Singapore Airlines' $1.6 bn cabin revamp: Bigger beds, privacy door for business class, Sanjeev Kapoor’s thalis and more
Singapore Airlines has announced a major cabin overhaul to its long-haul aircraft, including putting in sofas in first class. According to the airline, the upgrades, which are estimated to cost around $1.6 billion, will be rolled out across its Airbus A350-900 and Boeing 777-9 fleets.
The airline on Friday unveiled new cabins in all four travel classes in the biggest and most comprehensive overhaul in its history, with the new seats due from the second half of 2027.
In first class, centre seats convert into what Singapore Airlines calls the largest double bed in commercial aviation. Business class gets sliding privacy doors for the first time on the airline, alongside a fully flat bed.
The investment "underpins our long-standing commitment to continually raise the bar of premium air travel," Yeoh Phee Teik, Singapore Airlines' senior vice president for customer experience, said at a briefing on Wednesday.
According to Reuters, the Singapore Airlines programme covers 72 aircraft, a mix of Airbus A350-900s being retrofitted and Boeing 777-9 jets on order that together will comprise the majority of its long-haul fleet.
The cabins were originally designed for the 777-9, which is expected to become Singapore Airlines' new long-haul flagship as the A380, which offers smaller double beds, eventually retires.
But the 777-9's entry into service has slipped for years, which Singapore Airlines Chief Commercial Officer Lee Lik Hsin told Reuters had led the carrier to widen the programme to its A350s.
He said the S$2 billion-plus investment included a S$1.1 billion A350 refurbishment plan announced in 2024 and was funded from the airline's strong cash balance, which stood at S$9.1 billion as of end-June.
Most of the investment goes to premium cabins because business and first-class seats cost far more per unit than economy seats, Lee said, with the carrier setting no spending ceiling and planning to keep investing when appropriate to maintain its market leadership.
"Our competitive advantage doesn't derive from aircraft cabin product alone," he said. "It is the hard product, the soft service, the operational excellence. And...it is our people."
Indian master chef Sanjeev Kapoor is among the world's six chefs whose signature dishes are part of the upgrade Singapore Airlines is rolling out.
According to PTI, Kapoor's 'Shahi Thali' and 'Ruchi Thali', for first class and business class, are among more than 100 new and refreshed dishes SIA is introducing in its in-flight menu category.
The airline made the announcement on Friday at the introduction of its next-generation long-haul cabin products, starting in the second half of next year.
"In-flight dining is about much more than the meal itself," said the airline's senior vice president for customer experience, Yeoh Phee Teik.
More than 100 new and refreshed appetisers, main courses and desserts are being introduced across all cabin classes under SIA's Chief Selections.
Kapoor is joined by Monica Galetti from the United Kingdom, Spain's Nandu Jubany, New Zealand's Sid Sahrawat, Japan's Yoshihiro Murata and China's Zhu Jun.
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