SINGAPORE: Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Scoot have extended the cancellation of their Middle East flights, amid the intensifying war on Iran.
In an update on Thursday (Mar 5), SIA said that flights SQ494 (Singapore-Dubai) and SQ495 (Dubai-Singapore) will be cancelled until March 15 due to the “geopolitical situation in the Middle East”.
Scoot said that flights TR596 (Singapore-Jeddah) and TR597 (Jeddah-Singapore) scheduled for Mar 9 and Mar 10 will be cancelled. The low-cost carrier runs flights to Jeddah four times a week.
The flights have been grounded since Feb 28.
“As the situation remains fluid, other SIA flights may be affected,” SIA said.
Affected customers will be reaccommodated on alternative flights. They can also opt to receive a full refund of the unused portion of their ticket, the airline said.
“Customers are also strongly advised to update their contact details via the manage booking function on our website or subscribe to a mobile notification service to receive updates to their flight status.”
As governments seek to repatriate their citizens, limited flights out of the UAE began this week, operated by long-haul carriers Etihad Airways and Emirates, based in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, respectively.
The first flight carrying Singapore residents stranded in the Middle East touched down on Thursday morning.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Gan Siow Huang said on Thursday that Singapore would operate repatriation flights out of Muscat, Oman on Saturday and Sunday.
About a quarter of Singaporeans who have e-registered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) have sought help to return home since the conflict began, she said.
Acting Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs Faishal Ibrahim said on Thursday that he had spoken with more than 40 Singaporean students studying in countries such as Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to “check on their welfare, safety and well-being”.
The students are “safe, with minimal disruptions to their studies”, he said in a Facebook post.