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RMAF Herkybirds to fly students out of Egypt

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But MH flights have no problem to land in JED.

 

Malaysia Airlines Travel

Rescue flight MH8010 has just safely landed in Jeddah. :)

 

There will be two scheduled daily flights tomorrow Jeddah-Cairo-Jeddah to evacuate stranded Malaysians in Cairo.

3 minutes ago

 

 

MH Deals by Malaysia Airlines

Malaysia Airlines rescue flight took off from Cairo at 2.06 pm with a total of 364 passengers on board. They are expected to arrive Jeddah at 4.10pm. For latest updates on rescue mission u may follow http://www.facebook.com/MAStravel or @MAS on Twitter.

about an hour ago

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AirAsia also no prob getting to JED.

 

===

 

200 Malaysian students flown to Jeddah

2011/02/03

 

CAIRO: A group of 200 Malaysian students were flown from Cairo to Jeddah on an AirAsia plane about 9.30pm Malaysian time today.

 

It is part of an exercise to bring out more than 6,000 Malaysians in four days.

 

Another 345 students will fly to Jeddah on a Malaysia Airlines plane later tonight (10pm) while thousands more will be flown to the Saudi Arabia city using commercial and RMAF flights starting from tomorrow.

 

http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/200MalaysianstudentsflowntoJeddah/Article/

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..... then those planes to evacuate only BN supporters .....

To be fair, he/she is only asking for priority to be accorded to this group :p

The 'others' can wait for later flights or remain and learn from the unrests there :D

 

 

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

Gee, such enforced sabbatical can't be too good for the poor kid's learning curve

Hope things get sorted out pronto

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From RJ & GF website:

 

Travel to and from Egypt

 

 

RJ flights to and from Egypt are operating. Please check your flight status before leaving to the airport.

For Passengers whose original travel period is between 29th January and the 5th February:

Travel date of these tickets can be changed to a date between now and the 28th February 2011

Passengers can use the full ticket value towards purchasing any other ticket on RJ

Passengers may cancel their tickets and obtain a full refund

 

Passengers who are already in Cairo and Alexandria, with tickets showing later travel dates and now want to change their travel out of Egypt to be within the 30th January and the 5th February are waived from any revalidation or refund penalties

 

Flights to Sharm ElSheikh are not affected for the time being

 

Egypt Flights Update

 

 

Due to the prevailing situation in Egypt and to comply with the curfew in force, Gulf Air’s flights to Cairo and Alexandria will be operated as per the revised schedule below:

 

 

Bahrain-Cairo-Bahrain

 

Feb 2

GF 71

Dep: Bahrain

10:15

Arr: Cairo

12:50

Upgraded to A340

 

Feb 2

GF 70

Dep: Cairo

13:50

Arr: Bahrain

17:55

 

Feb 3

GF 71

Dep: Bahrain

10:15

Arr: Cairo

12:50

Upgraded to A340

 

Feb 3

GF 70

Dep: Cairo

13:50

Arr: Bahrain

17:55

 

 

 

Bahrain-Alexandria-Bahrain

 

Feb 2

GF 75

Dep: Bahrain

07:30

Arr: HBE (Alexandria)

11:15

A320

 

Feb 2

GF 76

Dep: HBE (Alexandria)

12:00

Arr: Bahrain

15:15

A320

 

Feb 3

GF 73

Dep: Bahrain

07:30

Arr: HBE (Alexandria)

11:15

A320

 

Feb 3

GF 74

Dep: HBE (Alexandria)

12:00

Arr: Bahrain

15:15

A320

 

Passengers are being informed of the revised schedule by the Gulf Air World Wide Contact Centre. Gulf Air passengers scheduled to fly to Cairo or Alexandria at a later date and wishing to change their travel plans are requested to contact the Gulf Air World Wide Contact Centre on 17335777, which operates round the clock.

