Emirates, Etihad Airways flights from UAE to S’pore available from March 4 amid Middle East conflict

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SINGAPORE – Emirates and Etihad Airways are expected to resume limited flights from the United Arab Emirates to Singapore as early as March 4, even as global air travel remains largely disrupted due to the

Middle East conflict

.

In Facebook posts on March 4, the Singapore embassy in Abu Dhabi and consulate-general in Dubai advised Singaporeans to quickly secure their tickets on the airlines’ websites if they wish to leave the country.

“Given the current flight disruptions, these seats are expected to be in extremely high demand and may sell out rapidly,” the mission said.

The embassy, in an initial post at about 12.30pm, said that Etihad Airways has released tickets for flights to Singapore departing Abu Dhabi on March 5.

In another post at about 2pm, it added that limited seats on an Emirates flight from Dubai to Singapore on March 4 were also available.

Checks by The Straits Times found that Emirates flight EK314 is set to depart Dubai for Singapore at 9pm local time on March 4 (1am Singapore time on March 5). It is scheduled to land at Changi Airport at 8.30am on March 5.

Tickets for the March 4 flight were sold out by 2.30pm, with some found to have been priced as high as AED 20,120 (S$7,007) for a business class seat.

The next Emirates flight from Dubai to Singapore is currently scheduled to leave at 2.30am local time on March 5. Tickets for this flight are still available.

Meanwhile, on the Etihad Airways website, flight EY498 is scheduled to depart Abu Dhabi at 10.05am local time on March 5 and arrive in Singapore at 9.30pm on the same day.

Economy class seats, priced from AED 5145, remain available for purchase as at 4.30pm on March 4. There are also several other Etihad Airways flights, but with stopovers, available.

In its Facebook post, the embassy reminded Singaporeans who have secured tickets to confirm with the airline that their flight will proceed before heading to the airport.

“Given the current circumstances, be ready for cancellations, frequent changes and delays, possibly at short notice,” it said.

Those who have recently expressed their interest for assisted departure from the Middle East but have since secured their own flights should also keep the embassy updated, it added.

Earlier on March 3, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its overseas missions in the Middle East said that they were

gauging the interest of Singaporeans

for assisted departure from the region due to ongoing airport closures.

They added that it may not be feasible to facilitate departures from all regions and airports, and Singaporeans may be required to travel to a neighbouring country for safe passage out of the region.

Routes that were being considered include Dubai to Muscat, Abu Dhabi to Muscat, Doha to Riyadh/ Jeddah and Amman to Jeddah.

The cost of land transportation, air tickets, travel documentation, visas and temporary accommodation are to be borne by passengers.

Governments around the world have scrambled to evacuate citizens stranded in the Middle East, where Iran expanded a retaliatory missile and drone barrage on the fifth day of a war that has rattled global markets and tourism industries.

The US military has hit nearly 2,000 targets since attacking Iran alongside Israel on Feb 28, targeting ballistic missiles and “all the things that can shoot at us”, said Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command.

Iran vowed to inflict a heavy price in retaliation. Drones struck adjacent the US consulate in Dubai, starting a fire but inflicting no casualties, and against the US military base at Al-Udeid in Qatar.

The attacks came a day after

strikes on the US embassies in Riyadh and Kuwait City

and on a US air base in Bahrain.

Dubai’s international airport and its landmark Burj Al Arab hotel also

sustained damage in the attacks

.