6 SIA, Scoot flights cancelled, 2 Malaysia Airlines flights diverted after US, Israel attack on Iran
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[SINGAPORE] Six Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Scoot flights on Saturday (Feb 28) and Sunday were cancelled after the US and Israel launched a wave of strikes against targets in Iran.
Two Scoot flights – TR596 (Singapore to Jeddah) and TR597 (Jeddah to Singapore) – on Saturday were also cancelled, the airline said.
SIA said it strongly advises customers to update their contact details via the Manage Booking function on the SIA and Scoot websites, or subscribe to the mobile notification service, to receive flight updates.
“We will continue to monitor the situation in the Middle East closely and will adjust our flight paths as needed,” it added.
Singapore embassies in the Middle East advised Singaporeans there to exercise caution and stay updated on regional developments amid heightened tensions on Saturday.
SIA said on Saturday that four of its flights had been cancelled on both days: SQ494 (Singapore to Dubai) and SQ495 (Dubai to Singapore).
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The strikes on Iran on Saturday plunged the Middle East into a new conflict that US President Donald Trump said would end a security threat to the United States and offer Iranians a chance to topple their rulers.
Malaysian news outlet Bernama reported that two Malaysia Airlines flights bound for destinations in the Middle East from Kuala Lumpur were diverted on Saturday after a mid-flight advisory concerning heightened airspace risk.
MH160, bound for Doha, turned back to Kuala Lumpur while MH156, bound for Jeddah, was diverted to Chennai, said Bernama, citing a Malaysia Airlines statement.
Both flights have now safely returned to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
These turnbacks were carried out in accordance with established conflict-area diversion protocols, the airline was reported as saying in a statement on Saturday.
Checks by The Straits Times on flight-tracking site FlightAware found that MH156 left KLIA at about 7.13 pm on Friday and was diverted midway to land at Chennai, India. The flight eventually landed back at KLIA at about 8.47 am on Saturday.
MH160 departed from KLIA at about 9.40 pm on Friday before being turned back. It landed at KLIA at about 3.36 am on Saturday.
“Affected passengers were assisted with alternative flight arrangements and hotel accommodation, where required,” the airline said.
The Malaysia Airlines flight disruptions came ahead of a reported pre-emptive attack that Israel said it had launched against Iran on Saturday.
A slew of other global airlines also cancelled or rerouted flights in the Middle East, including Emirates, Turkish Airlines, Lufhansa and KLM.
Flight maps showed the airspace over Iran virtually empty as Israel said it struck Iran, and the US military initiated a series of strikes against targets in the country. Iran retaliated with a salvo of missiles.
The attack follows a 12-day air war in June 2025 between Israel and Iran, with the US joining an Israeli military campaign against Iranian nuclear installations, in what Reuters reported as being the most direct American military action ever against the Islamic Republic.
The US and Israel had issued repeated warnings that they would strike again if Iran pressed ahead with its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.
Explosions were heard in Teheran on Saturday, Reuters reported, citing Iranian media. Sirens sounded across Israel at around 8.15 am local time, in what the military said was a proactive alert to prepare the public for the possibility of an incoming missile strike.
Israel closed its airspace to civilian flights, and its airport authority has asked the public not to go to any of the country’s airports.
A US attack on Iran is also under way, Reuters reported. The US military initiated a series of strikes against targets in Iran, two US officials told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The scope of the air and sea operations was not immediately clear, with a US official saying the campaign is expected to last for multiple days. THE STRAITS TIMES, REUTERS
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