The first group of 82 Thai nationals leaving Sudan arrived at the airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Wednesday morning, and are waiting to be picked up on Thursday by the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF), according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The air force sent three aircraft — two C-130s and an Airbus A340-500 — from the Bor Nor 6 military airport next to Don Mueang on Tuesday night on a mission to repatriate Thais from Saudi Arabia, after they were plucked from the violent and escalating crisis in Sudan.
The planes were en route to King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah — designated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a gathering point for Thai nationals in Sudan who wish to return to Thailand.
The first group of 82 Thai citizens arrived at the airport at 9am via a ship from Port Sudan provided by the Saudi Arabian government, said Kanchana Patarachoke, director-general of the Department of Information at the ministry.
The ship was carrying nearly 1,700 foreigners of many nationalities who are making their way home.
The Airbus sent from Thailand arrived at the Jeddah airport at 9.30pm on Wednesday to pick them up, while the other two planes were still en route to Jeddah.
Screening showed that only 78 will fly to Thailand on Thursday as four others have decided to stay in Saudi Arabia because they have relatives there.
Another 133 Thais, and a foreign family — a Thai woman and her American spouse and child — have registered with Saudi authorities for evacuation and are waiting to board the Saudi ship from Port Sudan.
Another five Thai students who want to repatriate and live outside the city of Khartoum in Sudan are also on the way to the port, Ms Kanchana said on Wednesday.
The arrival of Thai evacuees at Don Mueang Airport might be delayed from the original schedule due to the complexity of the mission, said ACM Alongkorn Vannarot, the air force commander-in-chief.
They were originally expected to be back in Bangkok by Wednesday night and are now expected to arrive at Don Mueang airport on Thursday around 10pm, but that too could change.
Some 800 people were waiting to board the Saudi ship at Port Sudan, reports said.
Depending on how events play out, ACM Alongkorn said, the air force may need to carry out a risk management plan, as it is unclear whether everyone will be able to leave the port due to the large number of nationalities scrambling to leave.
