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RMAF Herkybirds to fly students out of Egypt

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There are some 11,000 Malaysian students registered in Egypt.

 

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RMAF Herkybirds to fly students out of Egypt

February 02, 2011

 

Demonstrators shout slogans during a protest against Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak February 1, 2011. — Reuters pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 2 — Three C-130 Hercules transport aircraft belonging to the Malaysian Royal Air Force will leave for Egypt around noon today in a mission to bring home Malaysian students from the troubled country.

 

National Security Council secretary Datuk Mohamed Thajudeen Abdul Wahab said the aircraft would also bring along foodstuff.

 

“At noon today, the aircraft will take off from Kuala Lumpur. They are taking with them food supply such as rice, cooking oil, flour, canned food and so on,” he told Bernama when contacted.

 

He added that the government was now arranging temporary visas with the Saudi Arabian government to enable evacuation of students to Jeddah.

 

“Their number is huge so we are bringing them to Jeddah first,” he said.

 

Last night, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak ordered the evacuation of Malaysian students due to the mounting uprising in Egypt.

 

Najib said the decision was made following a report by a team of Malaysian officials who is currently on a fact-finding mission to Egypt headed by Deputy Foreign Minister A. Kohilan Pillay and participated by the prime minister’s political secretary Datuk Sahlan Ismail.

 

There are about 11,300 Malaysian students registered with the Malaysian Embassy in Egypt.

 

Hundreds of thousands of Egyptian stage demonstrations across major Egyptians cities in a bid to force President Hosni Mubarak to end his 30-year rule, plunging the country in its worst crisis in recent times. — Bernama

 

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/rmaf-herkybirds-to-fly-students-out-of-egypt/?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

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Airasia sending plane to jeddah at 2 o clock today. Run shuttles to jeddah. Kamarudin will lead airasia team. Good luck to them.

 

Tony's tweet!

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AirAsia

 

‎[special Announcement] - AirAsia will be sending one A320 aircraft to help bring Malaysians in Cairo home. AirAsia’s team will be headed by our Deputy Group CEO, Datuk Kamarudin Meranun. AirAsia will make 4 trips daily between Jeddah and Cairo covering 8 sectors.

 

The first flight left KLIA, LCCT to Jeddah at 2pm (GMT+8 )

 

Edited by Naim

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I'm sure you guys are aware that both airlines as well as TUDM TLDM and more are mounting rescue efforts to rescue our boys and girls in Egypt.

 

While both airlines should be lauded for their efforts, I am appalled at the fact that AK is only sending an A320 to CAI. I have heard Azran Rani said many times that they have an A330 (383 seats) ready at any moment should Govt allow them rights into SYD, but now that people's lives and safety are at stake, chose to send a 180-seater aircraft.

 

A little look at social media pages shows that they are blowing this up as 'efforts to save the world' but I'm surprised not many people have their eyes open to this fact.

 

MH is sending a 744 i believe, which should be the case. Any LARGE aircraft should be sent.

 

my 2 cents...

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MH is helping too....

 

Malaysia Airlines to operate rescue flights for Malaysians in Egypt

 

Malaysia Airlines will operate a rescue flight for Malaysians to be evacuated from Egypt on Thursday, 3rd February 2011. The national airline will assist in the evacuation of as many Malaysians as possible, out of Cairo and into Jeddah. This is in line with Malaysia Airline’s corporate social responsibility commitment to the Malaysian citizens stranded in Egypt.

 

Rescue flight MH 8010 will depart Kuala Lumpur tomorrow tentatively at 9.00am and scheduled to arrive Cairo at 1.20pm (Egypt local time). This flight is scheduled to depart Cairo at 4.20pm (Egypt local time) and arrive Jeddah at 6.10pm (Jeddah local time). This will be followed by a series of shuttle flights between Jeddah and Cairo.

 

Director of Operations Captain Mohamed Azharuddin Osman said, "We are preparing the aircraft, and our Operations and Technical crew to be positioned at Jeddah today. At the same time, we are also liaising with government officials for other logistical issues such as visa arrangements, accommodation, transfer, etc for Malaysians entering Jeddah”.

 

Malaysia Airlines flights to the city of Cairo are operated via Egypt Air under a code share service.

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I have heard Azran Rani said many times that they have an A330 (383 seats) ready at any moment should Govt allow them rights into SYD, but now that people's lives and safety are at stake, chose to send a 180-seater aircraft.

 

A little look at social media pages shows that they are blowing this up as 'efforts to save the world' but I'm surprised not many people have their eyes open to this fact.

Azran's Tweet:

 

@airline_dude don't make assumptions. We were ready but this is as per Gov't directive.

Which is a reply to:

 

@azranosmanrani why not send ur high density A330. Ppl risking life to go to CAI airport, can't fit into A320. Thot u got a/c avail dude

What is "Gov't directive"? The rights to fly to SYD?

 

If this is really the case, shame on the AK/D7 group. :finger:

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was the number of 11,300 malaysians there were all students?

How about other malaysians who work/live in egypt? They'll be left-out?

