SINGAPORE — Singapore Airlines (SIA) will unveil its revamped first- and business-class seats to selected frequent flyers on Nov 7.
The sneak peek of the national carrier’s latest cabin upgrade comes ahead of a roll-out of the new seats on its Airbus A350-900 fleet in the first quarter of 2027.
In an email sent to a group of the carrier’s Solitaire PPS and PPS Club members — and seen by The Straits Times — SIA said it is holding an exclusive preview event at Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre on Nov 7.
Solitaire PPS and PPS Club are top-tier loyalty schemes for the airline’s first- and business-class frequent flyers.
“Join us for an exclusive first look at our reimagined travel experience, where meticulous craftsmanship meets cutting-edge innovation. Every detail has been thoughtfully designed to elevate your journey,” the e-mail said.
The upgraded seats are part of a $1.1 billion multi-year cabin upgrade for 41 Airbus A350 planes that was initially slated to be completed in the second quarter of 2026.
Industrywide supply chain constraints and a delay in the certification for one of the new seats resulted in a delay to the completion of the upgrade.
The new seats were also meant to be launched on the next-generation Boeing 777-9 jets as early as 2021, but production of the new wide-body aircraft has been hit by delays.
The makeover covers all cabin classes and will be done in Singapore by SIA Engineering.
Responding to queries from The Straits Times, an SIA spokesman said on Sept 2: “Singapore Airlines will unveil our new travel experience in November 2026.
[[nid:735176]]
SIA earlier said the new long-haul first- and business-class seats will have a “spacious layout and ergonomic elements”, with teaser images of its new business-class product featuring privacy doors.
The revamp involves changing the configuration of 34 A350-900 long-haul aircraft to have 42 business-class seats, 24 premium economy seats and 192 economy-class seats — five more economy seats than in the current layout.
As for the seven A350-900 ultra-long-range jets, they will get new premium economy and business cabins, along with first-class seats, which are now not available on this aircraft type.
After the upgrade, the aircraft will have four first-class seats, 70 business-class seats and 58 premium economy seats. That adds up to three more business-class seats and 36 fewer premium economy seats than the current arrangement.
SIA’s rival airlines have installed new cabins on other aircraft first, following the delays in the delivery of the new Boeing 777-9 planes.
In October 2024, Cathay Pacific launched its new Aria Suites business-class seats on a retrofitted Boeing 777-300ER, instead of waiting for its 777-9s to be delivered.
Similarly, Lufthansa launched its new Allegris cabin products on its A350 aircraft in May 2024 and on its Boeing 787 jets in October 2025.
In 2017, SIA overhauled the business-class seats on its Airbus A380s. At that time, it also introduced its redesigned Suites line, which is the first-class cabin equivalent on the A380s.
From 2027, the airline will introduce, in stages, Starlink’s low-Earth orbit satellite-based broadband service to enhance onboard internet connectivity.
SIA said it remains firmly committed to investing in and enhancing its product and service offerings to elevate customer experience.
[[nid:736841]]
This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
Read the full article here
