Special flight arranged by STB for foreigners stranded in Singapore leaves for Oman
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SINGAPORE - Nine passengers were on board a special flight arranged by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) leaving Singapore for Muscat, Oman, on the morning of March 8.
Singapore Airlines Flight SQ8002, which was for non-resident travellers who were in Singapore, departed Changi Airport at 5.30am for Muscat International Airport. The same plane returned from Oman with 167 Singaporeans and their dependants on the night of March 8.
An STB spokesperson said the board received applications for assistance from 33 affected foreign visitors.
Among those who boarded the flight were a couple living in Switzerland who had meant to stay in Singapore for only a night in transit but ended up being stranded for more than a week due to the conflict in the Middle East.
Swiss national Jeremie Berard, 36, and his Portuguese partner Joana Goncalves, 31, were slated to depart from Singapore on Feb 28, but their flights were cancelled multiple times.
“I was a little bit disappointed (about the flight cancellations) but at the same time, I was glad I was here and not in Doha because here we were safe, like we had everything we needed,” said Ms Goncalves. The architect added that they spent their time here sightseeing. “All the direct flights were sold out, and we didn’t have other opportunities to go home,” she added.
They were supposed to return to Zurich via Doha but their flights on Feb 28 were cancelled. They also bought tickets for March 1, 3 and 8, but these were all cancelled on short notice.
They added that they had to constantly look for new places to stay here amid the uncertainty over when they would be able to go home.
The couple, who went to Thailand for a holiday, said they racked up almost US$5,000 (S$6,400) for the extension of their stay in Singapore and the flights that were cancelled.
“At some point, we were so desperate that we were considering to go through the US and Canada, and back to Europe after,” said Mr Berard, who is an engineer.
They found out about the flight arranged by STB through their hotel and said they were “really happy” and “grateful” for the arrangement, noting that the process was smooth.
From Oman, they will be flying to Istanbul, before taking a final flight to Zurich.
Two other passengers, who are German nationals but declined to be identified, said that they were unable to get help from the airline where they had booked their flights. They were supposed to leave Singapore on March 7.
The duo, who had been travelling in Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, added that the flight arranged by STB was the “best option” they could get.
However, not all who turned up at the airport managed to catch the flight. Some passengers were seen encountering difficulties from 2.30am and decided not to take the flight.
Two passengers, who declined to be identified, said they would be looking for alternatives to return to Rome, such as through leaving via Malaysia.
A group of Italian passengers are unable to check in for SQ8002 to Muscat, Oman, on March 8, as they do not have onward tickets from Oman.
ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
The STB spokesperson said that eight foreign visitors were unable to board the plane as they did not have the required travel documents to enter Oman, a prerequisite for travel.
“STB continues to assist foreign visitors in Singapore who may require help due to travel disruptions,” added the spokesperson.