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c.lee : You hit the spot there. He means its govt directive to fly small aircraft into CAI? Azran has never made a lot of sense when the tides are turned against him.

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Azran's Tweet:

 

 

Which is a reply to:

 

 

What is "Gov't directive"? The rights to fly to SYD?

 

If this is really the case, shame on the AK/D7 group. :finger:

 

 

for people like me n my family who had been stranded in CAIRO since last THURSDAY, we dont need to think abot all those BULLSHIT thinking on what aircraft did AK/D7 or MAS will send to rescue us...LETS JUST APPRECIATE THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE TO HELP US NOW....WHAT WE KNOW IS THAT WE WANT TO SAY THANKS TO MAS, AK/D7, RMAF AND ALSO MALAYSIAN GOVERNMENT. HOPE WE CAN GET BACK TO KUALA LUMPUR A.S.A.P...

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February 02, 2011 20:43 PM

 

Egypt: Air Traffic Congestion Hampers Early Evacuations Of Students

 

PUTRAJAYA, Feb 2 (Bernama) -- Air traffic congestion in Egypt has hampered early evacuations of Malaysian students, Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Richard Riot said.

 

He said that at the moment, the airspace over Egyptian airports were busy with aircraft from countries flying in and out to take stranded passengers.

 

"The Foreign Ministry's duty is to ensure our students there are safe and the safe place now is in Jeddah. We will take them out, this is our priority," he said at a briefing for parents of Malaysian students currently studying in Egypt.

 

Riot said the government had to make arrangements with the Egyptian government to allow Malaysian aircraft to enter their airspace.

 

He said three C-130 aircraft belonging to the air force had left for Jeddah Wednesday to evacuate the students while aircraft from AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines would also help in carrying out the evacuation process.

 

The ministry was also in the process of sending another monitoring team to Egypt in addition to the existing one headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Senator A. Kohilan Pillay, he said.

 

He also urged parents to contact Wisma Putra and provide the details including the contact numbers of their children in Egypt to ensure that none of them were left out in the evacuation process.

 

He also denied claims that the operations room at Wisma Putra had not been answering calls, saying the system there was such that even though the phones were engaged, callers would still get the ringing tones as though the phones were not picked up.

 

Meanwhile, a mother, Zainon Suratman, 50, who attended the briefing said she constantly worried over the safety of four of her family members in Egypt, namely her children Che Nur Azizi Izuddin Che Kadir, 25, Che Mohd Nor Anaz Che Kadir, 21, daughter-in-law Nur Hura Adam, 22, and Abdul Rahman Adam, 15.

 

She said that her children told her of the worsening situation in the country.

 

"I was told prison inmates have also bolted out of prisons and looting shops and houses not far from the place where they are staying," she said.

 

Zainon, from Batu Pahat, said the situation was getting out of control, posing danger to the students.

 

"It is also difficult to contact them because of the price of prepaid telephone cards there has skyrocketed," she said.

 

Meanwhile, Salmah Abu Mansor, a government officer here, hoped that her daughter Intan Noratiqah Md Yunus, 21, a third year medical student in Egypt, would be brought home.

 

"I couldn't sleep thinking about her," she said.

 

-- BERNAMA

 

http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=561294

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for people like me n my family who had been stranded in CAIRO since last THURSDAY, we dont need to think abot all those BULLSHIT thinking on what aircraft did AK/D7 or MAS will send to rescue us...LETS JUST APPRECIATE THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE TO HELP US NOW....WHAT WE KNOW IS THAT WE WANT TO SAY THANKS TO MAS, AK/D7, RMAF AND ALSO MALAYSIAN GOVERNMENT. HOPE WE CAN GET BACK TO KUALA LUMPUR A.S.A.P...

 

That BS would matter if you (or your family) happen to be pax number 181 queing for the AK flight.

 

I'm surprised you're still at home on the internet btw. I thought internet and phones have been down since a couple of days ago? You must be on satellite phone then. Quite a malaysianwings addict! good luck to you then.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/egypt/8288163/How-Egypt-shut-down-the-internet.html

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That BS would matter if you (or your family) happen to be pax number 181 queing for the AK flight.

 

I'm surprised you're still at home on the internet btw. I thought internet and phones have been down since a couple of days ago? You must be on satellite phone then. Quite a malaysianwings addict! good luck to you then.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/egypt/8288163/How-Egypt-shut-down-the-internet.html

 

 

yup...it pissed me off when people are making the 'aircraft type' as an issue to condemned the airlines...put it this way, they had willing to help us here, so just keep quite and say thanks

 

they just opened all internet connection today since they cut everything off since last friday and only applicable during non-curfew time between 0800-1600 hrs local time

 

thanks for the concern mate

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That BS would matter if you (or your family) happen to be pax number 181 queing for the AK flight.

 

I'm surprised you're still at home on the internet btw. I thought internet and phones have been down since a couple of days ago? You must be on satellite phone then. Quite a malaysianwings addict! good luck to you then.

I am not sure what is your problem but barking like that in a cynical way to a fellow forum member who is now in a middle of a crisis is just plain blunt.

