02/03/2026
Travellers stranded as Singapore Airlines accused of profiting from Middle East crisis
Singapore Airlines has been slammed for trying to âmake money from bombsâ after reports of excessive prices being charged for one-way fares out of Europe to Australia.
The accusation came as a further 2000 flights into the Middle East were cancelled in 24 hours, with major Gulf carriers advising that operations remain temporarily suspended.
Airspace over Qatar and the United Arab Emirates was closed on Sunday after Iran launched retaliatory strikes following a US-Israel attack that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Singapore Airlines has been accused of price gouging by customers quoted $12,000 for a one-way business-class ticket from Zurich and $5500 for premium economy.
Even a one-way economy seat from Paris to Sydney is currently going for almost $4000 on Singapore Airlines, the third biggest carrier of Australians abroad, after Qantas and Jetstar.
A Brisbane man trying to help get his wife and daughter back from Europe said the prices being asked of desperate people to return home were âhighway robberyâ.
âSingapore is charging return flight prices for one way to Brisbane. Theyâre trying to make money from bombs,â said the man, who asked not to be named.
Short notice flight bookings typically incur the highest fares, particularly when the service is almost full â as is the case for many Singapore Airlines flights, which boast average load factors of 91 per cent.
Emirates customers have been told that anyone booked to fly up until March 5 should rebook on an alternative flight or request a refund.
Qatar Airways and Etihad also remain in limbo due to âregional airspace closuresâ and have urged âpatienceâ by passengers trying to reach the airlines by phone.
Both are expected to provide further updates on Monday after the safety of airspace and airports is assessed.
Qantas is continuing to operate its Perth-London and Perth-Paris services, using routes over Afghanistan, Turkmenistan and the Caspian Sea in order to avoid Iran and the United Arab Emirates.
Virgin Australia has announced the cancellation of seven more Qatar Airways-operated flights scheduled for Monday and advised that anyone booked to fly to Doha up until March 6 can request a refund or booking change without penalty.
Up to 30 Qatar, Emirates and Etihad aircraft, including nine A380s, remain parked at airports across Australia, awaiting the reopening of airspace.
Emirates and Qatar Airways aircraft parked at Brisbane Airport. Picture: Josh Milne/Queensland Planespotters
Emirates and Qatar Airways aircraft parked at Brisbane Airport. Picture: Josh Milne/Queensland Planespotters
Aviation analytics company Cirium found that 2014 of 3990 flights scheduled into the Middle East have been cancelled in the last 24 hours.
Virtually all services into Qatar and Bahrain have been halted. 86 per cent of flights into the UAE have not gone ahead, and 80 per cent of services into Israel have been axed.
âWe note that airspace is closed in many countries of the Middle East, and so the cancellation rate should be 100 per cent (for the UAE, for example),â said a Cirium spokesman.
âHowever, some airlines have not updated their schedules to officially cancel flights or have simply not flown the flights.â
For Australians booked to travel home from Europe via the Middle East in the coming days there is still much uncertainty, with many looking at alternative routes with other airlines.
There is some seat availability in coming days on Qantas flights from Perth and Malaysia Airlines out of Amsterdam, with a one-way economy ticket in the vicinity of $1500 to $2000.
Other airlines, including China Eastern, Cathay Pacific and British Airways, have economy seats on routes such as Rome or Frankfurt to Sydney for between $3000 and $3500 one way.
Travel agents advised customers not to cancel their bookings until they heard from their airline and warned travel insurance would not cover expenses incurred from the disruption.
The Insurance Council of Australia confirmed acts of war and armed conflicts were not included in travel insurance policies.
ICA chief executive Andrew Hall told ABC radio breakfast that âacts of war are so large and costly that it would be nearly impossible to be able to cost that out and offer a premium for thatâ.
âThese are very uncertain times that erupt when these things happen. The first priority is that people remain safe,â Mr Hall said.
âSo we wouldnât want travel insurance to give people a false sense of security. What they should be doing is following the advice of the government. I think more importantly is that the Australian government has issued a âdo not travelâ advice. And in almost all travel insurance policies, when the government issues a âdo not travelâ advice, which itâs had in place for a long time for places like Iran and Israel, your travel insurance policy will not cover you if you go there.â
Singapore Airlines has been accused of trying to take advantage of desperate travellers stranded by the Middle East conflict. Picture: Mark Baker/AP
Singapore Airlines has been accused of trying to take advantage of desperate travellers stranded by the Middle East conflict. Picture: Mark Baker/AP
Adam Glezer from Consumer Champion said the situation highlighted the fragility of consumer protections, with travellers booked to fly in coming weeks facing a difficult decision.
âEven when flights resume, itâs understandable that people may feel unsafe travelling and they shouldnât be punished for that by losing access to a refund, yet airlines can still choose not to offer refunds,â Mr Glezer said.
âItâs been six years since Covid and Australia is still operating with shockingly weak consumer protections for travellers in force majeure events. How many more crises will it take before lawmakers enact the necessary protections?â
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