SIA's 737-8 aircraft to progressively return to service following S$230m cabin upgrades

SINGAPORE Airlines C6L has invested some S$230 million in the development, design and installation of new cabin products for its fleet of Boeing 737-8 aircraft, which will progressively return to service after the aircraft model was grounded for over 2 years due to 2 fatal accidents.

SIA announced on Tuesday (Nov 16) that 6 of its 737-8 aircraft have been retrofitted with the latest cabin products and will gradually enter into service on short to medium-haul flights across the airline's network in the coming weeks. This includes services to points in Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, and Thailand, subject to regulatory approvals.

Another 31 Boeing 737-8s are due to join SIA and will be delivered progressively.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) in September lifted the restrictions on Boeing 737 aircraft operations into and out of Singapore.

CAAS, along with other aviation authorities worldwide, imposed restrictions on the aircraft model in March 2019 following the fatal accidents which resulted in the deaths of 346 people.

Addressing media queries on Tuesday, Lee Lik Hsin, executive vice-president of the airline's commercial division, said that prior to CAAS's approval for the 737-8 to resume operations, many regulators elsewhere have lifted the ban and the aircraft is already flying in other parts of the world.

"There are several steps that airlines have to take in terms of training to be able to get this aircraft back in the air again and we have taken those steps."

"Based on the reaction that we have seen in other parts of the world, we believe customers are generally comfortable that regulators and airlines have done enough to give them the assurance," said Lee, adding that SIA will continue to watch this space carefully.

All of SIA's 737-8 aircraft will have 154 seats, comprising 10 in business class and 144 in economy class.

The new suite of cabin products include business class seats that are able to fully recline into a bed. There are two standalone business class seats that come with additional table-top and stowage spaces and a side stowage compartment equipped with a mirror and LED light.

For the economy class, changes include seats that are more spacious and comfortable. The latest seat model comes with a contoured backrest for better support and a four-way adjustable headrest with foldable wings.

Inflight entertainment systems have been fitted in both business and economy class cabins on these planes. The fleet is also fitted with Wi-Fi and mobile data connectivity services.

In addition, a new interactive 3D flight map, which includes over 20 distinct map views for various flight phases, will be rolled out.

Customers will also be able to browse and create personalised playlists of films, TV shows or music available on KrisWorld via the SingaporeAir mobile app before the board the aircraft.

The revamp of the 737-8 aircraft is part of SIA's commitment towards investing in product excellence, said Lee.

"We know this is a very competitive industry and we have to innovate in order to stay ahead," he stressed.

Lee also attributed the success of the cabin retrofitting programme to support from stakeholders, who had contributed to the company's ability to make such an investment.

On whether he expects demand to be able to justify the investment, Lee said that while SIA does not usually consider a return on investment timeline for the cabin products, the airline is confident the upgrades will improve customer experience and will ultimately benefit the company.

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