Image credit: Md Shaifuzzaman Ayon via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. License: CC BY-SA 4.0.
Singapore Airlines will keep SQ494 and SQ495 between Singapore and Dubai cancelled through October 24, 2026, according to the airline’s Middle East advisory. A planned August restart did not return, so travelers holding SIN-DXB tickets inside that window still face reaccommodation or a refund of the unused portion.
The traveler decision is whether to accept an SIA rebooking, take a full refund and switch carriers, or rebuild the Dubai segment through another Gulf hub before hotel deadlines lock. Confirmed flight numbers and passenger options are separated below from wider Middle East network chatter.
- Airline: Singapore Airlines
- Flights: SQ494 Singapore to Dubai and SQ495 Dubai to Singapore
- Cancellation window: Through October 24, 2026
- Passenger options: Reaccommodation or full refund of unused ticket value
- Booking path: Direct SIA Assistance Request Form, or the original agent for third-party tickets
| If this describes you | Best next move |
|---|---|
| Your SQ494 or SQ495 ticket sits on or before Oct 24 | Open Manage Booking, update contacts, then request rebooking or a refund now. |
| You still need Dubai dates before late October | Price Emirates, flydubai, or another SIN-DXB option before canceling SIA hotels. |
| You bought through an agency or partner airline | Contact that seller for changes; SIA directs agent bookings back to the issuer. |
| Your trip is after October 24 | Recheck the advisory and schedule load before treating the route as restored. |
| Dubai was only a one-night stopover | Rebuild the itinerary without DXB or protect a same-day connection on another carrier. |
What Singapore Airlines confirmed
In its official Middle East advisory, Singapore Airlines says SQ494 from Singapore to Dubai and SQ495 from Dubai to Singapore are cancelled until October 24, 2026, because of the geopolitical situation in the Middle East. The notice warns that the situation remains fluid and that other SIA flights may also be affected.
The National reported on August 31 that Singapore Airlines had pushed the Dubai restart to October 24 after an earlier August 2 target, quoting the airline’s refund and reaccommodation language. That independent account matches the current advisory dates.
Customers should treat Flight Status and Manage Booking as the live schedule authority if a later update moves the window again.
The advisory was first posted in March 2026 and later extended, including the July update that locked the October 24 end date into the public notice. That history matters for travelers who already rearranged once around an earlier August restart that never returned.
What ticketed passengers should do first
SIA tells affected customers they can seek a full refund of the unused portion of the ticket. Direct bookings may use the airline’s Assistance Request Form. Agency and partner-airline bookings should go back to the original seller.
Update phone and email details in Manage Booking and consider mobile flight-status alerts. Cancellation notices arrive faster when contact fields are current.
If SIA offers a rebooking, compare total elapsed time, bags, and cabin before accepting. A refund plus another carrier can be cleaner when the new SIA path adds an overnight.
Third-party tickets and stopovers need extra checks
Travel agents and partner airlines control many change rules even when the metal is SIA. Waiting only on singaporeair.com chat can waste days when the contract sits with the seller.
Stopover hotels prepaid around DXB should stay flexible until replacement flights are ticketed. A free-cancellation night is cheaper insurance than a nonrefundable desert tour tied to a cancelled arrival.
Save the original PNR, the advisory screenshot, and any rebooking email. Those records matter when support queues are busy.
Also confirm whether paid seats, extra bags, or prepaid meals auto-refund with the ticket. Some ancillaries need a separate Assistance Request Form even when the flight coupon itself is refunded.
How this fits other Dubai suspensions
Several long-haul carriers still keep Dubai off their maps into late October or beyond. Deep Arrival’s coverage of Finnair’s winter Helsinki-Dubai suspension and Air Canada’s Dubai and Tel Aviv cutoff into mid-January 2027 shows how each airline runs its own calendar.
Do not assume an Emirates schedule change unlocks SQ494. Compare the carrier printed on your ticket.
For destination planning after transport is stable, Deep Arrival’s things to do in Dubai guide helps shape the ground days without solving the missing SIA flights.
Rebuilding Singapore to Dubai without SQ494
Travelers who still need Dubai before late October should price alternative nonstops or one-stops while the SIA refund path is still easy to document. Protect hotels until the new tickets are issued.
If the trip is Singapore-centric with a short Dubai add-on, ask whether dropping DXB and keeping a Southeast Asia routing still meets the goal. A forced Gulf stop that no longer exists can break award charts and prepaid packages.
Check bag rules on the replacement airline. Partner benefits and lounge access may not transfer even when the destination airport stays DXB.
Business and first-class travelers should also reprice cabin product carefully. A refunded SIA premium ticket may not buy the same seat map on another Gulf carrier on short notice, especially during peak winter demand into Dubai.
If you are connecting beyond Dubai to Africa or Europe, rebuild the entire through-ticket rather than stitching unprotected separate tickets. A missed connection on two carriers can erase the value of a cheap DXB fare.
What remains unresolved
The advisory does not guarantee that every day after October 24 is already open for sale on the previous A380 or 777 product. Recheck Flight Status before buying nonrefundable Dubai ground products.
SIA has not published a separate passenger-rights PDF inside the short advisory text beyond refund and reaccommodation language. EU261 or other regimes may still apply depending on itinerary and ticket conditions; this article does not invent a cash compensation amount.
A later security change could move the window again. Treat October 24 as the current published end of the cancellation block, not a promise of normal operations the next morning.
SQ494 and SQ495 stay cancelled through Oct 24. Do not plan Singapore Airlines Dubai flights inside that window.
Refunds and reaccommodation are published. Use Manage Booking or the Assistance Request Form for direct tickets.
Agency bookings need the seller. Partner and travel-agent tickets often cannot be rewritten only through SIA chat.
Make the decision with a current confirmation
Open the SIA advisory and your booking record again before canceling hotels or buying a replacement airline. News coverage explains the dated window; the live reservation controls the money.
Write down the flight numbers, the October 24 end date, and which option you chose. That note helps if a later message restates the rules differently.
Separate reversible research from irreversible spend. Comparing alternate airlines is low risk. Dropping free-cancellation hotels before a refund posts is not. Keep one fallback carrier and one refundable hotel night before the original DXB arrival day disappears from the calendar.
What the sources confirm
Singapore Airlines’ Middle East advisory is the controlling primary source for the SQ494 and SQ495 cancellation through October 24, 2026, and for refund and contact instructions. The National independently reported the same October 24 Dubai suspension date on August 31.
Where SIA has not stated aircraft type or a guaranteed first operating day after October 24, this article does not invent them. Recheck Manage Booking before travel.
Frequently asked questions
Until when are Singapore Airlines Dubai flights cancelled?
Through October 24, 2026, according to the airline’s current Middle East advisory.
Which flight numbers are named?
SQ494 from Singapore to Dubai and SQ495 from Dubai to Singapore.
What can ticketed passengers do?
SIA says customers can be reaccommodated on alternative flights or seek a full refund of the unused portion of the ticket.
What if the ticket was bought from an agency?
Contact the travel agent or purchasing airline directly for assistance.
Will other SIA flights be affected?
The advisory says the situation remains fluid and other flights may be affected; check Flight Status for your PNR.
