Back in late March 2025, Saudi Arabia’s flag carrier Saudia inaugurated flights from Jeddah to Bali, with a stop in Singapore in both directions. The three-times-weekly service is operated by two-class Boeing 787s, featuring 24 flat-bed seats in Business Class.

For the first four months, the airline was not permitted to carry “fifth freedom” traffic on the Singapore – Bali sector, meaning only passengers travelling to or from Jeddah could be on board for that shorter leg of the journey.

Since August 2025, however, Saudia has begun selling tickets on the short hop between Singapore and Bali, adding another flat-bed Business Class option on the route, alongside some competitive Economy Class fares – albeit with slightly inconvenient departure times and a kicker for some – no alcohol.

The schedule

Here’s how Saudia operates this service to Jeddah and Bali.

Jeddah Singapore Bali
Summer 2025 timings

			Days
			M	T	W	T	F	S	S
	SV856 787-10
JED 01:10		SIN 15:45
Duration: 09:35
	SV856 787-10
SIN 17:15		DPS 20:05
Duration: 02:50

Bali Singapore Jeddah
Summer 2025 timings

			Days
			M	T	W	T	F	S	S
	SV857 787-10
DPS 22:15		SIN 00:45*
Duration: 02:30
	SV857 787-10
DPS 23:45		SIN 02:15*
Duration: 02:30
	SV857 787-10
SIN 02:30		JED 06:40
Duration: 09:10
	SV857 787-10
SIN 03:45		JED 07:55
Duration: 09:10

* Next day

The evening service from Singapore to Bali on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays is quite well timed if you can sneak out of work slightly early, arriving just after 8pm.

On the return sector from Bali to Singapore the timings are a little late for most, arriving back into Changi close to 1am or even after 2am on the Wednesday service, though the option does give you a full last day on the island, including time for dinner before you need to head to the airport.

Business Class

Saudia’s Boeing 787s have 24 Business Class seats, which are the Collins Aerospace Super Diamond model, arranged in a reverse-herringbone 1-2-1 configuration.

There’s a 17-inch HD touchscreen display, plus universal AC and USB-A power sockets and connectivity via a Panasonic Avionics satellite Wi-Fi system – free for Business Class passengers.

The seats recline to a fully-flat bed, though you probably won’t need it on the short 2.5-hour flights between Singapore and Bali.

Here’s the 787-9 seat map, from aeroLOPA. If your flight is on the 787-10, which most now seem to be, it’s just about the same in Business Class.

Lounge

Saudia operates from Terminal 3 at Singapore Changi Airport, and directs its Business Class customers and elite frequent flyer members to the SATS Premier Lounge there, which is acceptable but nothing special.

Over in Bali, Saudia passengers can access the Garuda Indonesia Lounge before departing in Business Class – we tried it a few years back before a KLM flight and again it was fine but forgettable!

Saudia is a dry airline

One important consideration for many passengers is that Saudia operates as a dry airline, meaning no alcoholic beverages are served on board – including in Business Class.

For some of you, that welcome glass of chilled champagne on boarding and wine pairings with meals are integral parts of the Business Class experience, particularly on longer routes where dining becomes a highlight of the journey. In this case, you might find Saudia’s alcohol-free service a big drawback, especially when paying premium fares.

However, on a short 2.5-hour hop between Singapore and Bali, the absence of alcohol may be less of an issue for some of you. The flight duration barely allows for a full meal service anyway, and I suppose some travellers actively prefer starting their holiday refreshed rather than with a few drinks under their belt, while others don’t drink at all.

Saudia does offer an extensive selection of non-alcoholic beverages, juices, and specialty Arabic coffee and tea service to accompany meals, so you won’t go thirsty – just don’t expect that pre-flight glass of bubbly!

Fares

Based on travel in October 2025, Saudia is offering round-trip cash fares from Singapore to Bali and back from:

• Business Class: S$955
• Economy Class: S$280

That’s quite competitive as you’d expect for a little-known “fifth freedom” operator on the route, without a daily presence and not exactly boasting the best flight timings.

We also noted that in Business Class, Saudia is pricing higher than another “fifth freedom” operator on the route – KLM – on some dates.

Personally we’d prefer KLM’s timing on this one, and the Dutch carrier also now offers its 1-2-1 closed-door Business Class seats on all Singapore – Bali flights, not to mention Champagne, beers, wines and spirits if that’s important to you.

Award redemption

You can redeem award seats on Saudia flights using a SkyTeam frequent flyer programme like Air France KLM Flying Blue, which is a Citi, HSBC and OCBC transfer partner for Singapore credit card holders.

Pricing is sadly not that competitive, at 33,500 miles each way in Business Class, or 15,000 miles in Economy Class.

Taxes and fees on Saudia are also steep at US$77.90 (~S$100) from Singapore to Bali, compared to US$50.70 (~S$65) for KLM and Singapore Airlines flights.

It’s far better to book a cash fare on Saudia than to redeem miles, and if it’s Economy Class that suits you – don’t forget there’s now the option to redeem as few as 4,500 KrisFlyer miles each way on the Singapore – Bali route with Scoot Saver award tickets – potentially good value if prices are at least S$150+ in each direction.

Saudia’s new Singapore – Bali “fifth freedom” service adds a welcome third flat-bed Business Class option on this popular route, alongside Singapore Airlines and KLM.

While the timings aren’t ideal and the airline’s ‘dry’ policy won’t suit everyone, the competitive pricing – particularly those S$280 round-trip Economy Class fares – makes it worth considering.

Saudia offers a solid product with modern Boeing 787s and proper lie-flat seats. However, if schedule flexibility, daily frequencies, or that pre-flight champagne are important to your travel experience, you’ll find better options with the established carriers on this route, including fellow SkyTeam and “fifth freedom” operator KLM.

Still, more competition is always good news for consumers, and Saudia’s entry on this popular route gives Singapore-based travellers another choice when heading to the Island of the Gods.

(Cover Photo: Live and Let’s Fly)