SIA, Scoot cancel flights to Middle East amid heightened uncertainties

Singapore Airlines (SIA) has extended the cancellation of its flights between Singapore and Dubai till Dec 2, while Scoot has cancelled its flights between Singapore and Jeddah till the same date, citing geopolitical situation in the Middle East.

The affected flights are SQ494 from Singapore to Dubai and SQ495 from Dubai to Singapore; TR796 from Singapore to Jeddah, and flight TR797 from Jeddah to Singapore.

SIA's flights had previously been cancelled till Oct 24 .

The airline added that its other flights may be affected due to the fluid situation.

Customers affected by the cancellations can seek a full refund of the unused portion of their ticket.

Meanwhile, there is no clear end in sight to the US-Israeli war against Iran, now in its eighth month.

Oil prices went up on Wednesday as US-Iran talks aimed at ending the war stalled and tight fuel markets continued to underpin prices despite recovering Middle East crude supplies.

Brent is headed for a monthly gain of about 14 per cent, its biggest since July.

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has increased in recent weeks, with shippers charging high fees to brave the risk of attacks.

But flow of crude oil, refined products and natural gas remain substantially disrupted.

In the latest incidents, Britain's maritime security body reported on Wednesday that two ships were hit by projectiles the previous day.

The US withdrawal from Iraq has raised the possibility that Iran's proxies could feel increasingly empowered in the absence of a Western military presence, said Baghdad-based political analyst Ahmed Younis.

"These groups may attempt to expand their role in shaping state policies and consolidating their presence within ​key institutions."

新加坡航空公司（SIA）已将新加坡至迪拜航班的取消期限延长至12月2日，而酷航也已将新加坡至吉达航班的取消期限延长至同一日期，理由是中东的地缘政治局势。

受影响的航班有：新加坡飞往迪拜的 SQ494 航班和迪拜飞往新加坡的 SQ495 航班；新加坡飞往吉达的 TR796 航班和吉达飞往新加坡的 TR797 航班。

新加坡航空此前已取消航班至10月24日。

该航空公司补充说，由于局势瞬息万变，其其他航班也可能受到影响。

受航班取消影响的乘客可以申请全额退还未使用部分的票款。

与此同时，美以对伊朗的战争已经持续了八个月，目前仍看不到结束的迹象。

周三，由于旨在结束战争的美伊谈判陷入僵局，尽管中东原油供应有所恢复，但紧张的燃料市场继续支撑油价，导致油价上涨。

布伦特原油月度涨幅有望达到约14%，创下7月以来最大单月涨幅。

近几周来，途经霍尔木兹海峡的航运量有所增加，货运公司收取高额费用以冒着遭受袭击的风险。

但原油、成品油和天然气的输送仍然受到严重干扰。

在最近发生的事件中，英国海事安全机构周三报告称，前一天有两艘船只遭到炮弹袭击。

巴格达政治分析家艾哈迈德·尤尼斯表示，美国从伊拉克撤军，使得伊朗的代理人在西方军事存在消失的情况下，可能会感到权力越来越大。

“这些团体可能会试图扩大其在塑造国家政策方面的作用，并巩固其在关键机构中的影响力。”