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To be fair, he/she is only asking for priority to be accorded to this group

The 'others' can wait for later flights or remain and learn from the unrests there

The was some news about the evacuation of Sabahan students only in Egypt by a special charter organised by Yayasan Sabah, but this plan was not given the green light.

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I wonder who is going to foot the bills of these rescue effort. It has been reported that the American government and European governments are charging their citizens an exuberant amount of money to get on the plane in order to leave Cairo....

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The Bruneian students were safely evacuated from Egypt through a charter flight operated by Safi Airways of Afghanistan; I think i've seen the article online,but i've forgotten about the link on it.

 

So far,any latest news on the operation?

Edited by Tamizi Hj Tamby

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The Bruneian students were safely evacuated from Egypt through a charter flight operated by Safi Airways of Afghanistan; I think i've seen the article online,but i've forgotten about the link on it.

Try Zeqa's reply #47 right above :D

Edited by BC Tam

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I believe one or two of our relatives that we are aware of, whether distant or a close kin, may be affected by the airport chaos in Egypt. I am now starting to be curious about the whereabouts of my second cousin now.

Edited by Alif A. F.

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I wonder who is going to foot the bills of these rescue effort. It has been reported that the American government and European governments are charging their citizens an exuberant amount of money to get on the plane in order to leave Cairo....

 

If I was a Malaysian taxpayer (soon soon...), I'd gladly chip in as long as the students are airlifted out safe and sound. I'm sure many forummers here wouldn't mind doing the same, as it beats 'chipping in money' for someone's Cayenne or lavish Geneva shopping sprees!

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Malaysia

PetroSaudi to lease 747s to evacuate Malaysians

By Yow Hong Chieh

February 05, 2011

 

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 5 — PetroSaudi chairman Prince Turki al-Saud will lease two Boeing 747s to bring Malaysians back home from Saudi Arabia after their arrival from crisis-hit Egypt.

 

PetroSaudi CEO Tarek Obaid said the gesture, made on behalf of the company and the Saudi royal family, demonstrated PetroSaudi’s continued commitment to Malaysia. The prince is a son of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.

 

The oil exploration and production company, owned by the Saudi royal family, is involved in a RM8.7 billion joint venture with government-owned 1 Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), a vehicle for Middle East investments in Malaysia.

..........

 

read the rest here

Captain Nik and 9M-MPQ at the ready ? :D

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AirAsia’s risky rescue

 

PUTRAJAYA: The Government and AirAsia officials took the risk to mount a flight to transport Malaysians from Saudi Arabia on Thursday despite not having the clearance to land in Cairo or Jeddah.

 

Since Wednesday, AirAsia’s flight AK 9800 was filled with foodstuff, along with passengers among whom were AirAsia deputy group chief executive Datuk Kamarudin Meranun, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Jamil Khir Baharom and Tabung Haji chief executive Datuk Ismee Ismail.

 

However, the A340 aircraft couldn’t take off from the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal as it had no clearance to land either in Cairo or Jeddah because the airline had no landing rights.

 

However, they decided to take off at 7am the next day and while in mid-air, the pilot was told that he could land in Cairo although the entourage had planned to land in Jeddah to establish ground support.

 

“We decided to go for it although we had wanted to make it to Jeddah which was to be our hub in this airlift operation. But our minds were on the thousands of Malaysian students stuck in Egypt,” Kamarudin said yesterday.

 

They packed over 320 Malaysian students into the aircraft and made the two-hour long flight to Jeddah.

 

The crews’ problems didn’t end there. They found that their documents were not in order.

 

Kamaruddin then called his partner AirAsia CEO Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes and also Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor to explain their predicament.

 

“Datin Seri realised what was needed. She made some calls and the visas and landing permits were quickly approved,” he said.

 

AirAsia also deployed two more planes for the operation.

 

“The A320 will be the workhorse and will do up to seven flights daily between Cairo or Alexandria and Jeddah, while the A340 and the A330 with its bigger capacity will do up to two flights daily.

 

“This means AirAsia will mount almost 10 shuttle flights daily to airlift Malaysians out of Egypt,” Kamarudin said.

