SIA, Scoot extend cancellations of Middle East flights to December

[SINGAPORE] Singapore Airlines (SIA) and its budget arm Scoot are extending their flight cancellations between Singapore and the Middle East until December.

Flights SQ494 (Singapore to Dubai) and SQ495 (Dubai to Singapore) will be cancelled until Dec 1, SIA said in a statement on Oct 1.

Scoot said in an updated advisory on Sep 30 that flights TR796 (Singapore to Jeddah) and TR797 (Jeddah to Singapore) will be cancelled until Dec 2.

SIA had previously operated daily flights to and from Dubai, while Scoot flew between Singapore and Jeddah three times a week.

The continued flight suspensions follow earlier extensions of the halted routes, with SIA attributing theirs to the geopolitical situation in the Middle East.

“As the situation remains fluid, other SIA flights may be affected”, the national carrier said, urging customers to visit its flight status page for the latest information on their flights.

Customers affected by the flight cancellations may request a full refund of the unused portion of their ticket, both airlines said.

Those who booked tickets via travel agents or partner airlines are advised to contact them directly.

The flight disruptions come amid ongoing conflict in the Middle East, including recent Houthi strikes in the Red Sea and Saudi Arabia, as well as stalled US-Iran ceasefire talks over conditions to lift the blockade on the Strait of Hormuz.

Conflict was sparked across the Middle East after the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran in February, killing the country’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei. THE STRAITS TIMES