A flight transporting 78 Thais from Sudan was scheduled to arrive in Bangkok at 10pm last night, the air force said, making them the first group of evacuees to arrive home since the conflict in the North African country began.
Spokesman AVM Prapas Sonjaidee yesterday said an Airbus A340-500 plane and two air force C-130s had already transported a total of 82 Thai nationals from Sudan to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.
He said 78 of them were to board the Airbus A340-500 plane back to Thailand, while four planned to stay in Saudi Arabia with their relatives.
Many of the evacuees were tired from the travelling but everyone was in good spirits, he said.
The flight to Thailand would leave at 2pm Thailand time and arrive at Wing 6 at Bangkok’s Don Muang at about 10pm, he added.
The two military aircraft would remain in Jeddah for other Thai evacuees, he said.
Atthapol Sangkavasee, permanent secretary for education, said there were about 220 Thais, including 150 students, in Sudan and all of them were evacuated.
Two more evacuation flights will leave Jeddah for Thailand today, he said.
The Education Ministry is willing to help the students finish their studies at home if they wish, he said.
Most of the students were studying medicine, Islamic law and religion in Sudan, the permanent secretary noted.