 

Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/2/6/nation/8011650&sec=nation

 

Direct flight for M’sians from Jeddah

 

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia Airlines (MAS) is sending a second Boeing 747 aircraft to Jeddah today to transport Malaysian students in Egypt back home.

 

A statement from the national carrier said the MH 8028 flight will be the first direct shuttle to Kuala Lumpur after it provided assistance to evacuate stranded Malaysians from Cairo to Jeddah.

 

The flight, which can accommodate up to 454 passengers, will leave KL International Airport at 11am today and is expected to arrive in Jeddah at 4pm (9pm, Malaysian time).

 

It is scheduled to leave Jeddah at 7pm (midnight, Malaysian time) and will reach Kuala Lumpur at 10am on Monday.

 

Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/2/6/nation/8012483&sec=nation

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Kamaruddin then called his partner AirAsia CEO Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes and also Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor to explain their predicament.

 

“Datin Seri realised what was needed. She made some calls and the visas and landing permits were quickly approved,” he said.

 

The flight, which can accommodate up to 454 passengers, will leave KL International Airport at 11am today and is expected to arrive in Jeddah at 4pm (9pm, Malaysian time).

Powerful connection they got there!

 

The only B744 that can carries 454 passengers is 9M-MPQ, Capt. Nik's B744. In Jeddah here, the Tabung Haji hostels are experiencing overcapacity as the complex can only handle a maximum of 2,000 people at a time. And the Malaysians from Cairo were only granted a visa for 7 days only. They need to leave Saudi Arabia afterwards, hence this next movement to bring them all to KUL is crucial.

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AirAsia’s risky rescue

 

PUTRAJAYA: The Government and AirAsia officials took the risk to mount a flight to transport Malaysians from Saudi Arabia on Thursday despite not having the clearance to land in Cairo or Jeddah.

 

Since Wednesday, AirAsia’s flight AK 9800 was filled with foodstuff, along with passengers among whom were AirAsia deputy group chief executive Datuk Kamarudin Meranun, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Jamil Khir Baharom and Tabung Haji chief executive Datuk Ismee Ismail.

 

However, the A340 aircraft couldn’t take off from the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal as it had no clearance to land either in Cairo or Jeddah because the airline had no landing rights.

 

However, they decided to take off at 7am the next day and while in mid-air, the pilot was told that he could land in Cairo although the entourage had planned to land in Jeddah to establish ground support.

 

“We decided to go for it although we had wanted to make it to Jeddah which was to be our hub in this airlift operation. But our minds were on the thousands of Malaysian students stuck in Egypt,” Kamarudin said yesterday.

 

They packed over 320 Malaysian students into the aircraft and made the two-hour long flight to Jeddah.

 

The crews’ problems didn’t end there. They found that their documents were not in order.

 

Kamaruddin then called his partner AirAsia CEO Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes and also Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor to explain their predicament.

 

“Datin Seri realised what was needed. She made some calls and the visas and landing permits were quickly approved,” he said.

 

AirAsia also deployed two more planes for the operation.

 

“The A320 will be the workhorse and will do up to seven flights daily between Cairo or Alexandria and Jeddah, while the A340 and the A330 with its bigger capacity will do up to two flights daily.

 

“This means AirAsia will mount almost 10 shuttle flights daily to airlift Malaysians out of Egypt,” Kamarudin said.

 

Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/2/6/nation/8011650&sec=nation

 

Direct flight for M’sians from Jeddah

 

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia Airlines (MAS) is sending a second Boeing 747 aircraft to Jeddah today to transport Malaysian students in Egypt back home.

 

A statement from the national carrier said the MH 8028 flight will be the first direct shuttle to Kuala Lumpur after it provided assistance to evacuate stranded Malaysians from Cairo to Jeddah.

 

The flight, which can accommodate up to 454 passengers, will leave KL International Airport at 11am today and is expected to arrive in Jeddah at 4pm (9pm, Malaysian time).

