Singapore Airlines has finally shown off its next-generation cabins, two years after first teasing them. The headline news: a brand new business class, and first class expanding beyond its usual home onto more aircraft. Everything debuts on the airline's future Boeing 777-9s and a massive retrofit of its Airbus A350 fleet.
The scale is significant. Singapore Airlines has 31 Boeing 777-9s on order — now delayed to late 2027 at the earliest — which will arrive with the new cabins factory-fitted. Meanwhile, the airline is spending 1.1 billion Singapore dollars (roughly 835 million US dollars) refitting all 41 of its long-haul A350-900s, including the seven ultra-long-range (ULR) jets that fly the world's longest routes. The full retrofit should wrap up by 2030 or 2031, with a standard long-haul A350 expected to re-enter service first in mid-2027. Updated dining, amenities and Starlink Wi-Fi come along for the ride.
The new first class, designed by PriestmanGoode, appears only on the 777-9 (six seats) and the A350-900ULR (four seats), in a 1-2-1 layout with sliding doors at every seat. Seats convert to 80-inch by 30-inch beds in Poltrona Frau leather, with 32-inch 4K screens, Bang & Olufsen headphones, wireless charging and personal wardrobes. The party trick is the centre pair: a retractable divider lets couples open up the space, and Singapore Airlines claims the resulting 60-inch-wide double bed is the largest in commercial aviation.
Business class, designed by Designworks and built by RECARO, is a staggered 1-2-1 with sliding doors, 79-inch beds and 20-22-inch 4K screens across the 777-9 and both A350 variants. Every other row of centre seats can convert into a double bed too. The reviewer's verdict: solid but safe rather than revolutionary — though the new colour scheme, with yellow accents, has raised eyebrows for looking more like a budget carrier than the airline long famous for warm, elegant cabins.
Interestingly, the ULR configuration actually loses seats overall — 132 versus today's 161 — as 36 premium economy seats make way for the four first class suites. If you've been saving points for Singapore's ultra-long-haul business class, the calculus may change once first class enters the picture.
Why it matters: this is the product you'll realistically fly within the next few years on flagship Singapore routes. Based on precedent, Sydney and London are likely to see the refreshed planes first, meaning the new cabins should appear on two of the airline's most competitive and most redemable routes. It's a genuine upgrade for anyone booking premium cabins to Asia or Australasia — just expect patience, given Boeing delays and seat-certification bottlenecks stretching the rollout across the decade.
One Mile at a Time
