Delays seen for S'pore air travellers despite Iran-Israel truce

Singaporeans travelling to the Middle East and Europe over the coming days should be prepared for delays and disruptions, despite a fragile ceasefire between Iran and Israel offering a reprieve to airlines roiled by the fighting in the region.

- Kok Yufeng

With the truce appearing to take hold, national carrier Singapore Airlines (SIA) said on June 25 that it will resume flights to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on June 26, and its budget arm Scoot will restart flights to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia on June 28.

But even as airlines resume regular operations, those in the industry said the re-routing of aircraft to avoid the conflict zone will extend flight times, especially between Asia and Europe.

"Airlines are already running late for many of the re-routed flights," said Associate Professor Lin Weiqiang, who studies transport issues at the National University of Singapore's geography department.

"We can foresee more flight delays and perhaps schedule changes, if the usual corridors are not reopened soon," he added.

SIA and Scoot cancelled flights to the Middle East after the US ordered air strikes on Iran's three main nuclear sites on June 22.

SIA cancelled all of its Singapore-Dubai flights from June 22 to 25 after a security assessment. Meanwhile, Scoot cancelled its thrice-weekly Singapore-Jeddah services on June 23 and 26, citing operational considerations.

SIA Group on June 25 advised passengers to update their contact details via the Manage Booking function on the SIA and Scoot websites, or subscribe to SIA's mobile notification service, to receive flight updates.

"The safety of our customers and staff is SIA Group's top priority," said a spokesperson.

Global flight operations were thrown into chaos late on June 23 when several Middle Eastern countries temporarily closed their airspace, leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded, including a number of Singaporeans.

The airspace closures, which were triggered by Iran's missile strike on a US military base in Qatar, led to long delays and snaking queues at two of the world's busiest airports, in Doha and Dubai.