More reclining abilities for SIA’s new economy, premium economy seats

SINGAPORE – Singapore Airlines (SIA) is investing more than $2 billion to upgrade its seats and cabin offerings across all four classes, marking its largest investment to date in cabin upgrades.

Of this sum, $1.1 billion is allocated to retrofitting 34 existing A350-900 long-haul aircraft with new business-class seats and seven existing Airbus A350-900 ultra-long-range jets with new first-class seats.

The $2 billion investment covers 72 aircraft in total – including 31 Boeing 777-9s that have yet to be delivered.

Speaking at a media briefing on Nov 4, SIA chief commercial officer Lee Lik Hsin said the retrofitted A350 aircraft will enter service from the second half of 2027.

On whether the installation of upgraded seats of the complete fleet of existing A350 jets will still be completed by 2030, Lee said: “The overall schedule between start and end should not shift too much.

“It should be similar to that kind of time frame because it is a function of certification as opposed to operational capability.”

While the upgraded seats for the A350 fleet are still awaiting certification, all new seat designs for SIA’s upcoming Boeing 777-9 fleet have cleared certification, Lee said.

Having been hit by production delays, the delivery of the Boeing wide-body aircraft will now be in 2027 at the earliest.

Alongside its new first- and business-class seats, SIA showcased its upgraded premium economy and economy seats at a launch event at Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre on Nov 6.

The new economy and premium economy seats will be fitted in only the new Boeing 777-9 planes. These new jets will also feature the revamped first- and business-class seats.

On why the seats will not be installed on the existing A350 planes, Lee said: “We have to make our investment decisions around every cabin within every aircraft type.”

“It is a difficult decision for us, and we understand, of course, that some of our customers might be disappointed,” he told reporters in an interview on Nov 4.

However, the airline will adopt a “never-say-never” approach to adding new features such as USB-C ports and Bluetooth connectivity to economy and premium economy seats on existing A350 planes, Lee said.

SIA’s vice-president of product experience Ong Wah Li told reporters on Nov 4 that the revamped structure of the economy-class seats will provide “greater knee and shin clearance”.

Passengers can recline their seats by up to 6 inches (about 15cm), compared with 5 inches on some of the airline’s existing economy-class seats.

With the multiple pockets in the front compartment under the in-flight entertainment screen, passengers can keep their belongings organised, Ong said.

A secondary screen provides real-time information such as in-flight Wi-Fi connectivity status and toilet availability.

Each new Boeing 777-9 aircraft will have 204 economy-class seats in a 3-4-3 layout, with each seat measuring 17.6 inches wide.

On the new premium economy-class seats, Ong said the seat pitch has grown from 38 to 40 inches, and passengers can recline their seats to 9 inches – up from the current 8 inches.

Seat pitch refers to the distance between a seat and the one directly in front of it.

Ong noted that the new seat features contoured cushions with greater support and a four-way adjustable headrest.

The number of new premium economy-class seats in a plane will remain at 36, arranged in a 2-4-2 layout.

On why SIA decided to maintain the number of seats, Lee said the airline had sized its cabins in a way that optimised the total revenue.

“If you decide to increase the size of the premium economy (cabin), it would have to be at the expense of some other cabins, and we believe our current mix is already at its optimum,” he added.

Lee said the route rollouts of the new seats will be announced when the plans are finalised.

On whether fares will increase following the revamp, Lee added: “I always say fares are a function of demand and supply, and I will also say that we do not practise aircraft-specific pricing.”

On the ground, SIA has also invested more than $130 million to revamp its lounges across the world.