Singapore Airlines has pushed back the return of its Dubai flights once more, with SQ494 and SQ495 now cancelled until 28th February 2027, three months beyond the 2nd December restart date the airline was planning only a month ago.
If this latest plan holds, the route will resume on 1st March 2027, a full year after flights were first suspended at the end of February 2026.
The two-class Airbus A350 Medium Haul will then serve the route for just 27 days, before the four-class Boeing 777-300ER takes over from 28th March 2027.
Provisional forward schedules now keep the 777 on Dubai through to March 2028, so the Airbus A380 looks to be off the route for good, with Auckland the main beneficiary there as we reported earlier this week.
With Riyadh already pushed back to 28th March 2027, it also means Singapore Airlines won’t fly anywhere in the Middle East for at least another four months.
Dubai cancelled until March 2027
The latest extension came via an update to SIA’s standing travel advisory on 30th October 2026, once again citing “the geopolitical situation in the Middle East”.
As before, it’s a straightforward date extension of the advisory first published on 1st March 2026, now confirming that SQ494 (Singapore to Dubai) and SQ495 (Dubai to Singapore) are cancelled until 28th February 2027.
At 89 days, this is the longest single extension so far. It also means SIA has now written off almost the entire northern winter 2026/27 (NW26/27) season on the route, with only its final 27 days still scheduled to operate.
(Photo: Ahmed Aldaie)
That makes six planned restart dates that have now been abandoned, with 1st March 2027 the seventh. Here’s how the saga has unfolded so far:
- 1st January 2026: SIA announces the A380 for Dubai, from 29th March 2026
- 5th February 2026: Year-round A380 operation confirmed for the route
- 28th February 2026: Flights suspended, as military strikes trigger widespread Middle East airspace closures
- 20th March 2026: The Dubai A380 is redeployed to Melbourne instead, at short notice
- 2nd April 2026: Restart pushed back to 1st June 2026, with a 777-300ER swapped in for the summer (a brief 30th April restart plan came and went in between)
- 1st May 2026: Restart pushed back again to 3rd August 2026, with First Class and Premium Economy sales pulled for the winter season
- 15th July 2026: Flights cancelled through to 24th October 2026, A350 Medium Haul confirmed to operate for the winter 2026/27 season
- 1st October 2026: Flights cancelled through to 1st December 2026, restart planned for 2nd December
- 30th October 2026: Flights cancelled through to 28th February 2027, restart now planned for 1st March 2027
Emirates has Dubai all to itself
Emirates has been the only operator between Singapore and Dubai since SIA’s suspension began, and that will now be the case for a full year.
The Dubai-based carrier continues to fly the route four times daily, with two Airbus A380s and two Boeing 777-300ERs. It is provisionally set to switch to three daily A380s and a single 777-300ER from late March 2027, just as SIA’s own four-class aircraft returns.
(Photo: Markus Mainka)
A350 Medium Haul for just 27 days
When SIA does return, it will initially be with the two-class Airbus A350 Medium Haul, which remains loaded from 1st March to 27th March 2027, the final day of the NW26/27 season.
As a reminder, the A350 MH has 40 Business Class seats in the 2018 Regional configuration and 263 Economy Class seats, so there is no First Class or Premium Economy on the route during this period.
(Photo: MainlyMiles)
Singapore Airlines
Singapore Dubai
1 Mar 2027 – 27 Mar 2027
| Days | |||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
 |
SQ494 A350 MH |
||||||||
| SIN 14:30 |
DXB 18:00 |
||||||||
| Duration: 07:30 | |||||||||
|
SQ495 A350 MH |
||||||||
| DXB 19:50 |
SIN 07:15* |
||||||||
| Duration: 07:25 | |||||||||
* Next day
777-300ER from March 2027
From 28th March 2027, the first day of the northern summer 2027 (NS27) season, the four-class Boeing 777-300ER takes over the route, with all four cabins on sale, including four First Class seats.
Singapore Airlines
Singapore Dubai
28 Mar 2027 – 30 Oct 2027
| Days | |||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
|
SQ494 777-300ER |
||||||||
| SIN 14:40 |
DXB 18:00 |
||||||||
| Duration: 07:20 | |||||||||
|
SQ495 777-300ER |
||||||||
| DXB 19:45 |
SIN 07:30* |
||||||||
| Duration: 07:45 | |||||||||
* Next day
Recent forward schedule filings in GDS keep the 777-300ER on Dubai for the following northern winter 2027/28 (NW27/28) season too, from 31st October 2027 to 25th March 2028, rather than reverting to the two-class A350.
That means no Airbus A380 on the route until at least the end of March 2028, two years after the year-round superjumbo operation SIA confirmed for Dubai back in February was meant to begin.
