The President of Singapore Visits Uzbekistan

Yesterday, on the 23rd of May, the President of Singapore Halima Yakub, arrived in Uzbekistan for a two-day state visit.  She was warmly greeted at the airport by Uzbekistan's Deputy Prime Minister, Zulayho Mahkamova and other officials.  Photos from the official welcoming ceremony reveal that Halima Yakub travelled to Tashkent, not by a special plane, but on a flight operated by the national airline, "Uzbekistan Airways."

Prior to her visit to Uzbekistan, the Singaporean President also made a stop in Kazakhstan.  Photos released by the press service of the Kazakhstani President during Halima Yakub's visit to Astana, do not show a private plane.  The reason behind this is that she travelled to Kazakhstan on a commercial flight, just like she does for her other foreign trips.  In fact, in Singapore, even high-ranking officials such as the Prime Minister and government representatives often opt for commercial flights. For these journeys, they usually rely on Singapore Airlines or another suitable airline based on the destination.  In exceptional cases, the Singapore Air Force's specially equipped Airbus A330 MRTT and Fokker 50 aircraft may be used if necessary.

For instance, in late March of this year, both the Prime Ministers of Singapore and Malaysia visited China simultaneously.  While the Malaysian Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, used a special plane designated for the diplomatic delegation, Lee Hsien Loong, the Prime Minister of Singapore, initially flew to Guangzhou on a Singapore Airlines plane before continuing his journey to Beijing with Hainan Airlines.

Halima Yakub, who prefers to travel less frequently, took a regular flight when she travelled to Malaysia on the 20th of March this year.  Similarly, during her visit to the UK in early May to attend the coronation of King Charles III, she did not utilize a separate plane.

It's worth mentioning that Singapore is one of the world's wealthiest countries in economic terms.  With a gross domestic product (GDP) of 447 billion dollars, it is nearly 5.5 times higher than that of Uzbekistan.  The per capita income in Singapore stands at 91.1 thousand dollars, whereas in Uzbekistan, it amounts to 2255 dollars.

As a point of reference, it is worth noting that the president of Mexico previously sold his luxury plane to the Tajikistan government for 90 million dollars as part of efforts to reduce expenses.