Prepare for take-off: SIA unveils new seats in $2b upgrade, rolling out from second half of 2027

Travellers jetting off to their favourite destinations will soon have another reason to get excited when they get on a Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight – brand new seats. 

Next-generation first- and business-class seats will be introduced to SIA’s Airbus A350-900 fleet starting from the second half of 2027 – which is a slight delay from the target of the first quarter of 2027.

The new economy and premium economy seats will be fitted in only the new Boeing 777-9 planes.

The first A350-900 long-haul aircraft with the upgraded seats was initially expected to carry passengers in the second quarter of 2026, followed by the A350-900 ultra-long-range version in 2027.

Industrywide supply constraints and a delay in the certification for the new seats delayed the upgrades, SIA said.

The long-awaited seat upgrades for the complete A350 fleet – part of a $2-billion revamp across all cabin classes – are slated to be completed by 2030.

This is the airline’s biggest investment in cabin products to date, covering 72 aircraft in total.

In 2017, SIA overhauled the business-class seats on its Airbus A380s. It also rolled out a redesign for the Suites line, the first-class-cabin equivalent on the SIA A380.

The new seats today are part of a wider revamp that includes updated dining menus and enhanced in-flight entertainment systems.

The Straits Times goes behind the scenes to find out more about how the people involved – including designers, manufacturers and leather upholsterers – are creating the new seats.