Follow our live coverage here.
SINGAPORE – A total of nine passengers took a
organized special flight
by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) leaving Singapore for Muscat, Oman, on the morning of 8 March.
Singapore Airlines flight SQ8002, intended for non-resident travelers in Singapore, departed Changi Airport at 5.30am for Muscat International Airport. Later, the same plane will return with Singaporeans from Oman on the night of March 8.
An STB spokesperson said the board received requests for assistance from 33 affected foreign visitors.
Among those who boarded the flight was a couple living in Switzerland who had intended to stay in Singapore for just one night in transit, but ended up stranded for more than a week.
Swiss national Jeremie Berard, 36, and his Portuguese partner Joana Goncalves, 31, were due to leave Singapore on February 28, but their flights were canceled several times.
“I felt a little disappointed (about the flight cancellations), but at the same time I was glad to be here and not in Doha because here we were safe, like we had everything we needed,” Ms. Gonçalves said. The architect added that they spent their time here sightseeing.
“All direct flights were sold out and we had no other opportunities to return home,” he added.
They were supposed to return to Zurich via Doha, but their February 28 flights were cancelled. They also purchased tickets for March 1, 3 and 8, but they were all canceled at short notice.
They added that they also had to constantly look for new places to stay here amid uncertainty about when they would be able to return home.
The couple said they accumulated nearly US$5,000 (S$6,375) from their extended stay in Singapore and canceled flights.
“At some point, we were so desperate that we considered crossing the United States and Canada and then returning to Europe,” said Berard, who is an engineer.
They found out about this flight organized by STB through their hotel and said they were “really happy” and “grateful” for the organization, highlighting that the process was simple.
From Oman they will fly to Istanbul, before taking a final flight to Zurich.
Two other passengers, who are German citizens but asked not to be identified, said they were unable to get help from the airline where they had booked their flights. They were supposed to leave Singapore on March 7.
He The duo, who had been traveling through Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, added that the flight arranged by STB was the “best option” they could get.
However, not everyone who showed up at the airport managed to take the flight.
Some passengers suffered hiccups from 2:30 a.m. and decided not to take the flight.
Two passengers, who did not want to be identified, said they would look for alternatives to return to Rome, such as leaving via Malaysia.
A group of Italian passengers are unable to check-in SQ8002 bound for Muscat, Oman, on March 8, as they do not have return tickets from Oman.
ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
The STB spokesperson said eight foreign visitors were unable to board the plane because they did not have the necessary travel documents to enter Oman, a prerequisite for travel.
“STB continues to assist foreign visitors in Singapore who may require assistance due to travel disruptions,” the spokesperson added.