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Malaysia Airlines, SIA join rush to cancel Middle East flights as Iran-US-Israel strikes escalate

More countries announce airspace closures as carriers suspend flights on Feb 28 and March 1, passengers reminded to check for updates on subsequent flights

7:57 PM MYT

 

KUALA LUMPUR – Scores of airlines have cancelled their Middle East operations after Iran struck back at US targets and Israel for their strikes on Tehran earlier today.

Malaysia Airlines has cancelled its operations to Doha, Jeddah and Madinah today and tomorrow, Bernama reports.

A check on the national carrier’s flight status portal showed cancellations for these flights today and Sunday.

The affected flights are:

• MH160 – Feb 28, 2026 (KUL–DOH)

• MH156 – Feb 28, 2026 (KUL–JED)

• MH158 – Feb 28, 2026 (KUL–MED)

• MH159 – Feb 28, 2026 (MED–KUL)

• MH161 – Feb 28, 2026 (DOH-KUL)

• MH164/MH165 – March 1, 2026 (DOH–KUL)

• MH157 – March 1, 2026 (JED–KUL)

Passengers are strongly advised to verify their travel plans via the “Manage My Booking” portal on the official Malaysian Airlines website as the situation in the Middle East continues to shift by the hour. 

However, flights MH4 Kuala Lumpur (KUL)–London (LHR) and MH20 Kuala Lumpur (KUL)–Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) remain on schedule at this time. These flights are operating on alternative routings via Afghanistan airspace, well clear of the affected conflict zone, Malaysia Airlines said to Bernama.

Singapore Airlines has also cancelled its Singapore-Dubai-Singapore flights for Feb 28 and March 1.

A SIA spokesperson told Bernama that flights SQ494 from Singapore to Dubai. and SQ495 from Dubai to Singapore on both days will be cancelled.

Scoot has also cancelled flights TR596 from Singapore to Jeddah, and TR597 (Jeddah-Singapore) on Feb 28.

“We strongly advise customers to update their contact details via the manage booking function on the SIA and Scoot websites or subscribe to the mobile notification service to receive flight updates.

“We will continue to monitor the situation in the Middle East closely and will adjust our flight paths as needed,” the spokesperson added.

Iran has closed its entire airspace until further notice following missile attacks by US and Israel on its territory earlier today.

Other countries that have announced airspace closures so far are Israel, Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). UAE-owned airline, Flydubai, has cancelled its flights to Iran and Israel.

Flight-tracking websites, such as Flightradar24, showed vast stretches of airspace over Iran and neighbouring countries largely devoid of commercial aircraft.

Several Qatar Airways flights that departed on Saturday morning circled over Kuwait or Saudi Arabia before returning to Qatari airspace, eventually looping off Doha, according to Flightradar24.

Reuters reports that Russia’s Ministry of Transport confirmed that Russian carriers have suspended flights to both Iran and Israel.

According to Reuters, other airlines that have confirmed suspended services in the region are Lufthansa, Air France, Hungary-based Wizz Air, and Virgin Atlantic.

A list provided by Al-Jazeera said other airlines that have also cancelled Middle East operations are Air France, Iberia Express, Japan Airlines, Norwegian Air, Turkish Airlines and Qatar Airways.

Emirates Airlines also announced this evening its operations from Dubai airport are temporarily suspended due to airspace closures in the region. – February 28, 2026

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