a normal commercial flight – “just without the Singapore Airlines crew”.
Healthcare worker Amanda Er was relieved that her “11-day nightmare” had ended, as she had been stranded in Doha with her elderly mother from Feb 28. She was transiting there after a flight from Singapore, and was headed for Vienna, Austria.
The 31-year-old said she was initially reluctant to do a land transfer from Doha to Riyadh, as she had seen missiles criss-crossing the air from her hotel window and was worried that the journey would be treacherous with no space to shelter from the missiles.
But the bus journey, arranged by MFA, was smooth and had multiple stops along the way, making it manageable for her 62-year-old mother, she added.
Ms Er had picked the vegetarian meal option on board the RSAF plane, which she described as a “good meal”, as it came with hummus, salad and a fruit platter, berry shortcake and pasta.
“The military men serving us always wore a smile on their face,” she noted.
Ms Er also said there was applause on the plane when it took off from Riyadh, and when it landed in Singapore – with someone shouting “Majulah Singapura!”.
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong noted in a Facebook post on March 11 that the Government deployed the RSAF aircraft to Riyadh to bring Singaporeans home because some locations are not accessible by commercial flights.
“We are deeply grateful to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and our partners in the region for their strong support in facilitating this and ensuring safe passage for our flights,” he added.
A second RSAF flight is being planned for March 12 to bring Singaporeans home from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.