 

It is scheduled to leave Jeddah at 7pm (midnight, Malaysian time) and will reach Kuala Lumpur at 10am on Monday.

 

Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/2/6/nation/8012483&sec=nation

 

Talked to crew of the said rescue flt (A340) while over the Bay of Bengal on return flt from IKA,2 sets of crew and they were flying direct to Cairo,got to respect them for the great endeavour.

 

As for the goverment birds,i was also involved once doing such missions and it was really tiring and hazardous,but that was a long time ago.

 

I dont mind paying partly for the bill,as a brother muslim its fardhu kifayah,i dont know about others who are too petty with their wallets

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@Azizul: I've been wondering about visa arrangements for Malaysians flown to Jeddah. At first I thought their stay in Jeddah is considered akin to transiting without clearing immigration, but doesn't seem like it if it's only for 7 days max. Would have been less pressing if they are transiting through other visa-free places like Cyprus, but I doubt we have any kind of facilities there...

 

@Stryker: I suppose there's not much difference between government spending on this evacuation mission and the aid to flood victims of Johor for example - both are to help fellow Malaysians in need. God bless to all involved in this mission!

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@Azizul: I've been wondering about visa arrangements for Malaysians flown to Jeddah. At first I thought their stay in Jeddah is considered akin to transiting without clearing immigration, but doesn't seem like it if it's only for 7 days max. Would have been less pressing if they are transiting through other visa-free places like Cyprus, but I doubt we have any kind of facilities there...

I think they were granted a special type of visa issued upon arrival in JED, initiated by our government. This is possible considering the good reputation of our country in the eye of the Saudis. But for sure violation to this visa will be closely monitored. An overstay of even 1 day will lead to a fine of SAR 10,000 (approximately MYR 8,000). Been there done that!

 

Anyway, here are some scenes at the Tabung Haji hostel in Jeddah stolen from a friend.

 

180363_1833834971908_1421444295_2032378_7603865_n.jpg

 

180913_1833835211914_1421444295_2032379_3491911_n.jpg

 

168029_1833835731927_1421444295_2032382_738559_n.jpg

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Some reluctant to leave Egypt

 

JEDDAH, Feb 7 (Bernama) — Some Malaysian citizens, who are working in Egypt, and final-year students are reluctant to return home, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom.

 

He said the evacuation of Malaysian citizens from Egypt could be extended to today if those who had decided to stay back changed their minds.

 

“Although they have decided not to return to Malaysia, they assisted those who were being flown out of Egypt to Jeddah.

 

“Until 9am yesterday, we have moved 3,645 students to the Tabung Haji pilgrims’ transit centre in Jeddah,” he told a news conference here yesterday.

 

He said 50 Malaysian students from Jordan, who were trapped in Egypt, were also flown to Jeddah before returning to Jordan today.

 

Jamil Khir said Royal Malaysian Air Force’s Hercules C-130 and AirAsia aircraft would be deployed to fly from Alexandria to Jeddah while Malaysia Airlines aircraft would fly out the students from Cairo.

 

Recounting his experience in Cairo, Jamil Khir said he had to go through more than 10 roadblocks manned not only by the authorities but also civilians armed with swords, machetes and spears.

 

He said food prices escalated due to a shortage of supply.

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Najib: A fine example of public and private sectors’ cooperation

 

KUALA LUMPUR: The operation to airlift Malaysians out of Egypt is a fine example of a joint effort between the private and public sectors in the face of a national emergency, said Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

 

Expressing his happiness over the entire exercise, the Prime Minister said as of yesterday evening, about 10,300 were evacuated to Jeddah.

 

The first batch of students will return home tomorrow morning aboard a Malaysia Airlines special flight.

 

“This is a national effort under the principle of total defence. We were able to deploy our national assets, from both the private and public sector, under the co-ordination and supervision of the Government to get the students out of Egypt,” he said in an interview here yesterday.

