26 SIA, Scoot flights to Middle East cancelled amid US-Israel attacks on Iran

[SINGAPORE] A total of 26 Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Scoot flights between Feb 28 and Mar 7 have been cancelled following a wave of strikes against targets in Iran by the US and Israel.

SIA said in a statement on Sunday (Mar 1) that two daily flights between Singapore and Dubai have been cancelled between Feb 28 and Mar 7. They are SQ494 (Singapore to Dubai) and SQ495 (Dubai to Singapore). A total of 16 flights are affected.

Two flights by Scoot, SIA’s low-cost subsidiary – TR596 (Singapore to Jeddah) and TR597 (Jeddah to Singapore) – have also been cancelled on Feb 28, Mar 2, 3, 5 and 7, the national carrier added.

“The safety of our customers and staff is the SIA Group’s top priority,” an SIA spokesperson said.

“We will continue to monitor the situation in the Middle East closely and will adjust our flight paths as needed,” the spokesperson added.

Read more: US-Iran conflict disrupts thousands of flights as travel chaos deepens; Dubai airport closed

In a Facebook post on Sunday (Mar 1), the national carrier said that other SIA flights may be affected as the situation remains fluid.

Customers affected by the cancellations will be placed on alternative flights or they can seek a full refund of the unused portion of their ticket, it said.

Customers should 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.

SEE ALSO

US-Iran conflict disrupts thousands of flights as travel chaos deepens; Dubai airport closed

Changi Airport’s website indicated that six Qatar Airways flights between Doha and Singapore on Sunday have also been cancelled.

A Qatar Airways spokesperson said its flight operations remain temporarily suspended due to the closure of Qatari airspace.

“Qatar Airways will resume operations once the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority announces the safe reopening of Qatari airspace,” said the spokesperson, adding that a further update will be provided on Monday.

Global air travel remained heavily disrupted on Sunday as continued air strikes kept major Middle Eastern airports, including Dubai, the world’s busiest international hub, closed in one of the sharpest aviation shocks in recent years.

Key transit airports, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Doha in Qatar, were shut or severely restricted as much of the region’s airspace remained closed after US and Israeli strikes killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday.

Israel said it launched another wave of strikes on Iran on Sunday while loud blasts were heard for a second day near Dubai and over Doha after Iran launched retaliatory air attacks on the neighbouring Gulf states.

Dubai International Airport sustained damage during Iran’s attacks while airports in Abu Dhabi and Kuwait were also hit. Thousands of flights have been affected across the Middle East, indicated data on flight-tracking platform FlightAware.

Airport closures sent shockwaves far beyond the Middle East, leaving thousands of travellers stranded across Asia and Europe.

In Bali, Indonesia, long queues snaked through I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport as passengers waited to speak to airline staff.

Travellers sat on their luggage as they waited to find out details of their flights at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, Bangladesh, while departure boards in Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport showed a long list of cancelled flights.

Dubai and neighbouring Doha sit at the crossroads of east-west air travel, funnelling long-haul traffic between Europe and Asia through tightly scheduled networks of connecting flights. With those hubs idle, aircraft and crews remained stranded out of position, disrupting airline schedules worldwide.

The US and Israel carried out strikes on Iran targeting its leadership on Feb 28, prompting Teheran to retaliate against Israel and US allies in the region, including the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

On Sunday Iranian state media confirmed that its Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed on Saturday.

Singapore embassies in the Middle East advised Singaporeans there to exercise caution and stay updated on regional developments amid heightened tensions.

The attacks follow a 12-day air war in June 2025 between Israel and Iran, with the US joining an Israeli military campaign against Iranian nuclear installations.

The US and Israel had issued repeated warnings that they would strike again if Iran pressed ahead with its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

Israel, Iran, Iraq and Jordan were reported by Reuters to have closed their airspace following the strikes on Saturday. THE STRAITS TIMES, REUTERS