Singapore Airlines and Scoot have extended the suspension of two Middle East routes, keeping their flights from Singapore to Dubai and Jeddah off the schedule into December 2026.
Singapore Airlines will continue canceling SQ494 from Singapore Changi (SIN) to Dubai (DXB) and the return SQ495 until December 1. The airline’s latest operational advisory, updated October 1, attributed the decision to the geopolitical situation in the Middle East and warned that other services could be affected as conditions remain fluid.
Scoot has separately canceled TR796 from Singapore to Jeddah (JED) and TR797 in the opposite direction until December 2. Its Jeddah advisory was last updated on September 30.
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Dubai Cancellation Extends Beyond the Summer Schedule
The Dubai extension replaces Singapore Airlines’ previous cutoff of October 24, the final day of the northern summer scheduling season. It removes the route for more than five additional weeks and carries the suspension well into the winter timetable.
SQ494 and SQ495 had been scheduled as daily services. Before the disruption, Singapore Airlines planned a substantial capacity increase for the route, replacing the Boeing 777-300ER with the Airbus A380 throughout the summer season. The airline said the change was intended to address strong demand for premium cabins.
Under the published Dubai schedule, SQ494 was due to leave Singapore at 2:40 p.m. and reach Dubai at 6 p.m. The return SQ495 was scheduled to depart DXB at 7:45 p.m. and arrive at SIN at 7:30 a.m. the following morning.
The planned A380 assignment would have brought Singapore Airlines’ largest aircraft to Dubai for the first time. The airline’s 471-seat Airbus A380 carries six Suites, 78 Business Class seats, 44 Premium Economy seats and 343 Economy seats. A daily operation at that capacity would have provided 3,297 seats in each direction every week, including a large premium cabin suited to the corporate and connecting traffic available between Dubai and Southeast Asia.
That deployment did not proceed after the route was suspended on February 28. The latest extension means the service will have remained grounded for approximately nine months by the beginning of December.
Scoot’s Jeddah Return Proved Brief
Scoot’s Jeddah service has followed a less continuous path. The low-cost carrier initially suspended the route on February 28, restored passenger flights on June 22 and halted them again from July 14 after a further escalation in the Middle East conflict.
The sequence was detailed in the SIA Group’s first-quarter business update, which also said the group would continue monitoring regional conditions and adjust its schedules as required.
Scoot had been operating four weekly flights between Singapore and Jeddah, giving the group a direct link to western Saudi Arabia and traffic associated with both the local market and religious travel. TR796 and TR797 are long-haul sectors of about nine and a half hours, placing them firmly within the role of Scoot’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet.
Scoot’s 787 product combines a ScootPlus cabin with a high-density Economy layout. Its Boeing 787-8 configurations accommodate up to 335 passengers, while the larger Boeing 787-9 carries 375. The twin-aisle type gives Scoot the range and unit costs required for a nonstop route of this length, while allowing it to offer a differentiated forward cabin without adopting a full-service model.
The December extension also prolongs the interruption to the SIA Group’s broader Saudi Arabian plans. Singapore Airlines had intended to add Riyadh as a four-times-weekly Airbus A350-900 destination in June, complementing Scoot at Jeddah. The group subsequently deferred that launch, first to September and later to December, as it reassessed operations in the region.
Refunds Available for Affected Travelers
Singapore Airlines said customers affected by the Dubai cancellations can request a full refund for the unused portion of their tickets. Direct customers can submit an assistance request to the airline, while travelers booked through an agency or partner carrier must return to the original seller.
Scoot is also offering refunds to passengers who decide not to continue with their journeys. Customers who booked directly can contact Scoot, while agency and partner-airline bookings are handled by the respective seller.
Both airlines are asking passengers to keep the contact details in their reservations current and monitor flight-status notifications. Neither advisory commits to a firm restart immediately after the listed cancellation period, leaving the return of both routes dependent on a further operational review.
Bottom Line
The extensions leave the SIA Group without its planned nonstop passenger presence in Dubai or Saudi Arabia for most of the northern winter season. Dubai is the larger capacity issue: the suspended daily A380 schedule represented more than 6,500 seats a week across both directions, including 1,792 weekly seats in Suites, Business Class and Premium Economy. Those aircraft hours can be reassigned elsewhere, but the group loses a direct connection into one of the Middle East’s largest premium and connecting markets.
Jeddah carries a different strategic weight. Scoot’s 787 operation gave the group a lower-cost way to serve Saudi Arabia while Singapore Airlines prepared Riyadh as a full-service corporate route. The repeated suspensions and Riyadh delay have interrupted that two-brand approach, limiting the group’s ability to develop Saudi traffic through Changi while regional operating conditions remain unsettled.
The dates in the latest advisories should be treated as review points rather than guaranteed relaunches. The next meaningful signal will be whether Singapore Airlines and Scoot reopen inventory and publish stable aircraft assignments for December, particularly as the group decides where to place the A380 capacity originally intended for Dubai and whether its wider Saudi network plan can proceed.
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