When will Singapore Airlines' new business class start flying?

The airline says the new cabins will be introduced progressively from the second half of 2027, subject to certification and aircraft availability. It has not said which aircraft or route goes first.

Which aircraft get the new first class?

Only the Boeing 777-9, with six suites, and the A350-900ULR, with four suites. The 34 long-haul A350s get the new business class but no first class.

Will the new seats fly to Australia?

No Australian route has been confirmed. The refitted long-haul A350s are the most likely candidates, but until Singapore Airlines publishes schedules, treat it as unknown.

Does the new business class have doors?

Yes. Every new business seat has a sliding door, a first for Singapore Airlines business class, plus an adjustable divider between centre seats.

How big is the new first class double bed?

Two centre suites combine into a bed of 80 by 60 inches. Singapore Airlines describes it as the largest double bed in commercial aviation.

Should I wait for the new seats before booking?

Not usually. With no confirmed routes and a 2027 start, booking on price and timing makes more sense than chasing a seat you can't guarantee.

Photo: Dan Nevill / CC BY-SA 2.0

SIA cabins 2027

Singapore Airlines new business and first class: what is changing

Singapore Airlines revealed new long-haul first and business class seats on 6 November 2026. Business gets sliding doors on the 777-9 and refitted A350s, first gets a double bed on the 777-9 and A350ULR. Service starts from the second half of 2027, with no Australian routes confirmed.

Kaviqa7 November 20266 min read

Singapore Airlines revealed its next generation long-haul first and business class seats at an event in Singapore on 6 November 2026. It is the airline's biggest cabin launch since the A380 suites of 2017, and it is backed by more than S$2 billion of investment across all four cabins. The catch for anyone planning a trip soon: nothing flies until the second half of 2027, and the airline has not said which routes get the new seats first.

Here is what is actually changing, which planes get it, and what it means if you fly Singapore Airlines from Australia and would rather not pay full price for the privilege.

What Singapore Airlines announced

The new cabins go on two groups of aircraft. The incoming Boeing 777-9, which is still waiting on certification, will carry all four new cabins: six first class suites, 54 business class seats, 36 premium economy and 204 economy. Separately, 41 existing Airbus A350-900s will be refitted: 34 long-haul aircraft get the new business class, and the seven ultra-long-range A350-900ULRs get the new business class plus first class for the first time. The 24 medium-haul A350s are not part of the program, according to Airliner World.

Full specifications are in the airline's press release annexe and its newsroom.

The new business class: doors, at last

The headline change in business is privacy. For the first time in a Singapore Airlines business cabin, every seat gets a sliding door, and the centre pairs have an electronically adjustable divider, so couples can open up and solo travellers can close off. Selected centre pairs can also be set up as companion beds.

The seat was designed by BMW Group's Designworks and is built by RECARO. It is laid out 1-2-1, so every seat has direct aisle access, with a 50 inch pitch and a full flat bed 79 inches long. Width is 24 inches on the 777-9 and 22 inches on the A350s. The table folds away at an angle to leave a bigger footwell, which matters because the angled footwell is the most common complaint about the current seat. Screens are 4K, up to 22 inches, with Bluetooth headphone pairing, wireless charging, adjustable lumbar and leg support, and seat settings that are remembered for your next flight through myKrisWorld.

Seat counts vary a lot by aircraft: 42 on the A350 long-haul, 54 on the 777-9 and 70 on the A350ULR, per the press release annexe.

The new first class: a double bed you can book

First class was designed by PriestmanGoode and is built by Collins Aerospace. Each suite has a curved sliding door, Poltrona Frau leather, a wardrobe, and a bed 80 inches long and 30 inches wide. The party trick is in the middle: drop the divider between the two centre suites and they become a two seat sofa by day, or a bed of 80 by 60 inches at night, which the airline calls the largest double bed in commercial aviation. There is a 32 inch 4K screen and a large table for dining face to face with a companion.

