Singapore Airlines is rolling out new onboard seating, dining and entertainment options as part of an over S$2 billion ($1.6 billion) investment to keep up with rivals around the world.
The cornerstone of this investment: new premium cabin seats for its long-haul flights, which will progressively debut on the Airbus A350 long-haul and ultra-long-range planes in mid-2027.
First-class seats will come with 32-inch 4K high-definition screens, Bang and Olufsen noise-cancelling headphones and options for passengers to book double bed and face-to-face dining configurations.
New first class seats feature a configuration where traveling companions can choose to dine face to face.
Singapore Airlines
The new configuration was the result of focus groups, interviews and surveys which indicted that premium travelers wanted to sit closer together, said Chief Commercial Officer Lee Lik Hsin.
“In first class, we’ve created a living room space for two people,” he said. “We designed a sofa, rather than another seat … where people can lounge around completely in each other’s company.”
SIA’s business class cabins, which had “couples seats” before, have also been redesigned to allow travelers to sit closer, Lee told CNBC Friday.
Business class seats convert to full-flat beds, measuring 79 inches in length and up to 24 inches in width. These can be configured as companion beds for couples traveling together.
Singapore Airlines
Seating in business class will come outfitted with 22-inch 4K screens, wireless charging and Bluetooth audio connectivity.
These retrofits to the A350 aircraft also come as SIA grapples with a long-running delay to the delivery of new Boeing 777-9 planes, which were slated to come in 2021 and now faces an uncertain date as to when it will take delivery of the aircraft.
These products will also debut with the 777-9 aircraft when they come into service with SIA.
“This has been the most significant, the biggest investment, that we have ever made,” said Lee, of the product rollout. “It is both the new fleet of 777-9s, which there are 31 airplanes, and 41 of the retrofitted A350s, so 72 airplanes. That’s almost half of our fleet.”
Minor refreshes will be added to other classes, such as an extra inch of reclining space in premium economy cabins, and economy class seating that provides extra knee room. Both will also come with new 4K seatback entertainment monitors, but the new features for economy and premium economy seats will only be on the incoming 777-9 aircraft.
SIA’s new business class seats have dividers that stow away, allowing passengers to sit closer together.
Singapore Airlines
Speaking at a media briefing on Nov 4, Lee said the decision to bring the products to the A350 was due to the delays with the 777-9.
Boeing had announced in its third quarter earnings results that it will not deliver the first 777-9 aircraft to customers until 2027. It is not known if SIA is a launch customer.
Economy class seats will get new 4K seatback monitors, along with a “next generation” Krisworld entertainment system.
Singapore Airlines
When asked about the delivery timeline in its full year results briefing in May this year, SIA Chief Operating Officer Tan Kai Ping said that it was a “long-delayed program” and is not going to be in SIA’s fleet in the current financial year ending March 2027.
“Fingers crossed, it shows up in the next financial year,” Tan said.
The announcement comes as SIA was named the World’s Best Airline for 2026 by Skytrax and took the World’s Best Economy Class title. However, it lost out in the Business Class category to Middle Eastern carrier Qatar Airways and in the First Class category to Air France.
Earlier this year, the airline had announced that it would introduce Starlink on almost all of its Airbus aircraft, except the A350 medium haul variant, starting from the first quarter of 2027. This would represent about half its current fleet.
In September, SIA also unveiled a new inflight dining experience, adding new menus and beverage offerings for all classes, as well as offering custom-designed Christofle serviceware for for its premium cabins.
New branded amenity kits were also announced for Business and First class travelers, Sisley in First and BYREDO in Business respectively. Sleepwear will also be available for Business Class passengers, a first for the airline.
The changes also come alongside a separate S$130 million investment to renovate Silverkris lounges, S$100 million of which was allocated to lounges in Singapore Changi Airport, and S$30 million to other locations, including Bangkok, Sydney and Melbourne, the latter where a lounge is set to open in December.
The airline is also adding more services to its “end to end” experience that begins at the curb at Singapore Changi Airport for Suites and First Class passengers, including a concierge service with buggy transfers and expedited security clearance.
— CNBC’s Monica Pitrelli contributed to this report.