 

Three RMAF C-130 aircraft, two MAS B747 jets and three AirAsia Airbus comprising an A320, A330 and A340 aircraft have been deployed in the country’s biggest airlift of its citizens from a foreign hotspot.

 

A Royal Malaysian Navy auxiliary ship KD Bunga Mas 3 has also been diverted to Egypt to help in the rescue mission.

 

“I am extremely pleased with AirAsia and MAS for pulling out their aircraft from their flight schedules to take part in this mission,” said Najib.

 

On the number of Malaysians in Egypt, he said the Government’s figure of 11,319 students did not include those who were there for holidays or business and did not register themselves with the embassy there.

 

“The final figure could be around 13,000 but we are confident that we can complete the airlift by Tuesday,” he added.

 

MAS director of operations Captain Mohamed Azharuddin Osman said 454 of the evacuees will be brought home from Jeddah tomorrow.

 

Meanwhile, Deputy Foreign Minister A. Kohilan Pillay said some of the Malaysian reporters in Egypt were stopped at several checkpoints because they were out during the curfew.

 

However, they were released after a few hours, he said when contacted yesterday.

 

Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/2/6/nation/8012558&sec=nation

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Another Bernama report:

 

 

No politics in Ops Piramid, says Najib

 

SEPANG, Feb 7 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the operation to evacuate Malaysians from Egypt is of national interest and has no political element.

 

The government, he said, would do all it could to bring home Malaysians from the strife-torn country.

 

“We make decisions in whatever situation and we are carrying out the mission to secure the safety of all Malaysians residing or studying there.

 

“This is a mission of national importance. No political consideration whatsoever, as long as they are Malaysians, we will secure their safety,” the prime minister said as he greeted 778 Malaysians, including students, at the Bunga Raya Complex of the KL International Airport (KLIA) here today.

 

They are the first group of Malaysians to arrive home in the massive evacuation operation, dubbed “Ops Piramid”, which was launched on Wednesday.

 

The Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia flights landed about 10am.

 

Also greeting them on arrival were the prime minister’s wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, several Cabinet ministers and the students’ family members.

 

Saying that the mission was a massive undertaking, Najib said the government had to carry out detailed preparations, including having the Malaysians evacuated to Jeddah prior to being brought home.

 

He added that the mission involved various agencies because the ultimate objective was to ensure the Malaysians were safe.

 

The prime minister said the government was concerned for the safety of Malaysians, saying there was a total breakdown of law and order in Egypt at the moment.

 

“Anything can happen in a total breakdown of law and order. We are worried that our children might get hurt or be exposed to life-threatening situations,” he said.

 

The prime minister said the return of the first group of Malaysians was a relief for Malaysians in general.

 

It was for this reason, he said, that he postponed an important meeting which he was to chair this morning, to meet the returning Malaysians at the airport.

 

Najib said he and his wife had not taken any leave during the past few days despite the public holidays because they had to monitor the evacuation process.

 

“Sometimes we received calls at 3am (regarding the evacuation process). So far, the process is going on smoothly. I pray that the others will also arrive safely,” he said.

 

He also thanked all those involved in the operation, including Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, Tabung Haji, the armed forces and the National Security Council.

 

Najib also expressed his gratitude to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Prince Turki Abdullah al-Saud, for bearing the cost of two Boeing 747 flights to bring home the Malaysians from Jeddah to Kuala Lumpur, describing it as an extraordinary gesture towards Malaysia.

 

Najib said the government was also prepared to discuss with the universities in Egypt so that the affected students would be able to sit for their examinations in Malaysia.

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Powerful connection they got there!

 

Powerful connections and still they can't fly to SYD? :p

 

Thank god our people are getting back safe and sound from Egypt. But I am shocked that some have decided to stay behind!

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The was some news about the evacuation of Sabahan students only in Egypt by a special charter organised by Yayasan Sabah, but this plan was not given the green light.

 

Yayasan Sabah booked them on commercial flights from CAI-XXX-KUL-BKI. QR is one of them.

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