Back in early January when we reported on the arrival of SIA’s Airbus A380’s on the Dubai route from March 2026, the deployment was initially filed as seasonal, with a provisional return to Boeing 777-300ER operations from the start of the northern winter season in late October 2026.

We did note at the time that this might not stick, given a familiar pattern: last year’s switch from the A350 Medium Haul to the 777-300ER on the route was also initially positioned as summer-only, before quietly becoming year-round. History, it seems, has repeated itself – and sooner than we expected.

Singapore Airlines has now updated its schedule to show daily A380 service continuing through the entire northern winter 2026/27 season, right through to 27th March 2027.

A telling sign

Beyond the schedule filing itself, there’s another indicator that SIA is serious about this commitment – the airline is selling all six Suites Class seats on these flights.

The Boeing 777-300ER has just four First Class seats, while the A380 has six Suites. If SIA were planning to revert to the smaller aircraft, it would need to limit First Class sales to four passengers – as it sometimes does when its unsure or about to downgrade – but that’s not what’s happening here.

All six seats are available for sale throughout the extended period, a clear sign the carrier doesn’t intend to walk this back.

The schedule

Singapore Airlines currently operates a single daily service to and from Dubai:

• SQ494/495 (Boeing 777-300ER)

From 29th March 2026, the route will continue with daily service but will transition to the Airbus A380.

Singapore Airlines
Singapore ⇄ Dubai
29 Mar 2026 – 24 Oct 2026

			Days
			M	T	W	T	F	S	S
	SQ494 A380
SIN 14:40		DXB 18:00
Duration: 07:20
	SQ495 A380
DXB 19:45		SIN 07:30*
Duration: 07:45

* Next day

The A380 now remains on the route from 25th October 2026 onwards, with some slight timing adjustments for the northern winter season.

Singapore Airlines
Singapore ⇄ Dubai
25 Oct 2026 – 27 Mar 2027

			Days
			M	T	W	T	F	S	S
	SQ494 A380
SIN 14:30		DXB 18:10
Duration: 07:40
	SQ495 A380
DXB 19:50		SIN 07:15*
Duration: 07:25

* Next day

Dubai joins the year-round A380 club

With this confirmation, Dubai joins London and Sydney as year-round A380 destinations for Singapore Airlines.

Delhi and Mumbai also see A380 service for most of the year, but both routes experience a regular one-month hiatus during peak northern summer when the superjumbo is redeployed elsewhere. That makes Dubai arguably the airline’s third true full-time A380 route, after London and Sydney.

Other destinations like Auckland, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Frankfurt see more pronounced seasonal shifts in A380 deployment, with the aircraft appearing only during specific periods where demand is highest.

With a fleet of just 12 superjumbos – down from 19 following the retirement of seven aircraft during the pandemic – SIA simply can’t commit the A380 full-time to very many destinations any more.

Seasonal demand variations and the limited number of aircraft to go around mean the carrier has to be selective about where the type operates permanently.

The Gulf carriers have also ramped up

Singapore Airlines isn’t the only carrier boosting capacity between Singapore and the Gulf.

Emirates recently tripled its A380 frequencies from Singapore, now operating three times daily with the superjumbo and just once with the Boeing 777.

Meanwhile, Etihad brought its A380 to Singapore back in February 2025, operating daily on its Abu Dhabi service, while Qatar Airways is hiking capacity on one of its three daily Singapore – Doha flights by also using the A380 on the route.

On top of that, from July 2026, Oman Air will restart Singapore – Muscat flights, using Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft.

Back in August 2023, Singapore Airlines announced a 57% increase in capacity on its Dubai flights, exceeding pre-COVID capacity with 11 times weekly service planned from late March 2024.

Unfortunately the airline had to walk back on its proposal, having been unable to obtain appropriate takeoff and landing slots at Dubai Airport during last year’s summer season.

In its report for summer 2025, Dubai’s slots regulator confirmed that Singapore Airlines had requested an additional daily slot pair at the airport, which would have been sufficient for twice daily service overall, however this was unsuccessful.

SIA’s year-round A380 commitment to the Dubai route seems to be its answer to that issue.

The airline will also reinstate non-stop Riyadh flights from June this year, with four times weekly service using 303-seat Airbus A350 Medium Haul aircraft.

A380 cabin products

The deployment means continued access to SIA’s flagship Suites product on the Dubai route, alongside the carrier’s latest Business Class, Premium Economy and Economy cabins.

All 12 of Singapore Airlines’ A380s now feature the 2017 Suites and Business Class seats, the latest KrisWorld in-flight entertainment system, and upgraded Wi-Fi connectivity (though not Starlink, which is likely coming soon).

Here are our reviews of the Suites (double bed) and Business Class on these A380s.

KrisFlyer awards

Here are the latest one-way KrisFlyer award rates you’ll pay for the Singapore – Dubai route, on this Airbus A380 flight.

KrisFlyer Redemption Rates One-Way Singapore ⇄ Dubai
Airline / Cabin		Saver	Advantage	Access
	Economy Class	32,000	66,500	86,500
	Premium Economy	51,500	n/a	67,000 to 82,500
	Business Class	68,000	122,000	152,500 to 244,000
	Suites Class	95,000	171,000	308,000

Taxes and fees apply in addition to miles and typically total around S$67 from Singapore to Dubai and S$47 in the return direction.

Unfortunately these ‘Zone 10’ redemptions were badly hit in the 2025 devaluation of the KrisFlyer programme, with steep increases of 10 – 20% in redemption rates, making them far less attractive outside the monthly Spontaneous Escapes discount.

For Suites, only Advantage award space is available on most dates based on our searches, plus the expensive Access award option.

Business Class Saver space is more widely available. As always, keep checking – more award space is often added closer to departure.

Singapore Airlines has made it official: the A380 is here to stay on the Dubai route, at least through to late March 2027, which is a full year from initial launch – which itself is still nearly two months from now.

The year-round deployment cements Dubai’s place alongside London and Sydney as one of just three destinations with permanent superjumbo service, a notable achievement given SIA’s reduced fleet of just 12 A380s, and the carrier’s propensity to shift these high-capacity jets to certain cities selectively during peak periods.

For passengers, it means access to the coveted Suites product, the latest Business Class seats (for now), and significantly more capacity than the Boeing 777-300ER could offer. In terms of KrisFlyer awards, the challenge remains finding that elusive Saver space in Suites, but Business Class availability looks much more promising.

(Cover Photo: Shutterstock)