‘It was worthwhile’: SIA crew on their experiences during repatriation flights from Middle East

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SINGAPORE – Her young child slept peacefully for four hours during the flight from Muscat to Singapore, the mother told Singapore Airlines (SIA) in-flight manager Gan Bee Bee.

That was the longest undisturbed sleep the little boy had enjoyed in two weeks, the mother added. And after waking, he danced in the Airbus A350 cabin during the repatriation flight from Oman’s capital.

“Thinking about that, I think it was worthwhile,” said Ms Gan, 47, an SIA veteran of 25 years.

Ms Gan and the 12 cabin crew members did their best to ensure the peace and comfort of the passengers during the national carrier’s first repatriation flight from Muscat.

The in-flight manager also tried to keep her colleagues’ spirits up by telling them to “think about what you would like to have for supper tonight” and reminding them that they would be touching down in Singapore soon enough.

And her own source of motivation? Enjoying chwee kueh the next morning.

The passengers were quite emotional during take-off from Muscat, with some cheering, tearing up or gazing out of the windows in deep thought, said Ms Gan.

“One of our passengers told us: ‘I’m finally home after several tries’,” she added.

It was one of two SIA repatriation flights from Muscat in March taking Singaporeans and their dependants home.

When the plane landed at Changi Airport, Ms Gan said she was touched by the announcement welcoming Singaporeans and Singapore residents home.

At the arrival hall, the in-flight manager ran into the young daughter of a passenger – dressed in a miniature sarong kebaya uniform – who thanked her for bringing her father home.

“I only had a small role – there are people doing a lot of work behind (the scenes), but I’m proud to be part of the team involved in this operation,” said Ms Gan.

Having kept the news of her involvement from her elderly parents to prevent them from worrying, Ms Gan made sure to give her mother a call after touching down.

“Being the typical auntie she is, (she went) ‘aiyo’. But she mentioned – in her second sentence – ‘thank you for bringing them back’,” Ms Gan recalled.

Efforts to mount SIA’s repatriation flights had begun about a week before, Captain Leonard Wee told The Straits Times, as the pilots had to prepare for various procedures at Muscat International Airport since SIA does not fly there.

The chief pilot of the airline’s Airbus A350 fleet said this was no different from preparing to fly to a new destination, but the lead time was shortened owing to the urgency caused by the conflict.

Following the US-Israel attack on Iran on Feb 28, and Iran’s retaliation against most of the Gulf states, including the United Arab Emirates and Oman, Singaporeans in the region were left scrambling to get home.

Capt Wee, 52, who has been a pilot with SIA for 26 years, had volunteered to operate the first of two SIA repatriation flights – and asked other pilots to step up.

“I thought it was important for me to lead this flight in – because the rest of my team was also willing (to participate). I feel that there was purpose in this mission,” he said.

There were four pilots in the flight deck – two operating the aircraft and two acting as “extra pairs of eyes”.

Capt Wee said the pilots encountered some interference with the flight’s navigation system, but they were trained to handle such situations.

On successfully bringing 152 Singaporeans and their dependants home, he felt “a sense of accomplishment”. The entire team – including pilots, ground personnel, station staff and cabin crew – had worked towards the important goal of bringing fellow Singaporeans home, he added.

Describing this flight as one of his most memorable, Capt Wee said the feeling of returning home was good, and he enjoyed supper with his wife and three children after that.

His 13-year-old daughter – who was more emotional and needed some reassurance before her dad piloted the plane – was “very happy” and gave him a hug, while his youngest daughter, eight, had prepared a little paper heart with the words “welcome home, Papa”.

Contingency plans had been in place – such as having an engineering team and spare parts on board to fix technical issues, as well as having crew at another station outside Muscat in the event of a long delay at the city – but they were not activated, said Capt Wee.

Also involved in these flights was Mr Colin Aw, acting manager of airport operations at SIA, who planned the ground operations – from the checking in of passengers to baggage loading to refuelling of the plane – to ensure the flight departed from Muscat on time and safely.

The 34-year-old, who has been working at SIA for eight years, noted that there were challenges operating in an environment where the airline had no established presence.

This meant that he and his team needed to ensure there was enough fuel for the two-way journey between Singapore and Muscat. They also activated the Dubai ground support team to handle flight operations in Muscat.

One of the unexpected trip-ups was the sudden ineligibility of handwritten boarding passes for immigration clearance, said Mr Aw. But this was solved by e-mailing the boarding passes to Muscat International Airport and printing the passes out on A4-size paper.

Noting that this was the first time he had supported such a flight, Mr Aw said it felt “fulfilling and rewarding” the moment the first repatriation flight was airborne.

But he could not rest just yet: He also managed the ground operations for the second SIA-operated repatriation flight less than 24 hours later on March 8.

The second flight carried 167 Singaporeans and their dependants home, alongside citizens from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and South Korea.