Singapore Airlines plans to spend more than S$2 billion on long-haul cabin upgrades, including a First Class double bed, with service entry scheduled to begin in the second half of 2027.
The airline’s Nov. 6 announcement covers 41 A350-900s scheduled for cabin refits and its incoming Boeing 777-9 fleet. The new products are slated to appear in phases from the second half of 2027. All four classes will be fitted on the 777-9; A350 work includes new Business Class seats, and the ultra-long-range A350-900ULR will get First Class for the first time.
First Class on the 777-9 and A350-900ULR will have doors that close around each seat. A pair of center seats can combine into a flat sleeping surface 80 inches long and 60 inches wide. Each seat can also be set up as an 80-by-30-inch bed on its own.
Business Class seats on the 777-9 and long-haul and ultra-long-range A350-900s will also have doors. Their beds will be 79 inches long, with widths of up to 24 inches. Some center pairs can be arranged so two passengers can sleep side by side.
The Premium Economy and Economy specifications apply to the 777-9. Premium Economy seats will have 40 inches between rows, while Economy pitch will range from 31 to 32 inches; Economy screens will offer 4K displays and measure up to 13 inches. Singapore Airlines said the designs drew on worldwide research with more than 5,000 travelers, customers, employees and industry experts, using focus groups, interviews, surveys and concept testing.
The schedule is later than the airline’s Nov. 4, 2024, S$1.1 billion retrofit announcement, which projected first service for a long-haul A350 refit in the second quarter of 2026 and a ULR refit in the first quarter of 2027. Reuters reported that delays to the 777-9 led Singapore Airlines to extend the cabin program to its A350 fleet. The airline has not named the first routes for the new cabins.
