Singapore Airlines is investing more than S$2 billion (about US$1.6 billion) in new seats, food and entertainment across its cabins, according to CNBC. The centrepiece is a set of premium seats for long-haul flying that will appear first on the airline's Airbus A350 long-haul and ultra-long-range jets from mid-2027.
The carrier detailed the plans at a media briefing on November 4, CNBC reports.
Why it matters
The upgrade is a direct response to competition. CNBC reports that Singapore Airlines is making the investment to keep pace with rival carriers worldwide. The airline was recently named the World's Best Airline for 2026 by Skytrax and also took the World's Best Economy Class title, but it lost the Business Class category to Qatar Airways and the First Class category to Air France.
The timing also matters because the seats were designed for a different aircraft. They were meant to enter service on Boeing's 777-9, a plane Singapore Airlines still does not have.
What passengers get in the premium cabins
In first class, the new seats carry 32-inch 4K screens and Bang & Olufsen noise-cancelling headphones, according to CNBC. Travellers will also be able to book a double bed setup and a face-to-face dining arrangement.
Business class seats will have 22-inch 4K screens, wireless charging and Bluetooth audio, CNBC reports.
The A350 work is a retrofit programme. The same products will also be fitted to the 777-9s once those aircraft join the fleet.
Changes further back in the plane are smaller. Premium economy gains an extra inch of recline, and economy gets new upholstery. Both cabins will have new 4K seatback monitors, but those features will only appear on the incoming 777-9s, not on the A350s.
Boeing delays pushed the plan onto the A350
According to CNBC, Singapore Airlines chief commercial officer Lee Lik Hsin said at the November 4 briefing that the 777-9 delays drove the decision to put the new products on the A350.
Boeing said in its third-quarter results that it will not hand over its first 777-9 to a customer until 2027. CNBC reports it is not known whether Singapore Airlines is a launch customer for the type.
The airline has been waiting a long time for the jet. At its full-year results briefing in May, chief operating officer Tan Kai Ping described the 777-9 programme as long-delayed and said the aircraft would not be in the fleet in the financial year ending March 2027, according to CNBC.
Separate reporting from The Business Times says the airline's new planes and seats have slipped again because of certification issues.
Beyond the seat
The cabin refresh sits alongside other spending. In September, the airline announced a new inflight dining programme, with revised menus and drinks across all classes and Christofle serviceware designed for its premium cabins, CNBC reports.
New amenity kits are coming too: Sisley products in first class and BYREDO in business. Business passengers will also receive sleepwear, a first for the airline.
Connectivity is part of the plan as well. Earlier this year the carrier said it would install Starlink on nearly all of its Airbus aircraft, excluding the A350 medium-haul variant, starting in the first quarter of 2027. CNBC reports that covers roughly half of its current fleet.
On the ground, a separate S$130 million is going into renovating the airline's Silverkris lounges. The airline is also building what CNBC describes as an end-to-end experience for Suites and first class passengers starting at the kerb at Singapore Changi Airport, including concierge service, priority immigration and security clearance, and a buggy transfer.
What to watch
The first retrofitted A350s are due in mid-2027, and the 777-9 timeline remains the open question, with Boeing yet to commit to a delivery date for the type.