 

AK won't be carrying only 180 passengers on their rescue flights. AK planned 4 daily return trips between CAI and JED (that's at least 720 Malaysians can be brought out of CAI to JED in a day and there is no mentioned of how many days the A320 aircraft will be assigned to this region, could be 3 or 4 days, so you just do the math).

 

AirAsia will make 4 trips daily between Jeddah and Cairo covering 8 sectors.

I am sitting in front of a few Egyptian colleagues this very second, all of whom can call and text their families in Egypt at this very moment. I am also just received a reply to my text message from a cousin who is now studying at Al Azhar University in Cairo waiting for her convoy to get out of the country.

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Lets just be optimist n hoping that everyone is doing their best to help, shall we?

To fellow malaysians in egypt, everyone here is praying for ur best..

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all those BULLSHIT thinking on what aircraft did AK/D7 or MAS will send to rescue us...

 

You do realise that this is an aviation forum, and "aircraft type" deployed is quite an apt topic.

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Just to share the experience of my cousin, a Malaysian student in Cairo, whom I just talked to just now:

 

- Situation is only tense in several hot areas.

- Airlines are still operating as usual, subject to regulatory approval.

- The curfew for today is extended until 17:00 local time.

- For tomorrow (3 February 2011), the curfew will be for 24 hours - the whole day.

- She is now at Cairo International Terminal 1 waiting for her RJ flight to KUL via AMM and BKK tomorrow. She has to spend the night at the airport today because of the reported 24 hours curfew tomorrow.

- She was told by her college that Al Azhar University will be closed for 1 year until the crisis is over, or whenever advised.

- She is aware of the rescue efforts by air and water that the Malaysian Air Force, Navy, MH and AK are organising, but she and many of her friends at Al Azhar prefer to make their own arrangements to get out of the country.

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Plane taken off. The idea of a 320 is so that we can do many quick turnaround flights. The goverment wants to move as many quicky. Going between and cairo will not result in many being moved

 

TF's tweet on why the A320 was used as opposed to the 330.

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I believe the whole rescue effort is being coordinated by Wisma Putra and Mindef. So the airlines are only responding to the call for what is needed. So lets not make any wild accusations while these efforts are being made to bring home our fellow Malaysians who are stranded in Egypt. We don't even have the full facts. I am sure that all contributions will be greatly appreciated by those in need.

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...LETS JUST APPRECIATE THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE TO HELP US NOW....WHAT WE KNOW IS THAT WE WANT TO SAY THANKS TO MAS, AK/D7, RMAF AND ALSO MALAYSIAN GOVERNMENT. HOPE WE CAN GET BACK TO KUALA LUMPUR A.S.A.P...

 

...put it this way, they had willing to help us here, so just keep quite and say thanks...

Of course. We do have to thank everyone who is willing to help, but we cannot keep quiet if the situation is used as a tool to demand for something. (But then again, had they been granted the rights to fly to SYD, I believe all these drama will not even happen.)

 

AK won't be carrying only 180 passengers on their rescue flights. AK planned 4 daily return trips between CAI and JED (that's at least 720 Malaysians can be brought out of CAI to JED in a day and there is no mentioned of how many days the A320 aircraft will be assigned to this region, could be 3 or 4 days, so you just do the math).

Had they used the 377-seats A330 instead, there will be at least 1508 Malaysians brought out of CAI daily instead of 720. Unless, of course, there is not enough A330 that they need to use an A320 instead. But then according to Azran, they are ready to deploy the A330, subject to "government's directive".

 

Should we blame the gov for not granting the SYD rights, hence only an A320 is deployed instead of an A330?

 

We don't even have the full facts. I am sure that all contributions will be greatly appreciated by those in need.

Correct. We don't have the full picture, hence we can only discuss here until the cow comes home. :lol:

 

Anyway, getting Malaysians to a safe place from Egypt is the priority now. Appreciate everyone's effort. Hope everyone will be safe and sound.

Edited by c.lee

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I believe Tony Fernandes was tweeting about rights to CAI - they don't have it and the govt. was arranging for them to get the rights to land in CAI. Whatever made you guys think he was demanding SYD rights in exchange? Can you please post that tweet to enlighten us?

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We are discussing that an A330 should be used instead of an A320 so more Malaysians can be ferried out of CAI within the same timeframe.

 

From Azran's tweet.. They are willing to use an A330 but it is as per gov's directive. I personally don't think the gov forced them to use only an A320, hence the speculations.

 

Like I said, I do not have the full picture. Perhaps Azman can enlighten us.

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Wednesday, February 2, 2011

update 00:01pm 2/2/2011 (Rabu) GMT +8

 

"alhamdulillah baru je called rakan di cairo. Satu plane TUDM already fetch student mesir and it's otw to jeddah. The next flight insyaallah tomorrow =)"

~Halimah Osman~

 

Laporan Akmal Aziz

http://krisismesirnasibrakyatkita.blogspot.com/2011/02/update-2354pm-222011-rabu-gmt-8.html

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