There will be six suites on the 777-9 and four on the A350ULR. That is very few seats, so expect award and upgrade availability to be tight.

Two Singapore Airlines original A380 Suites made up as a double bed, photographed in 2014 — The original A380 Suites, photographed in 2014, could already combine into a double bed. The new first class brings that idea to the 777-9 and A350ULR.Photo: Viaggio Routard / CC BY 2.0

Current seats vs the new ones

Rows of Singapore Airlines A380 business class seats without doors, photographed in 2012 — An earlier Singapore Airlines business class cabin on the A380, photographed in 2012. Like the current A350 seat, it has no doors.Photo: Edwin Leong / CC BY-SA 2.0

This compares the seats you would get on these aircraft today with what the airline has announced. New figures are from the airline's annexe.

Feature	Current A350 business	New business	New first
Privacy door	No	Yes, sliding door at every seat	Yes, curved sliding door
Layout	1-2-1	1-2-1	1-2-1, four or six suites
Bed length	Varies by seat version	79 inches	80 inches
Bed width	Varies by seat version	Up to 24 inches (22 on A350)	30 inches
Couples	Centre pairs	Companion beds on selected centre pairs	Double bed of 80 by 60 inches
Screen	Earlier generation screen	4K, up to 22 inches	4K, 32 inches
Aircraft	A350 long-haul and ULR today	777-9, A350 long-haul, A350ULR	777-9 and A350ULR only

New specifications from Singapore Airlines' 6 November 2026 release. The A350ULR has no first class today.

What it means if you fly from Australia

Singapore Airlines has not announced which routes get the refitted aircraft first, and the rollout is subject to certification and aircraft availability, as Aviation Week reported. The A350ULRs are built for very long nonstop flights such as Singapore to New York, so the new first class is unlikely to be on an Australian sector. The 34 long-haul A350s are the planes most likely to show up on flights to Australia or on your onward leg from Singapore to Europe, but no specific route has been confirmed.

In practice, a 2027 or 2028 trip will be a mix: new seats on some legs and the existing product on others, and the aircraft can change after you book. If the seat really matters, check the aircraft and seat map close to departure rather than assuming.

Getting the seat without paying full fare

The new hardware does not change how Singapore prices its fares. Business sales, connecting itineraries and booking two tickets often beat the headline price from Australia by a wide margin. If you are weighing Singapore against the Gulf carriers, our Singapore vs Qatar business class comparison and business class seats compared explain what you trade off. For Europe, see cheapest business class from Australia to Europe.

Photos of the seats

Singapore Airlines' own images of the new seats are press photos, which we can't reproduce here, and no freely licensed photos of the new seats exist yet. You can see them in the Airliner World report and on the airline's newsroom. The photos in this guide show older Singapore Airlines cabins: the 777-300ER first class at the top was taken in 2008, and none of them show the new seats.

Common questions

When will Singapore Airlines' new business class start flying?: The airline says the new cabins will be introduced progressively from the second half of 2027, subject to certification and aircraft availability. It has not said which aircraft or route goes first.
Which aircraft get the new first class?: Only the Boeing 777-9, with six suites, and the A350-900ULR, with four suites. The 34 long-haul A350s get the new business class but no first class.
Will the new seats fly to Australia?: No Australian route has been confirmed. The refitted long-haul A350s are the most likely candidates, but until Singapore Airlines publishes schedules, treat it as unknown.
Does the new business class have doors?: Yes. Every new business seat has a sliding door, a first for Singapore Airlines business class, plus an adjustable divider between centre seats.
How big is the new first class double bed?: Two centre suites combine into a bed of 80 by 60 inches. Singapore Airlines describes it as the largest double bed in commercial aviation.
Should I wait for the new seats before booking?: Not usually. With no confirmed routes and a 2027 start, booking on price and timing makes more sense than chasing a seat you can't guarantee.