A US embassy spokesman said American citizens wishing to return home should make arrangements to go on these commercial flights as soon as possible unless they were prepared to remain abroad for an indefinite period.

“We are thankful that commercial flights remain an option, though very limited, for US citizens wishing to depart Malaysia,” the spokesman told Bernama.

As such, the spokesman said, evacuation flights were not planned at this time.

Commenting on the cooperation between the Malaysian and US authorities in facilitating requests to bring US citizens back home, the spokesman said: “We have a longstanding, comprehensive partnership with Malaysia that extends beyond 60 years.

“We truly appreciate Malaysia’s continued support to Americans and the US embassy during these challenging times.”

The spokesman said that over the past several weeks, the US State Department had undertaken a worldwide effort to repatriate American citizens from around the globe.

“It’s one of the most remarkable diplomatic missions in American history.

“Globally, our team, working at great personal risk, has repatriated about 60,000 citizens from across the world through nearly 500 flights from more than 100 countries.”

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