NUS students, staff touch down in S’pore after being stranded in S. Africa amid global travel chaos
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The group's return trip, originally scheduled for March 2 via Doha in Qatar, was affected by the recent developments in the Middle East.
ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
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SINGAPORE – A group of about 30 students and teaching staff from the National University of Singapore arrived safely in Singapore on the afternoon of March 5, after being stranded in Johannesburg, South Africa, as the conflict in the Middle East snarled global travel.
The group left for Kenya in East Africa on Feb 20 for a field studies trip, said a parent of a student from the group.
The group’s return trip, which was originally scheduled for March 2 via Doha in Qatar, was affected by recent developments in the Middle East.
The group left Nairobi in Kenya and travelled to Johannesburg in South Africa on March 3 after travel agency FCM secured tickets for a flight back to Singapore through Ethiopia and Mumbai, India. However, the group was unable to board the flight owing to ticketing issues, and were left stranded in Johannesburg.
FCM then secured tickets for Ethiopian Airlines’ Flight ET638 to Singapore. The group arrived back at Singapore at about 2.30pm on March 5.
FCM provided the group with accommodation at an airport hotel, while they waited for the flight.
In response to queries from The Straits Times on March 4, NUS’ Department of Geography head David Taylor, who led the field trip, said: “When we were informed that our return trip originally scheduled for March 2 would be affected by developments in the Middle East, we immediately started exploring alternative options to get home safely.”
Professor Taylor added that the group was “safe and in good spirits, and we look forward to coming home tomorrow”.
A spokesperson for NUS’ Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences said it had been in close communication with the group, adding that it is grateful for the assistance and support of “all parties involved”.
“The safety and well-being of our students and staff are our priority,” added the spokesperson.
According to global flight-tracking service Flightradar24, Flight ET638 was set to depart from Addis Ababa in Ethiopia at 12.10am local time (5.10am Singapore time) on March 5 and reach Singapore at 2.50pm on the same day.
Several countries in the Middle East, including Qatar, closed their airspace after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on Feb 28.
Multiple airlines have announced widespread cancellations in what is currently the biggest disruption to global air transport since the Covid-19 pandemic.