For more on where the A380s are flying instead, see our recent article on where Singapore Airlines is flying its A380s.
Riyadh still set for 28th March, for now
There’s been no change to SIA’s Riyadh plans since we reported earlier this month that the launch had slipped to 28th March 2027. The route will still operate three times weekly with the A350 Medium Haul, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.
Singapore Riyadh
28 Mar 2027 – 30 Oct 2027
| Days | |||||||||
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S | |||
|
SQ498 A350 MH |
||||||||
| SIN 18:20 |
RUH 21:45 |
||||||||
| Duration: 08:25 | |||||||||
|
SQ499 A350 MH |
||||||||
| RUH 23:00 |
SIN 12:15* |
||||||||
| Duration: 08:15 | |||||||||
* Next day
Forward schedule filings do now show the route stepping up to four flights a week from 31st October 2027, the start of the NW27/28 season, still using the A350 Medium Haul.
That’s the frequency SIA originally planned when it announced the route back in February, so if it holds, Riyadh will finally reach its intended schedule around 17 months later than first planned.
With Dubai now returning on 1st March, the gap between the two routes has narrowed to just four weeks, and 28th March 2027 becomes a big day for SIA in the region, with both Riyadh’s first flight Dubai getting the four-class 777.
That date could yet come under pressure though. This latest Dubai extension comes amid further escalation in the region, with Houthi strikes on a number of sites in Saudi Arabia, including airports and oil facilities.
SIA’s advisory doesn’t go into that level of detail, of course, and still makes no mention of Riyadh at all. But with Saudi airports now in the firing line, a launch less than five months away looks a good deal less certain than it did when we last covered the route three weeks ago.
(Photo: Tati Odintsova)
Scoot could be back in the region first
There’s been no change over at Scoot either, with Jeddah flights TR796 and TR797 still cancelled until 2nd December 2026.
If that holds, Scoot’s Jeddah service would be the SIA Group’s only Middle East route for three months, with the low-cost subsidiary back in Saudi Arabia well before its parent company returns to the region.
Given SIA’s decision to keep Dubai off the network until March, and the recent strikes inside Saudi Arabia itself, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Scoot’s December date slip too.
What if you’re booked?
If you hold a ticket on SIA’s Dubai flights up to and including 28th February 2027, you’re entitled to a full refund of the unused portion.
Those who booked directly with the airline can apply through SIA’s Assistance Request Form. Bookings made via travel agents or partner airlines should be handled by the agent or airline concerned.
SIA also recommends keeping your contact details up to date via Manage Booking so that you’ll receive relevant flight status updates.
If you’ve redeemed KrisFlyer miles on Dubai flights over the affected period, expect to be contacted with rebooking or refund options.
KrisFlyer awards
Here are the one-way KrisFlyer award rates for the Singapore – Dubai and Singapore – Riyadh routes. Premium Economy and First Class are only relevant for Dubai, from 28th March 2027 when the four-class 777-300ER takes over.
KrisFlyer Redemption Rates
One-Way
Singapore ⇆ Middle East
| Airline / Cabin | Saver | Advantage | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
 Economy | 32,000 | 66,500 | 95,500 |
| Premium Economy | 51,500 | n/a | 74,000 to 91,000 |
| Business | 68,000 | 122,000 | 157,500 to 251,500 |
| First | 95,000 | 171,000 | 317,500 |
Taxes and fees apply in addition to miles. They typically total around S$68 from Singapore to Dubai / Riyadh, around S$47 for Dubai – Singapore and around S$58 for Riyadh – Singapore.
Since 1st October 2026, Singapore’s SAF levy applies to redemptions made for travel on or after 1st January 2027, so every new ex-Singapore redemption on both routes will now attract it ex-Changi. It adds S$25.60 in First / Business Class or S$6.40 in Premium Economy / Economy Class.
Summary
Singapore Airlines has pushed back its Dubai restart yet again, this time to 1st March 2027, with SQ494 and SQ495 now cancelled until 28th February. That’s the longest single extension so far, and means a full year without SIA service on the route.
The A350 Medium Haul will then fly the route for just 27 days before the four-class 777-300ER takes over from 28th March 2027. Forward schedules keep the 777 in place through to March 2028, so the year-round A380 operation announced at the start of this year now looks firmly off the table.
With Riyadh not launching until 28th March 2027, a date that looks increasingly shaky given the recent strikes on Saudi airports, SIA won’t serve anywhere in the Middle East for at least another four months. Scoot’s Jeddah flights, if they resume in December as planned, would be the group’s only presence in the region until then.
Emirates, meanwhile, continues to have the Singapore – Dubai market entirely to itself, and will do so for a good while yet.
(Cover Photo: Russell Lee)